The Pitch - And The Teammate - Behind K-Rod's Prolonged Success
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 900th Major League appearance on Wednesday night, becoming just the 25th pitcher to reach that milestone.
Not that he cares, or anything.
"I don't pay attention to it," he admitted. "I actually just found out."
Turns out, the news came from a team trainer after Rodriguez nailed down his 30th save of the season in the Tigers' 2-1 win. His disinterest in how far he's come is a reflection of how much further he wants to go.
"Hopefully, God gave me a lot of strength. Let me stay healthy and keep playing a lot more games."
Still, the 34-year-old closer was happy to reflect on his achievement afterward.
"I've been blessed to be able to pitch consistently every year. And thank god today I have avoided missing time on the D.L." he said, knocking on the wooden frame of his locker for good luck.
Rodriguez has come a long way since breaking into the big leagues with the Anaheim Angels late in the 2002 season. He has racked up 416 saves for five different teams, appeared in five All-Star Games and reinvented himself as a pitcher.
But asked what first comes to mind when looking back on his career, he didn't think twice.
"Day one," Rodriguez said. "2002, September 2002."
The Angels were destined for a World Series title that season, and it was along the way that Rodriguez developed the nickname by which he is known today: K-Rod. It was a nod to his flair for the strikeout, a gift brought on by a blistering fastball and wipe-out slider.
How times have changed.
In Wednesday night's outing against the White Sox, Rodriguez threw 30 pitches, rarely cracking 90 mph on the radar gun. The majority of them were changeups, which has become the hallmark of his repertoire. Where he used to break hitters' knees and blow them away, he's now a master of deception.
"Back then I used to be a thrower, used to get away with a lot of pitches [that were] 95, 96 down the middle. Now those aren't going to get away. I'm more becoming a pitcher instead of a thrower," he explained.
K-Rod's savvy has allowed him to extend his career despite his declining velocity. He has racked up 112 saves in 121 opportunities in the past three seasons and is 30 for 32 this year for the Tigers. He was one of the game's most reliable closers when he assumed the role for the Angels in 2004 and he remains so today.
So if times have changed, they have also stayed the same.
Rodriguez credits former teammate LaTroy Hawkins with helping him prolong his big-league career. The two of them were bullpen mates in Milwaukee in 2011 and K-Rod says he absorbed everything he could from a pitcher who would go on to pitch 21 seasons in the MLB – at least when he wasn't ribbing him for his age.
"I used to mess with with him a lot," Rodriguez smiled. "I'd say 'How do you do it? Give me the drink, the fountain of youth that you always drink,' because he played in the big leagues for so many years and he did the same thing. That's the only guy I can remember doing that."
Joking aside, K-Rod said Hawkins helped him with his preparation and stressed the importance of having a short-term memory, two lessons Rodriguez is now imparting to the younger relievers in the Tigers' bullpen. Hawkins also taught K-Rod to listen to his body's signs, to say 'No' when his competitive side is thinking 'Yes.'
Brad Ausmus isn't so sure Rodriguez embraced that last lesson.
"He's a throwback. You don't see many guys like him who would legitimately take the ball five or six days in a row if he thought he could and help the team. There's been a rare day where I ask him how he's feeling and he's said he could use a rest if he could get it. But I know if I called on him he'd pitch. He's kind of a blue-collar, old-school type pitcher," Ausmus said.
Sustained big-league success is lucrative but it doesn't come without a cost. The MLB season is a notorious grind, from the unrelenting schedule to the long road trips to the late nights and early mornings. Through his 14-year career, K-Rod has continually put baseball first.
"A lot of sacrifice, a lot of travel, a lot of not sleeping well, all that," he said. "Just a lot of sacrifice is being paid off and I'm not done yet. I'm going to continue to do it. As long as I'm healthy, I'm going to continue to do it."
