Yesterday, Johan Santana got rocked for nine runs in three-plus innings, saying about his bad day, "It's going to happen. It's just a matter of time when it's going to happen." Johan is probably the best pitcher in the majors. Even the best has bad days.
Reading his quotes today reminded me of a family Christmas spent in Hawai'i in 2003, reminded me of the long treacherous drive to a remote side of Maui, reminded me of a conversation we had with my cousin Mike, an erstwhile high school baseball player. He had spent time as a pitcher. I asked if he ever got shelled, and he laughed and said, "Well, yeah. It happens. Nothing you can really do about it. Certain days you have It, and certain days you know you don't have It." He chuckled again, recalling a day when, by the third batter, he knew it was going to be a long day, eventually giving up something like nine or ten runs. He mentioned that sometimes when you can tell you're off, you might get a nicely placed ground ball, or a foul pop-up, and eventually battle your way through, not getting rocked. Other days, like yesterday for Johan, it doesn't work out that way, and you forget about it and move on to the next start.
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