Early April. Warming up in Durham for the Gwinnett Stripers
Jesse Biddle began the 2018 season pitching out of the bullpen for the newly named AAA Gwinnett Stripers (they had been the Gwinnett Braves for a number of years). In four early spring games for the Stripers, he gave up a total of three hits, walked one, and struck out eight. He did not allow a run — earned or otherwise. If you were paying attention last year before he got injured or even during spring training this year, he was more than ready for that final step up to major league competition. It was no surprise that he would begin 2018 able to pitch at such a high level.
So, finally, after more than eight years of hard work and rehab as a professional ballist, Biddle gets the phone call from his AAA manager, Damon Berryhill, and is told that the Atlanta Braves need him to come on up to the Big Time. He’d made it — after a 2013 season with whooping cough and plantar fasciitis; half of the 2014 season recovering from post-concussion syndrome, followed by a blown out quad; the 2015 season pitching with a worn down left elbow UCL, then Tommy John surgery and 18 months of recovery; and, finally, in 2017 coming back from Tommy John, a season-ending torn lat in July. Such is the life of the professional athlete.
Batting practice jersey
He reported for duty at SunTrust Park the next day, April 18, a bit more than two weeks into the 2018 season. His first time on the mound came on Saturday night, April 21 against the Mets. The game was quite a humdinger. Jesse would get the win, holding the score tight 2-3 with his team down in the top of the 9th. That hold gave the Braves the break they needed to roll to a walk-off win thanks to clutch hitting from Johan Camargo and a deciding sacrifice bunt by Ender Inciarte. A key walk by Dansby Swanson was important as well, with the first two runs for the Braves coming in the bottom of the 8th due to a two-RBI double to left-centerfield by Freddie Freeman. It’s all worth reading about at the link highlighted above. To be part of a major league win in front of 41,000 home fans on a walk-off win is a thrill you don’t plan on for your first game.
Things could have gone much differently. After getting the first two outs on just three pitches, Jesse walked Michael Conforto who on the next pitch stole second and made it all the way to third on a throw from the catcher that skipped into centerfield. The next batter was Mets clutch hitter Yoenis Cespedes. The second pitch to him was left up a bit. Cespedes turned on it and jacked a moonshot down the left field line. There’s no question that monster bomb was foul, but the third base ump called it fair and Cespedes still ran the bases. The rookie pitcher had to stand on the field in front of 41,000 people awaiting his fate. Umps usually get things right when they put their heads together at questionable moments. This was one of those cases. Two pitches later, Cespedes nubbed a grounder to short and Jesse’s first inning as a major leaguer came to an end. His teammates would win the game in the bottom of the 9th. In an interview after the game, Jesse said:
”I don’t want to say that my heart rate was ever too high when I was out there because I was trying to stay calm, and then he hit the ball and it popped my ears with how hard it was. They called it fair, and that’s when my heart started racing. I’m glad they got the call right.”
Baseball’s always a weird game one way or the other. Go Braves! Chop On!
Inciarte’s Walk-off Bunt Caps Late Inning Rally