Perrotto: ‘Z’ Gets Memorable ‘W’ in Pirates’ Opener (+)
CINCINNATI – Wednesday was a stressful day for Rob Zastryzny. It might have been even more so for his wife Natalie.
Thursday was a whole lot better.
Zastryzny, a journeyman left-handed relief pitcher, left with the Pittsburgh Pirates when they finished their spring training camp on Tuesday and flew to Cincinnati in advance of their season opener Thursday with the Reds. However, Zastryzny had not been placed on the 40-man and was not assured of making the team.
On Wednesday morning, Natalie flew out of Phoenix and had a connecting flight in Dallas-Fort Worth. However, when she reached DFW, Natalie did not know if she would be headed on to Cincinnati or Indianapolis, home of the Pirates’ Triple-A farm club.
By the time the plane landed in Texas, Rob had been given the good news that he would part of the opening-day roster. The couple then had an emotional phone call.
“She was bawling, crying, and I was like, ‘I train year round. I expect stuff like this to happen,’” Rob Zastryzny said. “But then you see her, and I started tearing up a little bit.”
It marked the first time Zastryzny had been in the major leagues for opening day in his 11-year professional career.
The story had an even happier twist Thursday. Zastryzny entered the game in the sixth inning with the score tied 4-4 and retired all four batters he faced.
When the Pirates rallied for the winning run in the top of the eighth inning, Zastryzny became the winning pitcher.
“That felt good,” he said. “I warmed up a little bit in the fifth and got to get in the game. As soon as we saw the lineup, I saw there was a pocket of three or four lefties and I knew that if I was getting into the game today, it would be them. I was just glad they popped up at the right time I got to get in the game. “
Zastryzny was the Chicago Cubs’ second-round draft pick in 2013 from the University of Missouri and made his major-league debut three years later on a team that won its first World Series title since 1908.
The 31-year-old also spent part of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Cubs. However, he did not resurface in the major leagues until last season when he pitched out of the bullpen once for the New York Mets and five times for the Los Angeles Angels.
Zastryzny has appeared in just 25 major-league games.
Zastryzny was 30 when he got back to the big leagues. Life not only began at 30 – but is staying 30 for him.
“I don’t celebrate my birthday after 30, so I’ll be 30 until I retire,” he cracked.
The reckoning that he might never make it back to the majors came in 2020 when he underwent Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
“That was the day I sat down and said, ‘Is this achievable for me? Am I always going to be an up-and-down fringe guy? Will I be able to establish myself?’” Zastryzny said. “I realized that if I have that mindset, I’ll never be the guy I want to be. From that day on, I treated every day like I was an everyday big leaguer and acted accordingly and trained accordingly. I still have a lot to prove and there’s a lot to do.”
This spring, Zastryzny allowed two unearned runs in 7.1 innings in Grapefruit League play while also pitching for Canada in the World Baseball Classic. He overcame the odds to make the opening-day roster and gives the Pirates a second left-hander in the bullpen to go with rookie Jose Hernandez, a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Zastryzny couldn’t have made a better impression in his Pirates’ debut.
“This is a first step, a step I feel very special about,” he said.
The man his teammates call “Z” had every right to feel special about getting a “W” in the box score.