PITTSBURGH -- Roansy Contreras had a little extra in store for Friday night.
Contreras typically uses “Dark Knight Dummo” by Trippie Redd as his walk-out song. He’s used the gloomy, gritty, bass-bumping banger for every start this season. But on Friday, as Contreras skipped out to the mound and warmed up, PNC Park’s sound system played a different, yet familiar tune in “Mueve Mami” by Aldo Ranks, the song that his mentor José Quintana used as his walk-out song in Pittsburgh. With Quintana back in town, Contreras wanted to show appreciation for his friend -- even if he was now behind enemy lines.
“The pitching staff, we spoke about that, and it landed on me,” Contreras said after allowing one run across 5 1/3 innings in the Pirates’ 8-2 win over the Cardinals. “I was more than glad to be able to honor him in that way. Quintana was a great teammate, someone that really mentored us a lot, poured a lot into us. It was a great way to show our gratitude on behalf of us, the pitching staff, just the team overall. I'm just glad it put a smile on his face when I looked over there.”
“I thought it was a nice tribute to Q because I think he meant a lot to our pitching group, in general, and I think he meant a lot to Ro and helped him out a lot,” manager Derek Shelton said.
Quintana’s tenure with the Pirates lasted only a little more than half a calendar year. The Bucs signed the veteran to a one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason and traded him at the Deadline after the lefty experienced a resurgence on the mound. But in the short time Quintana was in Pittsburgh, he was an invaluable asset to this extremely young team.
Quintana, who accumulated 10 years of service time in mid-May, willingly played the role of mentor for the Pirates’ staff. Players and coaches alike lauded Quintana for his leadership and wisdom. Contreras, thanks to a little planning, bonded with Quintana from the jump.
During Spring Training, clubhouse manager Scott “Bones” Bonnett placed Contreras and Quintana’s lockers next to one another. Contreras picked Quintana’s brain often, and even though Quintana now wears a different uniform, his tenure as a mentor hasn’t ended.
“I keep in touch with him,” Quintana said prior to the game. “I’m always giving him the good advice that veterans have given to me in the past. I tried to talk with him about that, how he can be better. I’m really proud of these guys, especially guys like him, [JT] Brubaker, [Mitch] Keller; they have a lot of ability. At this level, it’s really hard to be consistent every time. That’s the thing we talk about: how we can be better every time. They’re doing really good, so I think they’re going to be really good.”
Following another solid outing, one that dropped his ERA on the season to 3.29, Contreras reflected on how Quintana influenced not just himself, but the entire clubhouse.
“When Quintana was here, he left a big impact. Not only did he leave a big impact, but he made a big impact. For me, every second I could get with Quintana was huge,” Contreras said. “Anytime that I would walk into this clubhouse and I would see Quintana, I would do everything possible to get beside him in the dugout and learn as much as I can from him.
“He's just someone that I've been able to learn so much from, someone that left this place a little hollow after he left. We miss him a lot, but I'm really proud of him. I'm really excited for what he's going to bring to the Cardinals and what he's going to pour into them because he's an impactful player.”
Contreras has been making an impact in his own right. In five starts since returning from Triple-A Indianapolis, Contreras is posting a 2.45 ERA across 29 1/3 innings. Those numbers are all the more impressive considering those five opponents have been against the Red Sox, Braves, Phillies, Blue Jays and Cardinals. He’s growing in real time and making his mentor proud in the process.
"He's out there. He's battling. He's a dog on the mound,” said Oneil Cruz, who extended his hitting streak to six games with a single, double and triple. “I really enjoy the success that he's having. The fans should get ready; you're going to see a really good show from Roansy. I'm really proud of him. I'm excited for everything that he's doing."