JUPITER, Fla. – Listed at 5-foot-11, Sergio Romo has faced every big situation imaginable on the mound as he prepares for his 12th Major League season. The right-hander has recorded the final out of a World Series, and he owns three championship rings from his days with the Giants.
Yet on Tuesday afternoon, the 35-year-old admitted to experiencing butterflies before making his Spring Training debut as a member of a youthful Marlins bullpen. But once it was time to pitch, Romo came as advertised, striking out all three batters he faced in the third inning of Miami’s 3-0 win over the Astros at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Warming up, Romo turned to bullpen coach Dean Treanor and said, “Bro, I’m nervous.”
“Be quiet,” Treanor responded.
"I was like, ‘No, I’m nervous,'" Romo said. “I don’t know if it’s being with a new team, the start of a new season and it’s my first outing or whatnot.”
To Romo, the jitters were a good thing because it reminded him that he wanted to make a strong first impression.
“The difference is I’m not afraid of being nervous,” Romo said. “Nervous, to me, is a good thing. It means I care. I have fire. I still have passion. I still have the utmost want to do well, to go compete and just playing my game.”
Marlins manager Don Mattingly is open to utilizing Romo, whom the club signed at the beginning of Spring Training, in a variety of roles. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. uses Romo to talk to younger pitchers about sequencing.
“He gets outs,” Mattingly said. “That’s the biggest thing he gives you. He gets outs. He’s competitive. He’s sharing with guys what he’s doing with his breaking ball, how he’s trying to use his pitches. Mel uses him to talk in meetings and things like that, and on sequencing pitches and how you use them one off another. He’s a good resource. But the main thing is he gets outs, and he’s competitive.”
With Romo, don’t confuse butterflies with being rattled. He simply made quick work of the bottom of the Astros’ order -- Abraham Toro, Max Stassi and Alex De Goti -- by striking out the side. Of his 14 pitches, 10 were strikes.
“For me, I’m not telling you I’m nervous because I’m afraid or I’m scared, or I am going to go in there timid or unsure,” Romo said. “I’m nervous because I really, really care. I want to do well. I want to help out. I want to contribute and set a good example. And at the end of the day, I want to get those dudes out.”
Straily easing into action
After what happened last Spring Training, Dan Straily isn’t taking any chances -- at least early in camp.
Straily set the tone in Miami’s win on Tuesday by throwing two perfect innings, notching three strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander attacked the zone, spotted his fastball and mixed in some sliders and changeups.
“There’s a reason I wasn’t reaching back and trying to throw as hard as I could today,” Straily said.
A year ago at the end of Spring Training, Straily went on the injured list with a right forearm strain and missed the first month of the regular season.
“Whatever happened last year, how can I try to avoid that this year?” Straily said. “Just really trying to ease into it.”
No rushing Alfaro
Only a few games into Spring Training, the Marlins are not taking any chances with catcher Jorge Alfaro.
Alfaro bruised his right knee on a dugout railing while chasing a foul ball on Saturday. The club was considering having him play on Tuesday against the Astros. Instead, it opted to give him at least another day and just take batting practice.
“We’ll keep him out of the catch and throw and everything else,” Mattingly said. “We’ll make sure he’s progressing, and I think within the next few days, we’re hoping to get him out there and get started.”
The Marlins acquired Alfaro from the Phillies in early February as part of the J.T. Realmuto trade.
Spring soreness
Curtis Granderson has a sore calf muscle and has yet to participate in a Grapefruit League game. But the veteran outfielder has been taking batting practice, and on Tuesday he faced left-hander Caleb Smith, who threw a two-inning simulated game against Miami hitters.
Up next
The Marlins face the Mets at 1:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday in Port St. Lucie. Wei-Yin Chen will make his first Grapefruit League start. Right-hander Pablo Lopez is scheduled to pitch in relief. New York is going with left-hander Steven Matz.