After 8 years with the Yankees, four of which resulted in All-Star Game appearances, and an uncertain off-season, Dellin Betances finally was on a pitchers mound on Saturday for his new team, the New York Mets. Sure it was only a spring training game against the Washington Nationals, but the fact that the 31-year old was able to pitch after tearing up his left Achilles last September is a positive step forward.
Earlier this week, Betances threw in a simulated game. Saturday was the next step. Betances told Mike Puma of the NY Post, “It’s like I am graduating.”
He pitched in the top of the fourth inning against the Nats and was uneven at best. He walked Trea Turner to start things off and then threw a wild pitch to advance him to second. Betances then walked Victor Robles. After striking out Starlin Castro, Turner and Robles pulled off a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. Ryan Zimmerman drove them both in with a single to center.
That was all for Betances as he was removed in favor of Rob Whalen after surrendering the Zimmerman hit. All told, Dellin Betances’ first spring outing looked like this: 1/3 inning, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 walks. He threw 24 pitches to four batters with some deep counts. His fastball was in the 88-90 mph range.
“Obviously I’m not where I need to be just yet,” Betances said after his performance as detailed by Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News. “I was just making sure everything kind of felt good. That was my biggest concern. I came out healthy which is the number one key for me.”
The Mets have been proceeding with caution regarding Betances’ progress this spring. Even though he’s been throwing live bullpen sessions and a sim game, the Mets are taking it slow. Betances insists he’ll be ready for Opening Day, but on a day where control was an issue, it is justified to wonder if that’s the case.
Also, velocity was another issue brought up earlier in the week, but Betances told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, “…I know right now, it’s not coming out the way it would come out during the season. It takes me a little bit to get that going, but I know everything’s been good […] We have enough time for that.”
With Opening Day about three weeks away, time is ticking away quickly and his next mound appearance will certainly bear watching as Grapefruit League games are quickly coming to an end.
