AUBURN - Pitching is better done without a whole lot of thinking.
At least it's that way for Chase Lirette, the most recent Auburn Doubledays' hurler to squeeze into the starting rotation. The right-hander spent most of his month with the Doubledays, and his college career before that, as a reliever but when Hector Delgadillo was promoted, vacating a starting spot, the Doubledays felt Lirette was ready to fill in.
“It's a little different (being a starter),” Lirette said. “It's more of a nervous feeling when you're starting because you have so much time to think about it and when you're coming out of the bullpen, it's a different atmosphere. When you're warming up, you don't have time to worry about it. I was nervous starting because when you know you have to do it for the first time, it starts to build up on you.”
Lirette already had a 1-1 record going into his first start on August 7, but as he went five innings on the mound, striking out five and allowing just one earned run in the Doubledays 5-4 win over Williamsport, his nerves quickly faded.
Lirette's transition during his first start compares to the one that he's gone through since joining the team late. He started off shaky but has since gotten more relaxed and consistent. His only loss came on his first official day with the team, July 16 at Hudson Valley in one inning on the mound. Going into Saturday's game, the Florida native has thrown in 17 innings, including one save, with a 2.65 ERA.
“I feel a lot more comfortable on the mound than when I first got here,” Lirette said. “Coach (Antonio) Caceres has helped me so much in the bullpen leading up to (the first start) and the last couple of outings that I've had. He's a good pitching coach and he's shown me a couple of things that I needed to work on, which has helped me in the field.”
A 16th-round Toronto Blue Jays draft pick out of the University of South Florida, Lirette was late joining the team because of negotiation issues with the team.
While he admits that the late start was difficult, the learning process has made it better.
“It hasn't been too bad,” Lirette said. “I'm still learning from the guys and just how things go here in general. It would have been a lot easier if I had been here on time, but since circumstances happened where I couldn't, I'm not going to worry too much about it. It's been great since I've been here though.”
During his collegiate career, Lirette averaged more than 92 innings on the mound for the South Florida Bulls before leaving this year as a junior. This spring was his best with the team, with a 2.66 ERA and was nationally ranked in the top-10. But after just a month with the Doubledays, Lirette can see a big difference between college and minor league baseball.
“The talent and the overall level of competition is a lot higher up here than it was in college,” Lirette said. “There are a lot of good players so I know I have to execute my pitches better to help the team win.”
The large crowds that the Doubledays usually draw is also a big leap from USF baseball, but with everything else that goes through his mind on the mound, Lirette tries to keep it all in perspective.
“It's actually a lot bigger up here, we used to bring only about 150 fans down (in college). So this is a huge crowd to pitch in front of.” Lirette said. “But I really don't look. I don't know how many people are here until I look after the game. I just see what I have to do with my throws over the plate.”
“It's a little different (being a starter),” Lirette said. “It's more of a nervous feeling when you're starting because you have so much time to think about it and when you're coming out of the bullpen, it's a different atmosphere. When you're warming up, you don't have time to worry about it. I was nervous starting because when you know you have to do it for the first time, it starts to build up on you.”
Lirette already had a 1-1 record going into his first start on August 7, but as he went five innings on the mound, striking out five and allowing just one earned run in the Doubledays 5-4 win over Williamsport, his nerves quickly faded.
Lirette's transition during his first start compares to the one that he's gone through since joining the team late. He started off shaky but has since gotten more relaxed and consistent. His only loss came on his first official day with the team, July 16 at Hudson Valley in one inning on the mound. Going into Saturday's game, the Florida native has thrown in 17 innings, including one save, with a 2.65 ERA.
“I feel a lot more comfortable on the mound than when I first got here,” Lirette said. “Coach (Antonio) Caceres has helped me so much in the bullpen leading up to (the first start) and the last couple of outings that I've had. He's a good pitching coach and he's shown me a couple of things that I needed to work on, which has helped me in the field.”
A 16th-round Toronto Blue Jays draft pick out of the University of South Florida, Lirette was late joining the team because of negotiation issues with the team.
While he admits that the late start was difficult, the learning process has made it better.
“It hasn't been too bad,” Lirette said. “I'm still learning from the guys and just how things go here in general. It would have been a lot easier if I had been here on time, but since circumstances happened where I couldn't, I'm not going to worry too much about it. It's been great since I've been here though.”
During his collegiate career, Lirette averaged more than 92 innings on the mound for the South Florida Bulls before leaving this year as a junior. This spring was his best with the team, with a 2.66 ERA and was nationally ranked in the top-10. But after just a month with the Doubledays, Lirette can see a big difference between college and minor league baseball.
“The talent and the overall level of competition is a lot higher up here than it was in college,” Lirette said. “There are a lot of good players so I know I have to execute my pitches better to help the team win.”
The large crowds that the Doubledays usually draw is also a big leap from USF baseball, but with everything else that goes through his mind on the mound, Lirette tries to keep it all in perspective.
“It's actually a lot bigger up here, we used to bring only about 150 fans down (in college). So this is a huge crowd to pitch in front of.” Lirette said. “But I really don't look. I don't know how many people are here until I look after the game. I just see what I have to do with my throws over the plate.”