Red Sox LHP Kyle Hart learned of call-up for first MLB start by getting pranked

The moment Kyle Hart’s dream was realized came with the punch line of a prank.

It was Tuesday in Pawtucket, where the left-hander has been pitching at the Red Sox’ alternate training site. PawSox manager Billy McMillon called Hart into his office, along with pitching coordinator Shawn Haviland, pitching coach Paul Abbott and farm director Ben Crockett, to tell the 27-year-old that he’d be making his big-league debut on Thursday in a start against the Rays.

It took a second to get to that point, though.

“They told me that I was actually getting fined by Major League Baseball for not wearing my mask,” Hart recalled. “That’s kind of a real scenario that’s going to happen and probably has happened. I was a little worried at first, but then they told me, you can go pay your fine at Fenway Park tomorrow. Luckily it was just a prank and they were pulling my leg.”

The news is certainly no joke. A 19th-round pick by the Red Sox in the 2016 draft, Hart, after Tommy John surgery set him back at Indiana, paved a path to the majors with grit and determination. He pitched five years in the minors, was called up to Triple-A last season and impressed enough to earn a 40-man roster spot.

With the Red Sox in desperate need of a starter, they called Hart, who has dominated intrasquad games in Pawtucket recently.

“I’m glad I chose to stick with it and keep playing,” Hart said of his journey. “I’m glad of every opportunity I’ve been given and certainly the one I’m being given now, the ultimate opportunity of pitching in the big leagues. I’m proud I got my degree, but my degree is going to be there for a long time, and Major League Baseball doesn’t wait for anybody. I’m happy with the path and decision that I ultimately made.”

Hart has plenty of close supporters. He called his parents first, speaking to his mom and then his dad, who expectedly wanted to talk with him about how to attack the Rays. Then he called his girlfriend and her parents, who he said were the most excited of all.

Then there’s his brother Ryan, who was so excited about the news that he actually flew up to Boston. He obviously won’t be able to be inside Fenway Park, but Hart said he’s going to watch as close as possible from a nearby bar.

“That’s just who he is,” Hart said.

Hart will obviously hope to make them all proud, and hope to reward the Red Sox’ faith in him. In two intrasquad starts in Pawtucket, Hart has thrown 11⅓ scoreless innings, retiring 34 of the 38 batters he’s faced. He’s done it without a high-velocity fastball, but instead with a healthy pitch mix and supreme control of his off-speed pitches. He said he’s relished the work he’s done with Haviland and Abbott, who have helped him sharpen his pitches and locate each quadrant of the strike zone.

Hart has already started a game at Fenway, and though it was just an intrasquad game during summer camp last month, he said that should help the nerves. The Red Sox are hoping he can pitch at least five innings.

Hart, confident in his abilities, said his approach going into the biggest day of his career is pretty simple.

“My mindset going into tomorrow is the same as it has been my entire career,” Hart said. “Every year, I started, 2016, 2017, I started a level lower than what I thought I should be at, which I think a lot of guys, that’s the case. … This year I thought maybe I had a chance of starting with the big-league team and they put me at the alternate site. Honestly, I appreciated it, because that’s how every year has gone. And every year I’ve kind of sought out success. I’m comfortable in the position I’m in right now, of being a mid-season call-up, and kind of fulfilling that need.

“My mindset is they’re giving me an opportunity tomorrow, I need to go pitch to earn another one. That’s going to be my mindset as long as I play this game. Hopefully you look back and you’ve got six, eight, 10 years in this league. Right now I need to go out and earn every single start, opportunity to pitch, whatever it is, every single night.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/31SBQxA