Jose Valverde threw an inning for the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Friday. In his first game since signing a minor league deal, Valverde threw half of his pitches for balls and put a runner on. He also struck out a batter and did not give up any runs.
After the outing, Valverde spoke to the media [quotes via The Detroit News]:
"You have to have confidence," said Valverde, who had 110 saves in the past three seasons with the Tigers. "I have plenty of confidence. I pitched well last season. You know, the past is the past. Last season is over. I feel good and want to pitch again." […]
"I am here to work on stuff," he said. "I worked on the splitter, the fastball, everything. I threw hard and I was expecting to throw hard."
It's like he realized what he said — "I pitched well last season" — caught himself, and quickly moved on, because, you know, he didn't pitch well last season. But good for him for being confident and willing to put in his time to potentially get back to the regular non-Flying Tigers bullpen. Look out, Pop-a-Squat!
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