PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Called up for the start before the game, the journey for Chase DeJong continued with a fourth different MLB team.
The 6’4”, 230 pound righty started, going five innings allowing three hits, a run, a pair of walks and struck out five. He ended with a no-decision after a rare struggle by the Pirates bullpen in a 4-3 loss to Colorado Sunday.
DeJong said it was a privilege to start Sunday, considered himself lucky to get another shot in the majors. It helped his confidence to be able to, after giving up a run off a triple in the fourth, strikeout the next two batters, with an intentional walk mixed in.
“That’s a momentum builder,” DeJong said. “To be able to get out of that like that, you definitely want to build off that.”
“He did a nice job today,” Shelton said. “The execution of the fastball was better. The breaking ball played after it. It’s exactly what we saw in Spring Training. He continues to make strides. It’s a ton of credit to him for everything he’s worked through.”
DeJong was a second round pick of the Blue Jays in 2012 and bounced around. Struggled in seven games with the Mariners in 2017 and released by Minnesota after 2019. Where Shelton was the bench coach.
“He pulled me,” DeJong said about Sunday. “We get through the inning. He comes over and shakes my hand. I initiated ‘I’m a lot better than the last time you saw me in a big league uni’. He said ‘a lot better’.”
DeJong then pitched for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the Independent League striking out 27 and walking 6 in 5 starts in 2020. He signed with the Astros, allowing 12 earned runs in 7.1 innings in 3 games last season.
DeJong signed with the Pirates this off-season, made 4 starts in AAA, striking out 28 and walking 8 in 20 innings with a 3.60 ERA.
He noted a change in his velocity and control of the fastball as a big reason for his improvement. DeJong also believes he’s embraced the grind and reinvented himself.
“I took it all in,” DeJong said. “I was proud of myself and my support system for helping me get back here and then to go out and have a good start was really a nice moment.”
“I also got to take a picture with my three month old son. It was his first Major League game. He got to be here. He’s three months old so he really didn’t watch daddy, but he got to be here. He got to be in the stadium for that moment, which was really a cool thing for me.”
GM Ben Cherington hinted that he could be the first of several starts for DeJong at the MLB level. They want to give the still 27-year-old a look as they also tinker with a 6-man rotation. They are also dealing with an injury to RHP Trevor Cahill.