FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Division Series was over. The Houston Astros had defeated the Minnesota Twins, three games to one. And as the Astros packed up, preparing to leave Target Field, manager Dusty Baker approached his Twins counterpart, Rocco Baldelli, and said something to the effect of, “Man, Paddack.”
Baker wasn’t the only Astros person impressed by Twins right-hander Chris Paddack, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings in the series, including 2 1/3 in the finale. Paddack, after entering in the fourth inning of a game the Twins lost, 3-2, ended his outing in breathtaking fashion, striking out Yordan Alvarez swinging and Kyle Tucker looking, then retiring José Abreu on a foul pop.
“Everything was exploding out of his hand,” said Alex Bregman, who struck out twice against Paddack in the series.
“He was filthy. He was legit,” said Alex Cintrón, one of the Astros’ hitting coaches. “It was surprising, shocking how good he was, coming back from the surgery, coming out of the pen.”
Paddack, 28, was a starter in 65 of his 66 career appearances before undergoing his second major elbow reconstruction in May 2022. He returned for two relief outings at the end of last season before excelling in the playoffs. This season, he again will be a starter, helping fill a void created by the free-agent departures of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.
His comeback last season, topped off by pitching in his home state of Texas before 45 friends and family members in Game 1 of the DS, “That’s just stuff you can’t write up,” Paddack said. He did not pitch in the Twins’ wild-card series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays. Against the Astros, he gained not only confidence, but also a fresh outlook.
“I never thought in a million years I’d be comfortable out there,” Paddack said. “Being a starter, we have our special routines, superstitions, brushing our teeth this way, doing bands that way. But coming out of the bullpen changed my career.”
Paddack was a revelation when he produced a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts as a rookie for the San Diego Padres in 2019. But he struggled to a combined 4.95 ERA in 2020 and ‘21, then was traded to the Twins with reliever Emilio Pagán as part of a five-player deal in which the Padres acquired reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker on the eve of Opening Day 2022.
“I fell in a hole, was searching a little bit the past couple of seasons,” Paddack said. “There was a lot going through my head. There was doubt in some games more than others. I started overanalyzing, started giving too much credit to hitters, forgetting what Chris Paddack does best.”
And in the bullpen?
“You have seven minutes to get ready. And you’re thrown to the wolves: ‘I want you to go get Alvarez out,’” Paddack said. “There’s no searching or saving pitches. You’ve got to throw your best stuff.”
The second time, Paddack was ready. Or at least as ready a pitcher rehabilitating from a major elbow reconstruction can be.
After making only five starts for the Twins in 2022, Paddack returned to Dr. Keith Meister, one of the sport’s leading orthopedic surgeons. Meister performed Tommy John surgery on Paddack in 2016. For the second repair, Meister used the hybrid procedure he pioneered, a Tommy John with an internal brace.
“I knew what to expect going into it,” Paddack said. “I wasn’t searching for answers. I didn’t let that doubt creep in.”
Paddack followed the same plan he did after his first surgery, spending the first five months of his rehabilitation near Arlington, Tex., Meister’s home base. He rented an Airbnb in Grapevine, where he stayed with his three hunting dogs (Paddack enjoys waterfowl hunting) and fourth “bro” dog. Every Friday, he met with Meister. The personal interaction, he said, reassured him.
Meister prefers when players choose to rehabilitate at his facility, saying it gives his team greater ability to govern their recoveries. Paddack, though,…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .