Catching Up with 18 Year Professional Pitcher Bronswell Patrick

Bronswell Patrick pitched professionally for 18 years. In addition to throwing baseballs well, he's also an excellent storyteller. In this episode, we discuss making his MLB debut after a decade in the minor leagues, playing in Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico, and giving up Sammy Sosa's 61st home run in 1998. And many other fun and educational topics.   

An incorrect version of this episode was posted earlier. This corrected version was posted Wednesday 3/12/2025 at 8:30pm Eastern.

Transcript

Jeff Perro (00:36)
Hello there, I'm Jeff Perro Welcome to another episode of Catch Up with JP. Today's guest is Mr. Bronswell Patrick. Mr. Patrick is the Athletics Minor League Performance Development Coach. Now I'm sitting here in my van in the dark because I already shot an intro video for this episode. And it was like, hey, Bronswell Patrick, Minor League Pitching Development Coach, he was drafted, blah, blah, pitched in the big leagues. But that's not what this show's about. This show's not about numbers and

development and OPS and scouting and stuff. This show is about people.

So with that said, want to touch on two aspects of this show. The first one is,

this show is about people. Bronswell Patrick and I have never met. So when we first started this conversation, it's the first time we ever talked. And there's that little bit of that kind of first date awkwardness of, yeah, yeah, nice, nice to meet you. so tell me a little bit about yourself. But then it quickly, quickly develops into two guys who are knowledgeable and passionate about a subject. Just chatting becomes a lot of fun.

Number two, about how baseball and people. My parents divorced when I was young. My dad lived in Huntsville, Alabama from the late 80s, early 90s. little Jeff would fly out to Huntsville every summer. My dad, was a, he's an engineer and he's really into classical music and Star Trek. Not My thing. I was really into baseball and baseball cards and baseball.

So I'd fly out there every summer, he'd go to work, and then in the evening times we'd go to Huntsville Stars games, tons of Huntsville Stars games. My dad, you know not such a big baseball fan, but he wore it. He'd sit there watch some batting practice, get autographs signed, stay there for almost the whole game, over and over and over. Mr. Patrick was a starting pitcher with the Huntsville Stars in 1992.

I was young. I don't know if I saw him pitch, but he led the team and starts There's a good chance I saw Bronswell Patrick pitch in 1992 with Huntsville Stars And I just talked to him and kind of said man. That's just really cool that baseball and the Huntsville Stars and you Brought me and my dad closer together when I was 7 8 10 years old so that's why I mentioned that baseball it's about people and that's what this shows about is people So enough about that

Welcome to today's show with Mr. Bronswell Patrick.

Speaker 2 (03:07)
a bit about me. I grew up in Texas. We grew up as Rangers season ticket holders. my parents were divorced. My dad lived in Huntsville. I flew out there every summer from like 89 to about 92, 93. I saw you on the mound. you led the team and starts in 92. So I'm sure I saw you on the mound at one point when I was 14 years old. But yeah, so it's a real pleasure to have you on here.

Speaker 1 (03:33)
Yeah, no, no, no problem, man. I'm happy to do it for you, Jeff. You know, I was fortunate enough to get drafted out of high school in Greenville, North Carolina, out of D.H. Conley High School and by the Oakland A's who I'm currently working for the A's now. Of course, we're no longer in Oakland, so it's the...

Speaker 2 (03:56)
I'm trying to

train myself to just say the A's because I don't know what the politically correct.

Speaker 1 (04:01)
Yeah, it's just the Athletics.

Speaker 2 (04:04)
Just the Athletics, okay.

Speaker 1 (04:06)
We're going with the Athletics, so you know here I am with the Athletics now working for them, but as you said, you saw me playing back in Huntsville, Alabama back in the day and. You know it was a great experience, especially. coming out of high school and getting an opportunity to get drafted out of high school. losing my father at a young age and.

Being able to, still stay on the right track and, you know, make it 10 years in the minor leagues before I eventually made it to the big leagues with the the Brewers back in 1998. you know, it was a long journey for me. I'll start back to where it all started for me. Like I said, I got drafted out high school, played football, baseball, basketball.

at DH Conley High School. And like I said, I was fortunate enough to get drafted by the Oakland A's at the time and signed my contract and went out to Scottsdale, Arizona. That was my first taste professional in baseball. And it was great because I had some great coaches, Dave Hudgens. He was my manager who's been around, he's been a hitting coach in the big leagues for a long time.

it was great because he treated us like kids, but at the same time, he pushed us when we needed to be pushed. So it was a great experience for me just being around him the first time, especially as a high school guy coming into professional baseball. He made the transition very easy for me.

Speaker 2 (05:49)
And you were drafted when you were 17, right? And you said you lost your dad when you were 14, is that correct?

Speaker 1 (05:52)
Yes.

Yeah, I lost my dad when I was 14 years old. I have two older sisters. One's living in in Greenville, North Carolina, and the other one is out here in Arizona with me, out in Peoria, Arizona, and I'm out in Gilbert, Arizona.

Speaker 2 (06:00)
You have brothers and sisters?

Not too far. No. So you were the head of be the man in the house and you saw professional baseball as a way to support the fam,

Speaker 1 (06:23)
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (06:25)
Was there any debate for you of signing or going to college or not? It was automatic.

Speaker 1 (06:32)
No, I mean, I had a couple offers coming out of high school. North Carolina State. You know, I had a chance to go play football and baseball there at the time, like I said, I lost my father and it was like, what do I do? I felt like I could always go back to college and get my degree

It was an opportunity for me to get some money and help the family out and just move on from there. I got to the big leagues, it took me 10 long years. But if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably do the same thing.

Speaker 2 (07:07)
That's that's a good I'm glad you feel that way. But you're you're 17 when you're drafted And then you moved up to get up to AAA pretty quick by my math, you're 18 and A-ball, 22 by the time you get the AAA that's that's moving up pretty quick. That's a young, young in AA and  AAA. And then he's kind of got stuck there for a bit.

Speaker 1 (07:30)
Yeah, yeah, I got stuck

Speaker 2 (07:32)
Yeah, between Tacoma and Huntsville and then with the Astros beyond that, right?

Speaker 1 (07:36)
you know, coming up during that time when I was with the A's, you know, they had Dave Stewart, had Bob Welch, had, you know, Mike Morris, had, you know, Curt Young, you know, the rotation was pretty steady then. Yeah, it was set So it wasn't like, you know, 22 years old. Although I thought, I mean, I'm 22, I'm like, man, I'm going to the big leagues, you know, especially.

After the years I've won 12 games in Modesto and then the following year I went and won 13 games in Huntsville. And I had to end up going back to Huntsville to start the season, which I had won 13 games in that league. I'm thinking, okay, I got a chance to go to AAA next season at, 21, 22.

Some things happened at the big league level where I had to go. Curt Young got sent back down to AAA that year and I had to start back in AA and I started out 2-0 in Huntsville that year and then Curt ended up going back to the big leagues and then they called me back up to AAA that year.

Speaker 2 (08:47)
A little trickle down and trickle back up effect on that.

Speaker 1 (08:51)
yeah, yeah, it happens.

Speaker 2 (08:53)
I noticed I was looking through your career and I know you were from Greenville. I think you were born in Greenville, North Carolina. Went to high school in Greenville, North Carolina. So of all your years, you have all the minor league baseball teams are in North Carolina. You never once played professional baseball in North Carolina, really, right? You were with Louisville for a minute.

So I don't know if you ever got a chance with the shoot over to Charlotte, but did you ever play professional baseball game in North Carolina?

Speaker 1 (09:20)
We put we happen to play in Zebulon, we played in Zebulon The year I was with I was a Huntsville, but I didn't get the pitch. I didn't get the

Speaker 2 (09:29)
I

forgot, Zebulon and the Carolina Mudcats existed.

Speaker 1 (09:32)
Yeah, the Mudcats. didn't get to pitch there. And then they had the team in Charlotte, that was another place I didn't get the pitch. But I was with the team. But it was like, man, come on, I want to pitch here.

Speaker 2 (09:45)
Did

your fam get a chance to fly out and travel and see you pitch a lot?

Speaker 1 (09:51)
Yeah,

yeah, you know, Greenville is only like 30 minutes to Zebulon, 35 minutes to Zebulon, North Carolina. So I was able to see my family there in Zebulon and they also came to Charlotte when I was playing the Charlotte Knights.

Speaker 2 (10:09)
So, in 95, you move over to the Astros organization. What convinced you to sign with the Astros?

Speaker 1 (10:17)
As a six year minor league free agent. they'd offered me a contract to, come into, minor league camp. Um, of course that was a strike year. you know, I was a young kid. Uh, had a, at that time I had a family. so I ended up, signing with them.

because I just felt like that was the best opportunity for me at that time.

Speaker 2 (10:39)
And was that a single one year contract that you signed three times?

Speaker 1 (10:43)
It was a single one-year contract, but I had a good year, so they kept resigning me. And I kept pitching for them in Tucson, thinking, again, I was going to get to the big leagues with them. I pitched well for that organization. But things just didn't work out, and didn't make it to the big leagues with them.

Speaker 2 (11:05)
98 you signed with the Brewers. And got the call on May 18th, so pretty much right near the beginning of season. You spend some time up in big leagues. So tell me about that.

Speaker 1 (11:14)
Yeah, Jeff, it was amazing, man. I can remember to this day how it all went down. I was actually sitting in the stands because I was charting because I was supposed to pitch the next day. And one of our PR guys, Dave Allen, he comes down and he goes, hey, they need to talk to you. They need to see you in the clubhouse. And I'm like, man, what's going on?

So I'm like, you know, is it something going on with the family? You know, something's wrong with my mom And I never had any inkling that I was going to the big leagues at that time. And I walked in the clubhouse and Gary Allenson was the AAA manager at the time. And he sat me down and he goes, you know, you spend a lot of time in spend a lot of time in the minor leagues and.

you're finally going to get your shot to pitch in the big leagues. And I just, I, Jeff, I just broke down and start crying, man. because you know, you spend that long of, of, of a time in the minor leagues, 10 years, and then you finally get that, get that call to the major leagues. Like I said, I broke down and man, tears were just flowing down my face. And I picked up the phone. I called my mom.

I called my wife at the time and I just said, I said, mom, I did it. I said, I did it. She was like, what are you talking about? I'm going to the Big Leagues

Just sitting there in that chair and just thinking about all the hard time, the grind that I had to go through to get there. The crazy thing is I had just my oldest son that year in February. And I told my wife, I was like, you know what? said, if I don't get to the big leagues this year, I'm done. I'm gonna end up doing something else.

And lo and behold, I get that call in May and Bronswell Patrick is going to the big leagues. And it was so rewarding for everything that I've done over the course of those 10 years to be able to put on that big league uniform for the Brewers.

Speaker 2 (13:36)
How about that first game on the mound? Game is that walking in the clubhouse. I know there's a let's say a interesting situation that brought about your major league debut.

Speaker 1 (13:39)
First

Yeah, interesting situation. was, you know, let me let me backtrack a little bit. I got the call and then I flew. I met the team in St. Louis. I jumped on a plane, ended up meeting the team in St. Louis and just, man, walking in the hotel, everybody congratulating me. And then, Busch Stadium was right.

close to the hotel that we were staying in. we walked over to the ballpark and when I walked in and I saw my name on the back of my jersey and man, and then Phil Garner, who was the manager, I walked in and shook his hand, gave him a big hug. And he was like, hey man, it's been a long journey for you, but you're here now. And he goes, hey, just make the most of it. And

He goes, you're here, you did it. I didn't pitch that series. We ended up going over to Colorado to play the Rockies and Jeff Juden

Speaker 2 (14:58)
your family fly out and meet you in St. Louis? they with you in Colorado as well or?

Speaker 1 (15:02)
No,

It was so quick, Jeff, and everything was just happening so quick. my mom had, she ran a daycare center and she wasn't able get everything in order at that time to be able to come out. So no, they didn't, my mom didn't make it out. My sister didn't make it out. But yeah, they were watching on TV.

Speaker 2 (15:24)
I bet they felt it.

Speaker 1 (15:26)
yeah, they definitely felt it. They definitely felt it.

Speaker 2 (15:29)
So back to your story, Jeff Juden Colorado.

Speaker 1 (15:33)
Yeah, so we're playing the Rockies and, big Jeff Juden man, was, he was a horse. And I can't remember like vaguely how it all went down, but anyways, he ended up getting ejected. And after I had all, I sprinted all the way from the bullpen, we're playing in Colorado.

Speaker 2 (15:42)
to.

Speaker 1 (15:57)
to the infield and I'm out of breath and I'm breathing heavy, nothing happened. They threw Jeff Juden out of the game. I get back to the bullpen and I hear the phone ring and it was Bill Castro. Bill Castro was the bullpen coach he was like, hey, Brons you're in the game.

you're in the game. I'm like, man, that heart.

Speaker 2 (16:25)
still get the adrenaline from everything else going. That's not the way you want it to go in your first game. That's not the way you want it to in your

Speaker 1 (16:31)
Oh, I know. And then, here I am warming up on the mound, in front of about 25, 30,000 people. and my heart is just pounding through my chest. got loose, And then in stepped Neifi Perez. And, I was able to get Neifi Perez out.

That was a big sigh of relief. You know, I just kind of took a big deep breath and then Larry Walker comes up and Mike Lansing. And, I got through that inning and here I am thinking, man, you know, I'm in the big leagues. I got, I got Neifi Perez out. I got Larry Walker out. got,

Speaker 2 (17:13)
I

could do this. I could do this. Yeah, I could survive. Yeah, I could do this.

Speaker 1 (17:17)
So I got that confidence of being able to say, man, I belong here. yeah, so that was, man, just being able to go out and get my feet wet, But, you know, I did it. I did it, Jeff.

Speaker 2 (17:33)
That's a story. There's nothing boring about your major league debut. That's for sure. You pitched well the rest of game,

Speaker 1 (17:38)
Yeah, I I pissed well the rest of the game and I don't remember as far as the results.

Speaker 2 (17:45)
I'll

tell you, I'll tell you. 3.1 innings pitched, three hits, I can't read own handwriting, three hits, a walk, one earn run, two strikeouts. That's a good debut. There you go. Yeah. Yeah. So the rest of your season, I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (17:57)
Yeah, that was a great debut.

Still being able to go through that lineup with Vinny Castilla Todd Helton, Dante Bichette Man, was...

Speaker 2 (18:11)
the Blake Street Bombers from back in the day.

Speaker 1 (18:13)
yeah. And then throughout the course of the season, I pretty much ended up staying in the big leagues that that whole season with them. And I remember I got my first win in an extra inning game against Kansas City. I believe, man, if I'm wrong, that feels like six innings in relief.

Speaker 2 (18:39)
Yeah, right. That's a good. That's a quality start. mean, it really is.

Speaker 1 (18:43)
Yeah, yeah. So I ended up, was my first win in the big leagues. And the crazy thing is I think around like in the 10th or 11th Terry Pendleton hits a ground ball, to first base, and I wasn't there to get to the bag And so they scored a run that inning to tie it up. We continue to play and I just, went out and I grinded out.

you know, another five innings after that and we ended up winning a ball game.

Speaker 2 (19:16)
That's a good highlight right there. That's a great highlight. You spent most of the rest of the season and the rest of the season in the

Speaker 1 (19:18)
That was great.

I

spent the rest of season in Milwaukee.

Speaker 2 (19:25)
What happened the offseason? was your next move from there?

Speaker 1 (19:28)
Off season, they ended up taking me off the roster. I thought I had pitched well enough to, to stay, with the big league club, but I get it. I was a non-roster invitee. they needed the roster spot. So I got DFA'd, ended up signing with, the San Francisco Giants that off season, minor league deal with the invitation to go to big league camp.

Went to big league went to big league camp

was actually the last cut out of big league camp that year. it was between me and,

Miguel del Toro he ended up beating me out for that last relief role I went to AAA I did my thing I ended up winning Ended up winning 14 games for Fresno that year and I was I was rewarded with a September call-up

Speaker 2 (20:19)
you had to go job hunting is another six year free agent again.

Speaker 1 (20:22)
Same thing. They took me off the roster and I ended up signing with the Florida Marlins after the Giants had DFA'd me and I ended up in in Calgary For the for the Calgary Cannons. So but let me go back My years with Milwaukee. So, I was I was in the big leagues and

that whole year with them pretty much. that was a year that Sammy Sosa and McGwire going for the home run record with Roger Maris. I ended up giving up number 61 to Sosa that year in 1998 in Wrigley Field I think the ball is still going to this day.

It was a hanging split that I left out over the plate and soon as he hit it, it sounded like a firecracker. I mean, it was like, you know, it's just, and as soon as he hit it, I knew it was gone.

man. then he hits and he gives, he gives one of those, man. I'm like, he got me. And you know, after that game we played in Chicago, we ended up going to Cincinnati that night because we was playing the Reds and my phone was ringing off the hook. people wanting to talk to me and ask me, you know,

How did it feel? Yeah, and I'm like, hey man, I gave up 61 to Sosa, you know? I took a few of those phone calls and then finally I'm like, hey, do not disturb. I'm not taking anymore calls in the hotel room. But yeah, was great season, memories, being with that group in 1998 with the Brewers, that's something I always cherish.

Marquis Grissom, Scotty Karl Bob Wickman, Nilsson, Matheny, Jeromy Burnitz, Darrin Jackson, had Fernando Vina we had a great group. That was a squad, that was a squad, and that was the first year

Speaker 2 (22:16)
That's a squad, yeah, that's his squad.

Speaker 1 (22:20)
in 1998 was when the Brewers first, entered the National league and

Speaker 2 (22:25)
You

probably got some at bats under you too.

Speaker 1 (22:27)
I did. I ended up it was funny we was playing Arizona in Milwaukee. I was living in Arizona at the time and the family couldn't make it out to Milwaukee but

Phil Garner left me in the game to pitch, it late in the game. and he was like, hey, go ahead you're to get in that bat. And the D backs had Felix Rodriguez, who I ended up being a teammate with the following year in San Francisco, but he was the closer at the time for the D backs and Phil Garner was like, go ahead, And I hit my first home run in the major leagues off of

off of Felix Rodriguez.

Speaker 2 (23:08)
That's amazing. I was not expecting to hear that. I did not look at your hitting history.

Speaker 1 (23:13)
That was my first home run. and we were playing Arizona Diamondbacks. So my family that was living in Arizona, they got to see it. And man, it was, it was something else.

Speaker 2 (23:25)
soon as

get done, I'm searching that on YouTube as soon as we get done, for sure.

Speaker 1 (23:28)
and then the funny thing too is when, we, ended up coming to Arizona, playing the Diamondbacks and Buck Showalter that was the manager for, the Diamondbacks. I got another at bat, And I just remember looking over at him and he was pointing to the catcher like,

Hey, like he can hit, he can hit.

Speaker 2 (23:47)
That's great.

Speaker 1 (23:50)
So that was man that was like the highlight of my career being able to you know although I gave up number 61 to Sosa but at the same time I was I was I was able to hit a home run in the big leagues I you know got my win

Speaker 2 (24:10)
San Francisco was great I ended up getting my first win with with the Giants on my birthday was September 16th in Candlestick gets the Marlins People don't know this

They probably thinking it's Rob Nen or Felix Rodriguez, but I got the last save in Candlestick Park. I picked up the last save in Candlestick Park.

Speaker 1 (24:31)
That's awesome.

Speaker 2 (24:36)
Yeah, they'll probably say Rob Man or Felix Rodriguez at the time, but nope. Bronswell and Patrick got the last save in Candlestick Park.

Speaker 1 (24:46)
That's great. What a time. a little bit more about me. grew up around baseball and my mom messed up and got me a Baseball America subscription when I was like eight years old. So I remember in those magazines you flip to the back and there's the international leagues, Japan, Korea, Mexico. And I always kind of had a real, love

following the international leagues. the affiliated minor leagues, have the stat lines for everybody who plays, but in the foreign leagues, they just have the leaders. So there's just a kind of a lack of information out there. And then the Almanac came out at the beginning of the year and there's a little bit more information on there, but there was just so at that time, and now with the internet and baseball reference, you got some, but it was just so interesting to me how they played baseball in the Netherlands. Now they play in Germany and everywhere else.

that was kind of an obsession for a long time with that. And it still is. And now the game of baseball has really blown up and man, the World Baseball Classic and professional players and the Olympics, that was just such a fun, exciting time when that started rolling out So I'm just excited to hear about your time as a pitcher in Mexico, you pitch in Korea,

coached managed in Mexico and the summer and winter leagues, correct? Yeah. Man, just go on and tell us some stories and how that went just, I'm fascinated by it. baseball sent you around the world and And I think that's just the coolest way to live a life.

Speaker 2 (26:10)
Jeff. was fortunate to like I said. To be able to get to the big leagues and play professional baseball for a long time I wanted to keep the uniform when I was a player. as long as I could and until finally, either I knew I had enough or somebody just came up and said, Give me uniform. You're done.

But I was going to put up a fight even if they did that. So, after the season with the Calgary Cannons, with the Marlins couldn't find a job. And I'm scrambling, everybody's signing.

these contracts And I'm like, man, I can't, I can't find a job. And so, I contacted my agent Oscar Suarez. And I said, Oscar, I, you know, hey man is there anything in Mexico? He goes, I could probably get you down with the Mexico City Reds which is the Mexico city Diablos.

And I was like, I'll take it, man. I'll go down there and play hopefully put up some numbers and get a chance to come back to the States. ended up going to Mexico City and oh, Jeff, I absolutely loved it. It was that ownership group with Roberto Mansur and

That crew, it was first class. It was like playing basically for the Yankees down there, you know.

Speaker 1 (27:36)
that's a storied franchise and their history is basically the Yankees of Mexico and they run it that way,

Speaker 2 (27:41)
they run it that way. was, we were the Yankees. mean, we had Roberto Kelly, we had a Felix Jose. Kevin Grijak, you know, we had more big leaguers Roberto Ramirez. Yeah, we, we had some smashers, Sherman Obando, who had played in Japan a long time. we had, we had a great group of guys on that team and

they just made me feel like I was at home. And so did the team, you know, the clubhouse was nice. the playing facility was nice playing the ball flew out of that ballpark, but, I never had an issue, pitching in that ballpark or.

just pitching in that league in general. people like, oh, I'm going to Mexico. It's pretty easy baseball over there. That is wrong. They have some very talented players over there some players that probably could be playing in the big leagues, but they just want to be home in their country and being with their families. We had a shortstop,

Jose Sandoval and this guy could flat out pick it. Anything hit in his direction, it was out. We had Ray Martinez as a third baseman. guys that left side of the diamond, they could flat out pick it.

Speaker 1 (29:00)
made you feel little safer with that thin air.

Speaker 2 (29:03)
Yeah, exactly. I'm throwing my sinker. I'm trying to get ground balls and Miguel Ojeda was the catcher and I developed a cutter throughout the minor league. So I brought that to Mexico and guys weren't really used to that cutter and that split finger that I was throwing

I had some good years in Mexico. We ended up winning the championship that year, my first year over there. It was a great setup with the hotel. They fed us.

Speaker 1 (29:30)
the travel down there you guys lots of nonstop air travel buses

Speaker 2 (29:35)
was was buses. We had some long trips, but We had sleeper buses. when I went back after we won the championship, we had this nice luxury bus, double double rock star.

man, it was rock stars. It was like, hey man Mexico City, Diablos are coming to town and we'd roll up in this bus, man. And people are like, whoa,

the travel, being in that bus made it so much easier. You're riding on the bus for 10, 11 hours at times. But just being in that bus, it had food, we had water, and everything that you could ask for.

Speaker 1 (30:16)
after I played a couple of years over there, we were actually playing Yucatan in the playoffs one year. there was a Korean scout. was there to see another player from Yucatan. was me and him battling it out. it was a pitcher's duel. He went seven, I think I went seven innings, gave up one run.

We ended up winning two to one and right after the game, this guy comes up to me, goes, hey, And it was a Korean scout and he goes, hey, we're interested in signing you. and we worked out a deal for me to go to Korea.

that following season. And what an interesting journey playing with the Samsung Lions because I, Jeff, I don't know how I did it, but being in Mexico City with a team that is like the Yankees, I ended up playing for the Samsung Lions, who was one of the best teams in Korea at that time.

And it was like.

Speaker 2 (31:26)
I can tell you how you did it. worked your tail off. You knew what you were doing out there. You worked your tail off for ever many years and you accomplished that and you're, you're a good pitcher. That's how you accomplished playing for those teams and in North America and Asia.

Speaker 1 (31:41)
Yeah, and it was, I ended up with the Samsung Lions and there was another team, they were the Yankees of Korea. we had a guy, Lee Sung-Yop who was a first baseman my first year over there. had 54 home runs that year I was there and we ended up winning the championship that year. But you know, that in itself-

Speaker 2 (32:04)
It's incredible you get the back-to-back two completely different things. That's incredible

Speaker 1 (32:10)
Two completely different teams, two completely different countries. here I am playing for the best teams. it was, being in Korea my first year, like when I'd go out to buy food or I'd go to grocery store to get groceries.

People just wanted to come up and touch me because I was big, and they just wanted to come up and just touch me. And it kind of made me feel a little bit uncomfortable the first time through because I've never had that. I was like, why these people touch me?

Speaker 2 (32:52)
the first one is it that's weird the second one does it and by the time the 50th person touches you like, okay I guess this this is my life

Speaker 1 (32:58)
I'm

like, right exactly. then, you know, baseball, baseball, baseball. I'm like, yeah, baseball. I'm playing baseball over there. a little strange in itself when it first started happening, touching me and going to the supermarket and going to restaurants then finally, I called my interpreter. was like, I need this, this, this, this, this, because

I don't want to keep going to the grocery store and just feeling like these people are watching me and wanting to touch me. So it kind of made me feel a little bit uncomfortable with the first time through, but it faded towards the middle of the season, towards the end, once they start seeing me on TV and like,

Speaker 2 (33:44)
And then they see in the grocery store enough times here's their neighbor by that.

Speaker 1 (33:47)
Yeah, yeah at that point I'm just I'm just a neighbor I'm just there so That was fun. Just being able to you know Play in that atmosphere over there because they got the drums and they're clapping you know the whole game and they got the cheerleaders the ballparks are small over there, but once again, meant I got to use my sinker

Speaker 2 (34:10)
I'm

gonna get some ground outs and it's not gonna matter

Speaker 1 (34:12)
I

get some Yeah, I'll try to keep the ball out of air as much as possible when I'm pitching in Taigu. But you know, the stadiums over there, Incheon, Seoul, Busan, Kia, the Kia Tigers, the stadiums were, they were good stadiums and they packed it in. So I was, I was really surprised on the, the, the fan base of

how they support their teams. Whether you're in last place, whether you're in first place, I mean, every stadium, it was sold out. The stadiums were sold out.

Speaker 2 (34:47)
Did you feel comfortable over there? when you first arrived?

Speaker 1 (34:50)
In Korea? Yeah, I did. My interpreter pretty much went everywhere. So, you know, the good thing about it, Jeff, is when I signed with the Korean team, I was actually living in Arizona at the time and we had spring training in Arizona. We had, we had spring training out in Peoria. And so.

Speaker 2 (34:51)
Yes.

You had an interpreter

That was a good way to ease into it, I guess.

Speaker 1 (35:16)
It was a great way to ease into it. My interpreter was great. Like we hit it off right away. I had to rely on him because I didn't know any Korean and I didn't know anything once I got to Korea, So, you know, I relied heavily on him just to guide me through

Speaker 2 (35:32)
that it's just baseball. If you get your interpreter to help you with everything else, it's just baseball.

Speaker 1 (35:36)
It's baseball. It's baseball. You know, you still got to go out on a diamond at six feet, six inches and play baseball. I didn't do too much my first year as far as exploring it was all new to me and I knew I had to have him 24 seven if I wanted to do something or go anywhere. I had a three bedroom apartment like on the 16th floor.

I mean, it was great, man. Just overlooking the city. I couldn't ask for anything better as far as how they treated me over there and just the living, We got everything we needed from that team. And they made us feel like, you're not home in the US, but this is your home.

for the next nine months, basically, And it was great. It was great. I wish I would have had a better season over there. I mean, hey, man, just getting that opportunity to go over there and play baseball and see the different culture was outstanding.

Speaker 2 (36:42)
I've read a thing. uh, Mark Teahen if you remember him the Royals and White Sox he retired and then, a club in Italy, contact him and say, would you want to come play baseball in Italy? He probably hadn't picked up a bat in six or nine or 12 months. He was like, yeah. one of the quotes he said was like, um, I didn't go to Italy to play baseball. I played baseball to go to Italy. I think that's just so rad that you can see the world. For a guy who

When you were 17, Arizona was exotic to be able to see the world. That's just so cool. after Korea, you went back to Mexico for a few seasons and just spent some time in Taiwan as well. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:20)
went back to Mexico and then I ended up getting a call from the Brother Elephants. And Jeff, like I said,

Speaker 2 (37:29)
Don't tell me this is the Yankees again.

Speaker 1 (37:31)
It was the Yankees

Speaker 2 (37:35)
Yeah, man.

Speaker 1 (37:37)
I'm like, how I'm like, you couldn't ask for better situation going overseas and playing with these teams that I play with. get a phone call from my agent again, Oscar Suarez Hey, there's a team in Taiwan. They're looking for a pitcher. Are you interested? I was at the end of my career. I'm like, you know what?

Let's do it. I go over and I'm with the Brother Elephants Everywhere we went, it was sold out. We had great players. Even my best friend was on that team, Jonathan Hurst just walked into a great situation.

being able to pitch for the Brother Elephants over there. And Jonathan, he had already been over there for a few years. As soon as I landed in Taiwan, they gave me a cell phone and I picked up the phone and I called him. I'm like, hey man, I'm here, I'm here. we didn't live too far from each other, downtown Taipei. he came over, his wife,

was Taiwanese and she spoke English. I was like, hey, where's some good food that I can just crush because I'm starving. they ended up taking me to this American restaurant. Like, I'm like, whoa, whoa, time. I'm like, I'm in Taipei. I'm in Taipei. I want something else, but.

Speaker 2 (38:51)
Best cheeseburgers in town.

Speaker 1 (38:57)
They ended up taking me to this American restaurant, which wasn't too far from where I lived. And I became friends with the owner over there and she was just, every time I would just call her and like, hey, I'm coming in, the bacon, the egg, any sandwich I wanted, Jeff, she made for me. I would do it every once in a while because I don't miss too many meals I like to eat.

I wanted to try all the foods, while I was over there and I did. So, but just being there, having my best friend on the team showing me around. I felt very safe, and the only bad part about it was we had to walk.

to the base of the clubhouse, get dressed. We had to get on a bus because we didn't actually have a stadium in Taipei. It was like 45 minutes outside of Taipei. So we had every game, we had to walk to the clubhouse, get dressed downtown, get on the bus, and then take another 45 minute trip to our home ballpark.

Speaker 2 (39:59)
Even the way back after the game that that seems like that'd be exhausting,

Speaker 1 (40:03)
That's what I'm saying. you got to get on the bus. take another 45 minute bus ride back, to your clubhouse, shower change and, then head home. But, man, I loved every minute of it, like you said, being able to travel and seeing different parts of the world and playing baseball at that,

the game that I love, it was great

You can't expect it's gonna be like the States. You can't expect that when you walk in the clubhouse, it's gonna be a plush clubhouse where you got the carpet You just have to have an open mind when it comes to that, when you're going anywhere overseas to play baseball.

for me, just, just being able to enjoy the moment, you know, I just enjoyed the moment when I was there and just took everything in and days that we had off, it was like, just, just go out and explore the city.

in Taipei and just see everything. The only issue I had was, of course, you know, they have the gambling and all that that was going on at the time,

Speaker 2 (41:04)
If you keep your head down and kind of do your thing, hopefully you're safe from that.

Speaker 1 (41:08)
Exactly. I didn't get involved with that. Hey man, I got approached a couple of times, but I was like, no, I'm not interested in doing that. I'm not going to be looking over my shoulders when I'm walking down the street. I didn't want to get involved with that. the unfortunate situation happened I was there when Mario Encarnacion ended up

Passing away

Speaker 2 (41:32)
As soon as you said about the danger, I remember somebody passed away over there, but I can't remember who was.

Speaker 1 (41:37)
Yeah, that was the year I was there. they found him in his room, foaming from the mouth. So that was the only thing that scared me because I was there that year when it happened. it was towards the end of our season.

and we played, we made the playoffs, we rode in the playoffs, but we ended up losing that first round of the playoffs. as soon as the playoffs was over, Jeff, I jumped on the first thing that was smoking out of Taipei to get back home, man.

Speaker 2 (42:07)
Right. I sat down, buckled that seatbelt and just, oh wow. I said, I made it.

Speaker 1 (42:12)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.

Speaker 2 (42:14)
It

you said you were going to play until they ripped the jersey off you. You did, pretty much, You had a healthy career. Did you have any injury problems

Speaker 1 (42:22)
I did, had some issues in Mexico City where I had to have surgery. I had bone spurs removed. there was times when I pitched in Mexico, I'd pitch. I wouldn't pick up a ball for four days because I was in so much pain. And that fifth day, I had a baseball in my hand pitching, six innings.

And then I'd do it again. I wouldn't pick up a ball for another four days. I'd play catch a little bit before the game and I'd pitch it just got to the point where it was, it was unbearable where I couldn't do it anymore. and I ended up having the surgery down in Mexico city and in Toluca. Dr. Quap Timo who had

who had done a lot of the Latin ball players surgeries And he did it that year. I talked to the team and I was like, hey, I want to do my rehab back in Arizona. So they allowed me to come back home after my surgery. I did my rehab here and I tried to go back the following year to play

And Jeff, I just didn't have it, man. I don't know if it was my rehab, didn't do it right, didn't do everything I was supposed to do, but my velocity was down. I bounced around. Mexico City They was like, hey, we're going to send you to Tabasco where it's like a thousand degrees.

It was hot, man. It was like the sun was right here, man. man, it was smoking hot. So I ended up playing for them and then it got to be a financial situation where it was like, we're gonna pay you guys tomorrow and we're gonna pay you guys tomorrow. Never got paid. not gonna come out here and pitch if you're not gonna pay me.

They ended up sending me over to Yucatan. after I wasn't getting paid with Tabasco. And I pitched four or five games with Yucatan. And then the owner comes and tells me, I'm paying you too much money to sit for every fourth or fifth day and pitch. like, I'm a starting pitcher.

you signed me to be a starting pitcher. So, every four days before I pitch again. they ended up letting me go and pretty much that was a sign of me saying, you know what, I'm just gonna wrap it up and retire.

Speaker 2 (44:39)
By that time you're you're you're fine with that decision wasn't much of a decision.

Speaker 1 (44:44)
I took a year off, you know, just kind of wanted to regroup and spend time with my family. I lived in Arizona at the time. So I started going out to the ballparks. I went over to Kansas City, I went over to San Diego, just the teams that were around and

Grady Fuson who

Speaker 2 (45:04)
farm director the A's for a minute. Yeah

Speaker 1 (45:07)
Yeah, exactly. And then he was the farm director for the Padres at that time. I went over and I talked to him. was like, Hey, what are you doing? I'm like, man, I'm just taking a year off and you know, I might want to get into coaching. he was like, why don't you come out to instructional league to see if you want to, you want to do this, So did like a week of an instructional league with the Padres.

He goes, what do you think? You want to do it? And he goes, if you want to do it, have a job for you. And I was like, of course. he goes, I'll give you the rookie ball job. You can be the rookie ball pitching coach here in Arizona for the Padres. And sure enough, I couldn't have walked into a better situation. Someone that I knew, someone that I had with the A's, back when I signed when I was 17 years old, because Grady was with the

with the A's at that time Grady was actually managing our Medford ball club when I signed with the A's out of high school. So like I said, he was a farm director with the Padres and he offered me the job and I took it and I spent 12 years in the Padres organization as a pitching coach.

Speaker 2 (46:17)
You tell you how you end up with the Yankees and then Yankees again and the Yankees again and you lucked into this job with the Padres but it's not luck, man. It's just you worked your tail off. when you signed as a 17 year old, if you had been a bum and then you bumped into Grady Fuson a few years later, he would have been like, oh, nice talking to you. See you later. But you worked your tail off for some years and people had positive recollection of you. So that's not luck.

you make your own luck and you did for a long time.

Speaker 1 (46:45)
Right, right, yeah, I did, I did. I said, cherish every minute of my experiences.

Speaker 2 (46:51)
we've never met in person except for I watched you in a mound in 1992 possibly. you don't get to where you are by being a jerk. obviously the way you treat people in addition to how you are on the mound and on your days off and even probably how hard you chart on those days. All that stuff that brought you to where you are and brought you through those places that you went to.

Speaker 1 (47:11)
Right, me, I'm very organized and being the minor league pitching development coordinator for the A's people, look at my desk and they're like, you're so organized, but that's just me.

Speaker 2 (47:24)
the other way to separate yourself from the back when the rest of the people.

Speaker 1 (47:27)
You always got to be prepared and that way it doesn't sneak up on you. And then if it does sneak up on you, you've already prepared yourself for that situation. So you know how to handle it.

Speaker 2 (47:39)
So after the Padres for how many years did you say?

Speaker 1 (47:43)
12 years

with the Padres

Speaker 2 (47:45)
You went back down to Mexico to coach, also, that time period, you were coaching winter ball down there.

Speaker 1 (47:53)
I hit my head right now, Jeff, I got frustrated with the, with the Padres because I was six years being their AAA pitching coach in El Paso and they fired Darren Balsley and, I didn't get an interview.

And that was 2019. 2019, AJ Preller is looking for a new pitching coach. I'm like, man, At least I'm going to get an interview. And I didn't. I was very, I was hurt. First of all, was very like frustrated on why I didn't get an interview. So

they had offered me a two year deal to come back to be the AAA pitching coach. And my pride set in and Jeff, and I can't go and sit back in a meeting in a big league meeting because I was a AAA pitching coach. knowing I didn't get a shot. And I get it.

Speaker 2 (48:55)
this experience is that these things happen in the real civilian world whether if you're working at a bank, working as a farmer working at Walmart, these kinds of things happen in real life. we, we, civilians can can relate

Speaker 1 (49:09)
Yeah, and so you get it and that's why I told my wife I'm gonna type up a resignation letter and I'm gonna resign.

You can't burn any bridges in this game. It was like, I need to look somewhere else and find someone that's going to value me. And I sent it in, they called and

you know, hey, you we want you, we don't want you to leave. And at that time, Jeff, I'd already made up my mind.

to say, that was it with the Padres. And I left thinking I had another job with another team and then COVID hit. Yeah. So COVID hit and

Speaker 2 (49:56)
that changed the world. I worked in baseball until 2013. got out and that COVID year, that's such a blur. My son was born February 4th. We were living in Clearwater right around the corner from the Phillies complex. I was so excited. And then the world just changed and everything was just weird. I'm so curious as an outsider looking and trying to figure out how people reacted to that.

I mean, I'm almost as interested in that 2020 COVID year as I am your time in Mexico and Korea. That's just something that's just a once in a lifetime, hopefully experience. Yeah, exactly. hit.

Speaker 1 (50:28)
Right. Yeah

Yeah, Covid hit it and I'm thinking okay, I'm gonna sign with that team and they were like, I know, you know, we're not 

Speaker 2 (50:38)
having minor league baseball this year.

Speaker 1 (50:40)
Yeah, we're not even having my league baseball. So here I am, I'm scrambling, trying to find a job and Tijuana calls me hey, we need a pitching coach. And I was living in Southern California at the time you're our guy. And so I jumped on it right away.

Ended up signing with the Tijuana Toros Same thing, we started spring training in March. we was getting ready to start playing some games and then all of a sudden it's like we had everything just stopped. we're going to shut everything down. We're going to give you guys a week off so we can figure it out if we're to have a season or not. And the week goes by.

didn't hear anything. I'm calling, And then finally they're like, we're not having a season. And I'm like, uh-oh, uh-oh, you're not having a season, what's going on with my salary? You guys guaranteed me my contract. we ended up getting a little bit of money.

but it wasn't what my contract was supposed to be. So I was like, okay, it is what it is, two year deal. That 2020 season was a wash. And then 2021, I went back to them and we ended up winning the championship 2021 with the TOROS, Tijuana TOROS.

we get to the finals, Jeff, and we're down seven game series. We're down 3 -0 to Yucatan. I'm like, man, we're, the season's about to be over. So we're in Yucatan.

Speaker 2 (52:10)
my god.

Speaker 1 (52:18)
game four was rained out. So that gave me an opportunity to bring our, we brought our ace back.

Speaker 2 (52:27)
Who is that?

Speaker 1 (52:27)
We had Carlos Hernandez at the time, a left handed pitcher. But that whole staff was stacked, man. I had Fernando Rodney, Oliver Perez. had Mike Tonkin, who was in the big leagues last year with the Yankees and Minnesota.

Jake Sanchez, who was a good arm in the bullpen. We were stacked. Brennan Bernardino, who pitched with the Red Sox the last few years. Our bullpen was stacked. So it was like, man, starter, just give me five innings, and then we're gonna turn it over to the bullpen because we know this bullpen is gonna hold us.

hold us to where we need to be. And sure enough, we ended up bringing Carlos Hernandez back to pitch. He dealt. And then we won that game. So it's 3-1. we win another game over there. So it's 3-2. And ended up coming back home. And we swept them four straight to end up winning the championship after being down 3-0.

Speaker 2 (53:33)
man.

Speaker 1 (53:35)
Where you're down 3-0 and you come back to win it doesn't happen too often. And we were able to do that. you know, it was, like I said, having Oliver Perez and Fernando Rodney, those guys knew, like, being in the big leagues for so long, they just lifted everybody up. Like, hey, come on, fellas, we got this. We can do this. And sure enough, we turned it around.

Speaker 2 (53:59)
That's great. I say you enjoyed your two years as a coach down there and you were also involved in Winter Ball.

Speaker 1 (54:06)
Yeah, yeah, I did. the winter ball thing down there. I managed down there. I was a pitching coach for Hermosillo three years. And then they offered me my first manager's job to be the manager and Hermosillo Once again, who's a very good team there. Hermosillo those guys, they do it right. So I was able to to be the manager for Hermosillo

after being the pitching coach for three years and took them to the playoffs. Just couldn't get over the hump. end up, we lost. Our pitching just didn't hold up So we ended up losing, that first series. And then I get fired because Vinny Castilla wanted to manage.

and Vinny Castilla who's the man down in Mexico.

Speaker 2 (54:57)
Mr.

Speaker 1 (54:58)
And I ended up going over to Mexicali, and being the pitching coach in Mexicali for a couple of years. And then that third year being in Mexicali, our manager, we started our 0-10 and they came to me and like, Hey, you managed before. Do you want to take over this team? I'm like, we're 0-10.

You know, I was like, I mean, I said, I'll take it over. I'll take it over. But you guys got to guarantee me that I'm coming back to be the manager next year. I'm starting, I'm starting at the bottom, you know, and Jeff, we won 10 straight games, 10 straight games. Back to 500 real quick. We ended up just rolling through that league, go to the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (55:38)
Real quick.

Speaker 1 (55:49)
And to this day, I'm so upset because I know the guy was out at home in the playoffs, game six, He was out. They call him safe. Instant replay It was clear as day. His hand never touched home plate. They called him safe. We ended up losing that game and That was it. That was, that was, that was, that was the series and we lost.

The first round of playoffs that year, I came back the following year to manage that club.

Jeff Perro (56:22)
And that's it. That's where the show ends. I was planning on this being a 30, 45 minute conversation, but like I said, we just hit it off and we just got to talking the next thing you know, it's a hour and a half in and there's technical difficulties. And we break up and it was getting late. Mr. Patrick, spring training was just starting. about to have some really busy long days. So didn't bother him and call him back.

We'll hopefully catch up maybe November, December after baseball season sometime. But I hope you enjoyed the show. And Mr. Bronswell Patrick, if you're listening, you made it this far, buddy, such a great time. If you're ever in the Tampa Bay area, hit me up. If I'm ever in the Phoenix, Arizona area, I'm hit you up.