{"id":45543,"date":"2021-04-01T15:54:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T19:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=45543"},"modified":"2021-04-01T16:04:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T20:04:39","slug":"chris-devenski-opening-day-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/04\/01\/chris-devenski-opening-day-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Devenski Excited to Be Back in the Majors, \u201cReady to Help the Diamondbacks Win\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Devenski<\/strong> Is \u201cReady to Help the Diamondbacks Win\u201d<\/h2>\n

Right-handed Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Chris Devenski<\/a> <\/strong>was not surprised that the Houston Astros<\/a> let him go in September of 2020. He had struggled due to his health. For 2019, he went 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA (109 ERA-minus) in 69 innings across 61 games. He gave up 13 home runs while striking out 72 and posting a 1.304 WHIP. It got worse in 2020, where he pitched only 3 2\/3 innings across four games. Devenski was hit hard, going 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA and a 2.727 WHIP. He had to have arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow<\/a> in mid-September to remove a bone spur in his right elbow.<\/p>\n

Making the major league roster after what he\u2019s gone through over the last year has made him \u201csuper excited to be here and ready to help (the Diamondbacks) win.\u201d His health was going in his favor this spring, something that he didn\u2019t have over the past two seasons. It took a day or two for him to get his arm used to throwing again, especially after coming back from surgery. But after that, his arm has felt great. Devenski said that getting his range of motion back was \u201cpretty awesome\u201d to feel again. His fastball has had life on it that it didn\u2019t have over the past two seasons, but he\u2019s felt great about every pitch. It translated to success in the spring, albeit over a limited sample size. In seven innings, he did not allow any runs, posting a 1.000 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .167.<\/p>\n

Special Meaning to This Opening Day<\/h3>\n

This Opening Day has a bit more meaning for him because of what he\u2019s gone through over the past few years. There is an added special meaning to this game being at Petco Park. Devenski hails from Cerritos, California, which is between Los Angeles and Anaheim. He used to head to San Diego and watch Padres games in high school from one of the condos overlooking left field. The father of a friend of his rented a place on the 15th floor every summer. \u201cWe could see the game, but we could never see the left fielder (because our view) was cut off from the scoreboard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This is his first time being inside<\/em> Petco Park, however. The feeling when walking into a new stadium is exciting for him. \u201cYou try to take it all in and try to enjoy it as much as you can. You can\u2019t take anything for granted in this game, (because) you never know when you\u2019ll be back.\u201d Being inside Petco Park is \u201cfor sure going to have some good meaning behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Role with the Diamondbacks, Excited for the Season<\/h3>\n

Devenski was a regular multiple-inning guy with the Astros but also feels ready to come in during high-leverage situations. \u201cI love that role, and it\u2019s definitely something I have some experience in. When the game is on the line, you want to be out there. You want to have that ball and get three outs and hand it off to the next guy, or vice-versa. Whichever way it shakes out \u2014 seventh, eighth, ninth \u2014 I\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks appealed to him because of the way they approached him and wanted to get to know him as a person. \u201cIt was easy for me to share a part of who I was \u2014 my work ethic and who I am as a human. (Also), it was easy to learn them.\u201d These meeting made it clear to him that Arizona was where he wanted to be. \u201cIt just felt right. I also felt like the opportunity was right because it\u2019s close to home\u2026. I\u2019m thankful to be here, and I\u2019m ready to keep rolling after a good spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devenski still does not feel like he is in mid-season form. He is ready to work with the coaching staff and try to reach his full potential. \u201cIt was a good spring. If that\u2019s just the start of it, I\u2019m going to be excited to see what I can do this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>