The Houston Astros were leading the New York Yankees by two runs in the fourth of the second game of the American League Championship Series when Framber Valdez made a couple of errors. Two runners were placed in scoring position and the tying run was brought to the batter's box when Valdez fumbled a slow hit comebacker and threw wildly to the first baseman.
With heightened awareness, Bill Murphy looked at the pitchers. Murphy marveled at his command but noted the ways in which it waned. Traffic was a problem in the early part of his career. Focus would drift and start unraveling as frustration set in. He spent the last three years studying his own psychology and embracing meditation, an approach that has been credited for his rise as one of the sport's best starting pitchers. He was facing his biggest test to date.
Murphy thought to himself, "This is the true test of where he's at" This is where the problem can be solved.
From third base, Alex Bregman walked over to the mound to be followed by Martin Maldonado. The man kept three thoughts present.
Don't let it get to you. Don't worry, smile. Don't worry, relax.
After allowing two base runners to score, Valdez retired 12 of the next 14 batters he faced, allowing only one more run in a seven-inning victory. He met the kind of moment that ruined him and kept him going in the end.
His next start will be in Game 2 of the World Series. His team was in crisis after blowing a five-run lead in the first game of the series.
The Astros, who won 106 games in the regular season, can't afford to lose the first two games of the playoffs in Philadelphia. They need the pitcher to pitch well against Wheeler. They need him to stay on top of things. He thinks he can.
"I'm proud that what I'm doing now reflects the progress that I've made," he said in Spanish. The way I conduct myself is different in my starts.
The Astros' director of Latin American operations insisted that Valdez work with the team's psychologist.
It was assumed that psychologists only worked on mental health issues. He said that that's not the case. They are there to help you stay in the right frame of mind.
He was taught how to control his breathing in difficult situations. It took about five months for the concepts to be translated into the field. Lapses in focus became shorter. He learned how to control his anger when he softly hit balls that turned into hits.
He went to a new level. A rare mix of a left-handed pitcher and a ground ball master, Valdez went 17-6) with a 2.82 earned run average in the American League in 2011. He set a major league record with 25 consecutive quality starts and placed himself in the discussion for a Cy Young Award that will likely be won by his teammate.
"We all want finished products before they're finished," Baker said. It can take time. It takes a long time. Success and failure are required to get to this point. The more successful you are, the more confident you are. Framber is currently at a very high level of confidence.
The Astros won the American League title for the second year in a row. They traveled back to the World Series.
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Eight years ago, it was at its lowest point. He was a pitcher from the Dominican Republic who had recently turned 21 years old, old in an international market that often sees players agree to deals at 12 and 13. After concerns with his medicals, six teams withdrew their commitment to sign him.
"I didn't feel like anyone wanted me," he said.
He was proven wrong by the Astros.
It was late in the day. The eastern part of the Dominican Republic has two former Astros scouting supervisors working there. Brito said they needed to see about an older kid with a breaking ball after visiting four facilities. They arrived at a dark field and put the pitcher on the mound.
He thought the baseball was going to hit him. After ducking out the way, he watched it cut back over the heart of home plate for a strike. He was asked if he had ever seen a pitcher with a curve like that.
He kept saying "No seor." No seor, no seor, no seor
He was going to sign him. He waited three days to have his physical in hopes that the inflammation in his elbow would go away.
The physical was normal. He was going to be a part of us.
The Astros are in the World Series for the fourth time in a row, a feat made even more impressive by the seemingly arbitrary outcomes that have become more prevalent in an era of expanded playoffs. The Astros have lost some of their top players such as Carlos Correa and George Springer, but they have found a way to remain dominant. The extension of their window is largely a testament to the development of players the industry tends to overlook, exemplified by players such as Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy who were obtained on well-below-market deals.
He will face a bigger test now that he's the best of them.
In his first World Series, the lefty struggled against the Atlanta Braves, despite dominating Boston in the ALCS. The stage was set for an upset when he gave up five runs in each of the first two starts.
He thinks this will be different.
He said that he just has to study the hitters and do what he does. Things can go wrong. Things will go wrong if you are the best. I know how to deal with that now.
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