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WASHINGTON – The Residence Inn in front of PNC Park is a convenient and easy landing point for new players from Pittsburgh Pirates, a temporary home for those who shuttle between majors and miners , or those who find themselves in black and gold.
JA Happ fell into the latter category when he and his wife Morgan, the newlyweds of the time, ended up there as a result of an exchange made by Seattle Mariners a few minutes before the trade deadline of 2015. And it's at this hotel that he's returned after his debut with the Pirates on August 4, after the Chicago Cubs brutalized him. , near a breaking point, determined to make a change
"We sit there, my wife and I, we just talk about things and I'm not in a good place and she's always positive, I'm pampering, she always says that everyone needs her tires inflated a bit, and I think it was just a moment where I felt like that was not going to get worse, "says Happ." You always say that it can get worse – it's at the point where I have to drop that or I'm going to have big problems here. "
Happ This frustration, and all the frustration that has accumulated during a trying half-season in Seattle before starting the progression that led to the Toronto Blue Jays ( 19459007) and Washington this week for the first game of the stars At the end of his first term with the Blue Jays, Happ started making the mechanical changes that helped him become a 20-game winner in 2016 and The anchor of reliable personnel that it has been in the last two years. – half-seasons. Pete Walker had suggested dropping his arm slit and after a few tries and mistakes, a slight downward movement helped him gain even more strength.
The development demoted to Seattle, but in Pittsburgh he worked with pitching coach Ray Searage in improving his direction to the plate, emphasizing walking directly on the flat, rather than swinging his leg forward as an opening and closing door. Happ took off with the Pirates after the start of the Cubs, posting a 1.37 ERA and a .915 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in 59 innings in 10 starts.
The Blue Jays, who made their first trip since 1993, have noticed Happ 'progress and their substantive work left them convinced that the performance was lasting even in the American League East. They had tried to acquire it before the deadline, but had no money, but would not lose it a second time. Tony LaCava, the acting director at the time, signed it as a free agent for a three-year, $ 36 million contract that worked well for both the player and the club.
And much of that Morgan conversation at the Residence Inn, when Happ felt that his career was on the precipice.
"I think it was the turning point, it's safe," he says. "It was a crossroads where it was like, hey, it's going to determine a lot of progress, how the off-season is going to go … it was a great time to be able to turn around that." [19659009] happ-pirates-debut ” width=”1280″ height=”720″/>
The beginnings of Happ 'Pirates did not unfold as expected. (Gene J. Puskar / AP)
*** The Philadelphia Phillies have chosen Happ in the third round of the 2004 Northwestern University draft, and that's where his big league pedigree is anchored.He made his debut in 2007, a four-run outing against the Mets, played eight games in 2008 when the team won the World Series, and remained stuck in 2009 with a 2.93 ERA in 166 innings, and his ties with Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Cliff Lee intensified until That it was exchanged in Houston on July 29, 2010 as part of an arrangement for Roy Oswalt, a agreement that led the Blue Jays to acquire Anthony Gose. Astros for Brett Wallace
The trade turned his life, and for a moment his career, on his head.
"I remember being in the dining room in Philadelphia and he came across the ticker I was exchanged but I had not been called to the office to be officially informed of That's for now. "It was a strange thing," recalls Happ. "So I just kept going about my day and then when it became official, they made me feel good. called and told me that. It was emotional the first time I'm not very emotional, but I remember crying. That's all I knew. I was happy to be there, it's a team that goes to the playoffs, we come from two World Series, and then we go into a team where the next few years we lost near 100 games, which certainly weighed on me. Mentally, I think I'm better for that now, but it was difficult at the time. "
He arrived in Houston as the Astros headed for the dismantling that led to the World Series title last year.In 2011, they lost 106 games and Happ suffered its worst season in the majors, posting a 5.35 ERA out of 28 starts and downgrading to triple-A for three starts.
"It was a mental grind and I've always been proud myself by being mentally difficult, "says Happ. "I was sent there for a few weeks, and here you have to get up if you want to come back. You have the impression of coming out of this insurmountable hole but the option will never come back. So I think it did me better by reinforcing my determination to not only come back, but to continue working to be the pitcher I know I can be. "
A rebound in 2012 will lead to another deal for Happ, this time at the Blue Jays as part of a 10-man exchange with the Astros." Initially, he thought Toronto would offer a fresh start and he was excited for that, although it disappeared when he was inexplicably sent to the bullpen so that Aaron Laffey and Brett Cecil could remain in the rotation.
So it was difficult for him to d & rsquo; First when he came to us, "says Walker." But obviously, once he's got back into the rotation, started his routine, you can see that's what it's all about. " He wanted to do and what he was supposed to do. But there were certainly some adjustments that needed to be made and he was at a point in his career where he was willing to make some. "
Substantial changes came midway through 2014, when he posted a 3.56 ERA out of 13 starts, and once the season was over, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos phoned Happ on the morning of his wedding. told him that the Blue Jays were picking up its $ 6.7 million option for 2015.
But there was a caveat because Anthopoulos would be adding "we'll see what will happen during the rest of the year" 39, offseason – before ending the conversation.The Blue Jays sent him to Seattle for Michael Saunders on December 3.
Happ appeared in 21 games for Seattle in 2015.
(Ann Heisenfelt / AP)
** *
Given the start of his first term with the Blue Jays, Happ did not seem to be a likely free agent target after the season 2015. But LaCava, acting as GM after the sudden departure of Anthopoulos after the season , gave priority to signing the left-handed and Marco Estrada, also become a free agent.
He got them both
"I felt really close to my first time here … and when they showed interest in coming back, it was exciting," says Happ . "There was another part of me where it was another challenge to try to win maybe the fan base here." I had the impression of having may have been a bit unfairly seen the first time and I felt that I really wanted to get better results, but also gain a little more fans than the first time. "
Happ C & # 39; exactly what happened in 2016, with a 20-4 record with a 3.18 earned run average over 195 innings. He was as strong in 2017 due to an elbow injury, while this season he was one of the few positives of a dismal season of the Blue Jays, 10-6 with a 4.29 ERA in 109 innings out of 19 starts. three outings before the break, during which many pieces were not made behind him
In this podcast of the MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays, Dan Shulman takes a look at the human side of baseball. Because everyone in the game has a story.
Before signing with the Blue Jays, Happ thinks that whatever happens, do not look back with regrets. As we approach the end, he does not have one.
"Whenever we talk about it, we say that we will never change anything – we have met great people, we have had great experiences, some of the personal highlights. I will never forget, and some of the team's strengths that I will never forget, "says Happ." Going to the playoffs in '16 was unbelievable. You want to do it every year. I do not know how realistic this is, but it's still your goal, and yes, I would not change it, 100% glad we decided to come back to Toronto.
The selection of stars is perhaps the culmination of his second tour with the Blue Jays, as an exchange is likely for the southpaw before the deadline for non-waiver transactions of July 31. It's a last moment to share with Morgan, his two-and-a-half year old son, J.J., and his eight-month-old daughter, Bella.
"It's been emotional at times," says Happ. "When I told her that she almost broke down and that she also cried, she wanted me so much that I was part of the star team. She was so supportive Throughout the thing I receive a message from her before each start and every message is different and it's like complete paragraphs of inspiration and faith that she has in me She has been a big part of the trip and I feel really lucky to have her and our children and be part of that and do everything together. "
