Swarzak Looking To Pitch In Whenever He Can For Twins
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One Minnesota Twin that has filled a void this season is Anthony Swarzak.
Sometimes he's a starting pitcher, sometimes he's a long reliever if a starter gets in trouble early. But the bottom line is he's always happy to be doing any of it, because he's doing it in the big leagues.
Swarzak is one of those necessities to making a run at the postseason. He's a guy who can fill the gap, be the band-aid a team needs over 162 games. Most importantly he's playing baseball for a living and loving every minute of it.
"It's been huge, it's great you know," Swarzak said. "It's very fun, a great group of guys, we all care about each other and we all have the same goal. That's winning the division."
But with as much fun as he has contributing, he takes this big league opportunity seriously. So he studies at his locker before and after he pitches with his electronic scouting report.
"I'm on that computer a lot, looking at different swings and different approaches and looking at the stats," Swarzak said. "I'm going over the guys I need to watch out for in each lineup, and at this level that's pretty much No. 1 through No. 9."
What he's done is prove he can stay in the big leagues for extended periods of time. He will compete, he will be willing to whatever you ask, whenever you ask.
"You can see it in his eyes, he's ready to go," said Twins outfielder Ben Revere. "He's like a little pit bull, he just has that fire in his eyes. He's one of those types of guys, he just competes really good, and that's what we need in the clubhouse."
Because what he has learned is that this major league life, it's a lot better than the minors. It's a life that includes small crowds, long bus trips, fast food and small, cheap hotel rooms instead of playing under the bright lights in front of tens of thousands of fans every night.
"It's been a roller coaster ride for sure, it has its ups and downs," Swarzak said. "I came up and had a spot start, went down to AAA, and this life is a lot better. If they call on me to take the ball, I just want to help the team win that day. That's what it takes to win a division is doing what you can every day."
