It?s true.
While the rest of the team sits in a dugout 400 feet away, they chew seeds, crack jokes and watch the game.
Finding a way to pass the time until getting your chance can be a difficult task for any reliever, let alone a rookie.
Rookie Chris Britton, 23, is built like a linebacker, but has the arm of an accurate quarterback.
Maybe the intimidation factor has something to do with his success on the mound for the Orioles this summer.
“It?s been awesome,” Britton said from his locker in the O?s clubhouse before Wednesday?s series finale with Oakland. “Right now I?m on cloud nine, I just want to stay up here.”
Britton may have been coming down from a high the night before, when he tossed two perfect innings with three strikeouts.
“He?s been a big, big plus for us as long as he pitches like that,” manager Sam Perlozzo said of the 6-foot-3, 280-pound right-hander. Britton is now 0-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 36.1 innings.
“Just fastball location,” Britton said of his reason for success. “It was fun last night, that and the (strike) zone was bigger.”
Command has been key for Britton. While other young pitchers on the Orioles staff have faced issues throwing strikes, Britton has walked just 10 batters versus 29 strikeouts.
The direct pipeline from Double-A Bowie to Baltimore has never been more prominent than this season, with the Orioles recalling a number of players, namely pitchers, from the farm club. Britton is one of those pitchers, and the jump to the majors has been great. But he wants to stay.
“As long as I end up here, it?s been a great year,” Britton said. “Even if I don?t end up here, it?sstill been a great year.”
Britton is having fun in the process.
“We flick seeds and we just try to pick on Bruce (Chen) as much as we can,” he said.
The mix of rookies and veterans, like Chen and LaTroy Hawkins, has made for an entertaining group.
“We focus on the game, but we have our fun and try to stay busy,” Britton said. “But once it?s time to work, we get to work.”
THE BRITTON FILE
Age: 23
Position: Right-handed reliever
Did you know? Britton was selected by the Orioles in the eighth round of the 2001 draft ? Britton attended Plantation (Fla.) High ? He missed the 2003 season after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
