He was just a thin little boy, walking through bumpy dirt roads with a light tropical breeze swirling across his face. In a town in the middle of the Caribbean called Ingenio Quisqueya, a group of children gathered together with their small wooden sticks, and played baseball all day.
Over time, the scenery and phyiscal attributes changed drastically, as reliever Sendy Rleal now has a tall and muscular frame.
He broke camp with the Orioles after spring training, and made his Major League debut this month.
“I can remember when nearly everyone from my hometown came to see me pitch in the spring,” Rleal said. “My mother and sister were so happy to see that I am still playing with wooden sticks. The bats players use today are just put together a little better from what I used to play with as a kid.”
With Orioles reliever Aaron Rakers out for the season following shoulder surgery, the bullpen includes Rleal, 25, and closer Chris Ray, 24.
Rleal, a little-known product from the Dominican Republic, is confident he can solidify the Orioles? bullpen. Going into Tuesday?s game, he was 0-1 with an ERA of 4.70 in six outings.
“All I can do is concentrate on the mound and maintain my focus before every pitch,” Rleal said. “Even if I have a bad day, I think I have a good chance the next time around to go after the hitter with my best stuff.”
However, at 6-feet-1, 180-pounds, Rleal has appeared on the scene practically out of nowhere.
Last season he had a 2.04 ERA for Class AA Bowie and saved 16 games. With a solid change-up, the right-hander made an impression on coaches this past spring.
“It?s been one of the toughest things to put together,” Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said of his bullpen.
Though Rleal throws in the mid 90s, he deceives hitters with a change-up, a pitch he can routinely throw for a strike on any count.
Rleal will throw the pitch without hesitation.
“I just wind up and deliver the ball on pure instincts,” he said. “That is the only way you can have success and pitch at this level.”
THE RLEAL DEAL
Team: Orioles
Position: Pitcher
Did you know? Finished second with Class AA Bowie and fourth in the Eastern League with 56 games pitched in 2005 … Held Eastern League opponents to a .181 batting average … Allowed only 64 baserunners in 70.2 innings pitched … Pitched a season-high four innings on September 4 against the Akron Aeros, allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out a season-best six batters. His last name is pronounced “Ray-AL.”
