After a red-hot start to his first season in Japan, Orix Buffaloes right-hander Anderson Espinoza was brought back to earth, but the new import gained trust in his teammates in the process.
Although the 26-year-old Venezuelan is new to Japan, Espinoza had a head start thanks to his relationship with current manager Satoshi Nakajima from their time in the San Diego Padres organization, and he came prepared to be a good teammate no matter what difficulties arose.
Espinoza said Padres closer Robert Suarez, a two-time former Central League saves leader who pitched for the SoftBank Hawks and Hanshin Tigers, gave him some dos and don'ts.
"He told me, 'The baseball system is different. You have to be comfortable with it. Don't give them bad looks. It's their game, and it's their country,'" Espinoza told Kyodo News recently at Tokyo Dome.
"He told me they're not going to try and make bad situations, but you have to talk to the team, talk to the manager."
After his strong start, that line of communication became essential when his approach to hitters in March and April got him in trouble in May.
"I believe a lot in myself, in my plan to attack the hitters," said Espinoza, who, through May 4, was 4-0, having allowed two runs in 33 innings.
The initial success boosted Espinoza's confidence in his own approach, but his second starts against the SoftBank Hawks on May 11 and the Nippon Ham Fighters on May 21 were a wake-up call. He lost both games, surrendering nine runs over 12 innings.
"So I have the same plan. Let's attack the hitters like this and like this," Espinoza said. "And that's why in May it was tough, because I had the same plan from March and April, and when I faced the Fighters and SoftBank again, I had the same plan, and they were ready."
Manager Nakajima told reporters after Espinoza surrendered his first home run on May 21 that the pitcher had been shaking off his catchers a lot.
"At that moment, I thought, 'I have to believe more in my catchers and their plan,' and now I'm pitching better," Espinoza said. "Now I've had two quality starts after that because we changed a little bit, 'Hey, let's do this or let's change this.'"
That was before Wednesday's game at Kyocera Dome Osaka when Espinoza's pinpoint control and movement limited the defending Central League champion Hanshin Tigers to just a few well-hit balls over 6-2/3 scoreless innings.
Espinoza reflected on things that have been hard for him here, such as the occasional long layoffs between starts and learning to be alert to the little things because of Japan's intense small-ball style.
"Japanese baseball is a little different, too. Maybe they don't have as many power hitters as in the States, but they are fast. They can bunt. They can steal bases. You have to be ready to pitch against them," he said. "You have to make adjustments quickly, and that's what I've been doing."
"I like the Japanese culture. I think it's awesome, and I'm learning. I feel happy being with this Buffaloes team. They make me feel like I'm at home."
