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Red Sox’ Brayan Bello adjusts from festive WBC atmosphere to more low-key spring training setting
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- Red Sox’ Brayan Bello adjusts from festive WBC atmosphere to more low-key spring training setting
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Brayan Bello spent almost two weeks with Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He pitched in front of jubilant crowds with noisemakers and plenty of enthusiasm.
There was none of that on display at CoolToday Park Saturday night. A good-sized crowd of 7,473 was nonetheless far more sedate than that which Bello had become accustomed, with many of fans on hand content to express their enthusiasm with more polite clapping and cheering.
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It was, for the Red Sox starter, an adjustment.
“Yeah, it felt different,” agreed Bello. “I was talking to somebody in the dugout and said the adrenaline didn’t feel the same. It felt like everything was like slow-going. But at the same time, the focus was the same. (It was about) getting my work in and I was able to do that and I’m happy I was able to do so.”
Bello did more than get his work in. He was sharp, allowing one run on four hits over five innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Early in camp, Bello striggled. allowing a combined nine runs over 3.1 innings in his first two outings. But ever since, he’s settled in. An exhibition game with the WBC against the Detroit Tigers signaled the turnaround, and it continued with a strong effort against Israel (five innings, one run allowed) and again Saturday night against a strong Atlanta Braves lineup.
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“Earlier in camp,” said Bello, “I was working on my mechanics. I feel like that was work that I did early in camp has been paying off, (allowing) me to be more consistent, to stay in the zone, to be more consistent with my delivery and my release point.”
Bello identified his second start of the Grapefruit League schedule as the turning point for some of the adjustments to be fully incorporated.
Since then, it’s been back to work — even if the atmosphere Saturday night wasn’t nearly as lively as it was a week ago at the WBC.
“I think the main focus was to get my pitches and innings in,” he said. “Once you get into the game, you don’t listen to the fans or anything like that. You focus on the batter and the catcher and you do your thing, and I think that was my mentality today.
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“The adrenaline and all that was good, but I don’t think that I was missing that during my start today.”
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