Tony Watson wasn't away long.
Shortly after the left-hander discovered July 31 he had been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a buddy from Watson's hometown in Iowa sent him a text message. "In a couple weeks," it read, "you'll be back in the Burgh." And there Watson was Monday, dressed head to toe in blue at PNC Park, handing out the hugs he was unable to give before his trade-deadline departure.
Watson, 32, was drafted by the Pirates in 2007 and posted a 2.68 ERA in 433 innings for them over his first seven major league seasons. His tenure ended three weeks ago when general manager Neal Huntington pulled the trigger on a trade which sent Watson to Los Angeles for minor leaguers Oneil Cruz and Angel German. After 3,708 days with one organization ...
"That was it," Watson said Monday. "I was a Dodger."
In late July, Watson and Jordy Mercer discussed over dinner at a San Diego pizza parlor the possibility Watson could be traded, as he was two months from free agency. Watson's wishes, Mercer recalled, were that he not be moved until after the road trip _ which would afford him time to pack in Pittsburgh _ and that he would be able to see his teammates and say goodbye.
The trade _ and the trade deadline _ occurred on an off day. So?
"We have four days here to get those hugs out of the way," Watson said.
Watson was aware he was a candidate to be traded, but he tried to ignore speculation. On July 31, Watson and his wife put their children down for a nap. He was tired. The Pirates had returned from San Diego the previous night. Around 3 p.m., an hour before the deadline, rumors started to fly. Watson heard first from Huntington and then from Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. The next morning, Watson packed his locker and left for Atlanta.
"It was a wild 36 hours," he said. "It was something I'll never forget. ... It was different at first, putting on the blue. Got a lot of black and gold at the house in boxes I will sort through later. It's good to be over here. It's mixed emotions, definitely, coming back (to Pittsburgh)."
Manager Clint Hurdle acknowledged Monday it was strange to see Watson wearing blue. He added: "It'll all go away as soon as he takes the mound. That's the other beautiful part of it. ... We already had to go through the scouting report. We talked about what we've got to do to beat him." Hurdle smiled. "So, game on. I'm sure (Watson) will feel the same way."
Watson pitched just six times in his first 21 days with the Dodgers, surrendering four runs in five innings. His role is to help pave the path to closer Kenley Jansen. To enter from the visiting bullpen at PNC Park will be an odd sensation, he remarked Monday before the first outing of a four-game set, saying it's "something I'm used to, running out onto that mound, just out of a different gate."
The bigger difference is the trajectory of the two teams. The Dodgers arrived in Pittsburgh with a record 52 games above .500. For Watson, there's still some difficulty at times with proper word choice. He referred to the Dodgers as "these guys" once and corrected to "we." He wasn't a large part of why they reached the top, but he might help decide where they end up.
"We've got one thing on our mind. That's try to win tonight, then watch them pile up," Watson said. "It's been a fun run. I've only been here a couple weeks, but it's one of the most amazing experiences I've had in playing baseball. It's incredible. ... You're immediately in the World Series hunt, the playoff hunt. Put all the individual things aside. The only thing that matters is trying to win each night, get the team win and shake hands afterward."
Monday at PNC Park, there were reunions on and off the field. Watson greeted Ivan Nova in the hallway outside the Dodgers clubhouse. He spoke with Francisco Cervelli during batting practice. Josh Harrison said it was good to see an old friend. They started playing together at Class AA Altoona in 2010. This season, their families lived across the street from each other.
"Seven years have gone fast," Harrison said. "Not only have we battled, won a (Class) AA championship and made our journeys to the big leagues together, we've grown close as friends. ... It's part of the game that (stinks), but it's also something you don't take for granted."
