Yuma Day 1

We got all packed and out the door by 11am. Got out to Yuma at 2:20ish. It was a good drive straight through the desert of Arizona. As we got into Yuma we went straight to the ball field. Derek said that he went into the locker room and there were many lockers yet there were so many guys there that his stuff was hanging out side the lockers. He told me that that was his first sign they don't want him to stay! 

Of course that took Derek from confident to nervous in two seconds! We found out that the amount of guys trying out was 49 and the amount of guys staying is 23. Crazy! They have to cut half! 

We got to the Spring training practice (which I feel was more of a try out) and each pitcher got to see 3 batters. Derek was pitcher number 10. It took all night to get to number ten. But finally they got to 8 so Derek went out to the bullpen to warm up. The minute Jose Canseco saw him warming up he walked out to him. Jose then spent his whole warm up coaching him and helping him which I thought was amazing because Jose gave no else that kind of attention. 

Derek then went out and pitched. The first batter he faced was an ex-major league player. Pretty much the best hitter I had seen all day. And the reason I knew who he was, because the hitter is huge! Derek pitched to him and the guy whiffed at a knuckleball and it was so funny! Derek said he then struck the guy out but of course strike 3 got called for a ball and the guy got a base hit off of Derek. No big deal though because the hitter basically hit a homerun off of everyone else that day! 

Derek face two more batters and just got discouraged at the end and he hit a batter twice. Opps! 

The crazy thing is that even after he hit a batter the minute he was done on the mound Jose walked right up to Derek and talked with him and coached him again. After the practice Derek and I were walking to the car and I asked him what happens now. He said  "we wait, if I get called tonight I am cut if not then I go to practice tomorrow." We went to dinner with the team at a local casino buffet. Then off to the hotel and we sat in bed and looked at pictures waiting for a phone call. Derek and I both thought for sure he would get cut for hitting a batter twice. We waited and waited and waited and ....NO CALL! 

It was so relaxing to know that he wasn't called but at the same time they only saw 12 pitchers yesterday the other 10 pitchers will pitch today and even though Derek won't pitch today he could still get cut after they see all the pitchers. So once again tonight we will wait for a phone call that hopefully we won't get.