August 6, 2010
Once a Sox fan, Wheeler is now on the other side
by Douglas Flynn/
Dan Wheeler grew up a Red Sox fan in Warwick, R.I. Now he's an opponent with Tampa Bay. (photo: Getty Images)
During his childhood in Warwick, R.I., Dan Wheeler spent plenty of days dreaming about pitching at Fenway Park. He just never imagined he’d be trying to beat the Red Sox when he did it.
But that’s exactly the situation the big right-hander has found himself in since being traded back to Tampa Bay nearly four years ago. Wheeler rejoined the team that originally drafted him just in time for the Rays’ ascent to the top of the American League – a rise that now brings them into direct conflict with their division rivals in Boston every summer.
“Growing up as a Red Sox fan I never imagined I’d be hoping they would lose, but I guess that’s where I’m at right now,” said Wheeler.
Wheeler has been particularly good at making sure the Sox lose against his team, as he boasts a career record of 3-0 with two saves, 12 holds, a 2.08 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings against Boston. That includes four appearances without allowing a run against the Sox in the first three months of this season.
That kind of success can make it a little easier to face the team you grew up rooting for. A strong appreciation of how fortunate he’s been to carve out a successful career in the big leagues helps, too.
“I still enjoy every moment that I have up here,” said Wheeler, 33, who is in his 11th season in the majors with no signs of slowing down. “This is the big leagues, you have to take moments here and there and appreciate what you’re doing. Sometimes it’s tough to do that, but if you can live in the present it’s really nice.”
When that present includes a chance to play at Fenway – even in visiting gray – that just makes it even nicer.
“Absolutely, every time I come up here it’s a great moment,” said Wheeler, who is 1-0 with five holds in 14 career appearances at Fenway. “I try to do everything I can out there on that field because I just love being on it. When you’re on that playing surface, it’s special.”
Adding to the thrill of playing in Fenway is the fact that it gives Wheeler, who lives year-round in Florida now, a rare chance to catch up with friends and family in the area.
“All my family still lives up here and I try to get up here at least a few times in the offseason,” said Wheeler. “That’s the tough part about this job. Your family is so far away all the time, but there’s such a short period of time that you can play this game so you just hope you can do the right things and all the rest of that stuff will take care of itself when all is said and done.”
Being back in Tampa helps in that regard. After making his major-league debut with the then-Devil Rays in 1999, Wheeler spent the better part of five seasons in the National League with the Mets (2003-04) and Astros (2004-07) before being traded back to Tampa Bay. With the unbalanced division schedule, pitching for the Rays gives him plenty of opportunities to play close to home each season.
“You get three chances to come here, three chances to go to New York,” said Wheeler. “It just makes it a lot nicer to be in the East and in the American League especially.”
The downside of playing the in AL East is the fact that three of the best teams in the majors all reside in that division with the Rays, Sox and Yankees slugging it out for supremacy. Even with the wild card, at least one of those clubs will be left home come playoff time.
The Rays looked like a safe bet to avoid that fate when they jumped out to an early lead in the division race with a stellar start to the season, but a June swoon had Tampa Bay back looking up at its rivals in the standings. Wheeler wasn’t overly worried though, knowing there is plenty of time for the Rays to rebound.
“I really believe that we’re still in the thick of things,” said Wheeler. “We had such a great start and through the course of 162 games you’re going to have your ups and downs. But I believe in everybody in this clubhouse and I feel that we’re going to be able to turn this around soon and start winning some ballgames again. It’s just one of those tough spells right now, but we’ll just keep battling and taking it day by day and we’ll be OK.”
A big part of Tampa’s early success was due to the strength of its bullpen. After injuries to closer Troy Percival forced a closer-by-committee approach for long stretches of the last two seasons, this year offseason addition Rafael Soriano has stabilized the back end in the closer’s role. That, in turn, has allowed Wheeler, Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, Lance Cormier, Randy Choate and Andy Sonnanstine to slot more effectively into their respective roles, even with last year’s interim closer J.P. Howell sidelined with a shoulder injury.
“For the most part as a group we kind of have an idea when we’re pitching and we’re starting to get into some set seventh- and eighth-innings roles,” said Wheeler. “That just helps us. We don’t have to worry about being ready for the ninth inning because we have such a great guy that can go out there and do the job so that for the most part we’re still playing matchups from the end of the starter right through to the ninth inning.”
Wheeler has been the ninth-inning guy before, collecting 13 saves in 2008 and a combined 20 saves in 2006 and 2007 with Houston. He tries to take the same approach to getting outs an inning or two earlier as a set-up guy.
“For me, whenever I pitched, whether it’s the eighth or the ninth it didn’t matter, I always try to keep the same attitude,” said Wheeler. “I just have to go out there and do my job and make pitches. So I never really thought it was that big of a deal or that big of a difference because I just never let the moment get that big. I just treated it as a job.
“It was just like, ‘OK, I’ve been here before.’ It doesn’t really matter what inning it was.”
Wheeler has been doing it long enough – and effectively enough – to be closing in on a milestone this summer. His appearance against the Red Sox on June 29 was his 498th career game in the majors. He was due to notch his 500th appearance in early July, but refused to get caught up too much in the individual accomplishment.
“It’s a nice number, but at the same time I feel there’s more to do,” Wheeler said. “I want more than that. I want to be the last team on the field at the end of the year celebrating.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of individual stats in this game and it’s nice to do, but at the same time I play this game to win and that’s where my focus and mindset is right now.”
Wheeler has come close twice, reaching the World Series in 2005 with Houston and again with the Rays in 2008. But he has yet to win a championship. He hopes to change that this fall, even if he has to beat the Sox a few more times to do it.
Then again, the Rays also will have to get past the Yankees, so at least Wheeler can root against them with a clear conscience.
