CINCINNATI — There was a time, not too long ago, when left-handed pitcher Bill Bray was ready to pitch it all — not pitch on the mound, but pitch his baseball career into a trash receptacle and pursue another career.
Pitching in pain was one thing, but getting zero results when he did try to pitch was quite another.
"I can't remember not having pain in my shoulder or elbow since 2007, said the 6-foot-3, 226-pounder from Virginia Beach, Va.
Right now, Bray is dealing out pain to opposing hitters as a situational southpaw out of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. Need to get a left-hander out? Dial up Bill Bray.
In his first 14 appearances this season, he has given up one run (0.84 ERA) and he has retired the first batter he faced in 13 of his 14 appearances.
"This is the Bill Bray we saw a few years ago, before the injuries," said manager Dusty Baker.
Just one year ago, Bray considered exchanging his baseball suit for a business suit, a job in which the worst thing that could happen to him was writer's cramp.
During spring trainings of 2007, 2008 and 2009, Bray was a forlorn figure. He would show up in camp, thinking he was ready to pitch, but breakdowns came early in camp.
Finally, in May 2009, he underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, necessitating some harsh and difficult rehab work.
And there were setbacks. A couple of them. He would work and work and work to get ready for bullpen sessions, and then he would break down, necessitating a complete re-start.
"The first setback wasn't terribly frustrating because they say everybody has a setback at some point, and I was pretty much flawless until that point," he said. "Then I'd get to my second or third bullpen and have pain. I did that twice and had to start over. It takes two to three weeks to get back to that point. That's when it was incredibly frustrating."
And it got to him. Quitting was definitely a tune rumbling in his mind.
"That's when I wondered if I'd ever make it back," he said. "I finally broke down and said, 'Geez, I can't do this anymore. I can't keep fighting. I just can't do this. I'm tired of fighting these injuries.'
"If I'm meant to play baseball, then I'll play if I can. If not, I'll try something else," he said.
Quitting a well-paid job you love to do at age 27 isn't a fun choice. But Bray was on the brink.
His quitting mode was in May of last year, but things quickly turned for the better. The pain went away, and his effectiveness returned. He pitched four games in rehab at Class A Lynchburg and six games for Class AAA Louisville.
On June 27, he rejoined the Reds. The next night, he appeared against the Philadelphia Phillies, his first major league appearance in nearly two years.
"I'm just thrilled to be out there, happy to be playing again and pitching a lot," he said. "Not being in pain is the biggest thing. All I ever really wanted was to pitch without pain and be able to compete."
Bray came to the Reds as a toss-in, one of the lesser lights in a major trade with the Washington Nationals on July 13, 2006. Bray came to the Reds with shortstop Royce Clayton, pitcher Gary Majewski, infielder Brendan Harris and pitcher Daryl Thompson. Outfielder Austin Kearns, infielder Felipe Lopez and pitcher Ryan Wagner went to Washington.
Bray is the only one who has earned steady work with the Reds. Clayton, Majewski and Harris are long gone, and Thompson is toiling in the Reds' minor-league system.
When Bray joined the Reds, the team was still struggling with its identity, trying to shed the "loser" tab that drapes itself over a team that finished under .500 for nearly a decade.
Bray says his comeback is well-timed.
"This is a lot more fun because we have a great team," he said. "I went through a couple of years here where we struggled, but we could see the promise. Early this year, we've clicked in some games and not clicked in others, but this is a great team, top to bottom — the lineup, the defense, the pitching staff, starters and relief pitchers. I fully expect us to be on top at the end of the year."
At one time, Bray's delivery was like an old suit — it came in three pieces. It was herky and it was jerky, and it probably contributed to his arm problems.
Tom Browning, Mr. Perfect, is a Reds minor-league pitching instructor, and he smoothed out Bray's approach and slowed him down.
"He really worked on smoothing my mechanics and convinced me that a little less effort would help me, that I'd get the same velocity and results if I take away some of the wasted effort," Bray said. "It took a while to figure out, but it made a big difference for me. I don't try to go 110 percent, when that's impossible. It took a lot of stress off my arm, that's for sure."
Bray laughed when somebody mentioned his left-handed bullpen co-habitant, Aroldis Chapman, who has been clocked at 105 mph.
"I don't quite have 105 miles an hour in my arm," he said. "I'm like all the fans. It's amazing watching him pitch. The stuff he features is amazing."
It was mentioned that not only does Chapman throw 100 to 105, he drops a 91-mph slider on hitters,
Bray laughed at that.
"A slider? People think it's a slider because it's 91 miles an hour," he said. "I'd call it a curveball. But it has the curveball depth to it. Man, he is a special talent, and I'm glad he is on our team. And he is only going to be better."
So will Bray, without the 105-mph fastball and without the 91-mph, uh, curveball.
Your Privacy Choices | Closed Captioning 
