Angels Discover Bryden Is No Joke : Rookie Is Butt of Bullpen Gag That Means He’s Made It

Two days a major leaguer and already Angel reliever T.R. Bryden has fallen victim to rookie indiscretion.

Bryden was minding his own business in the bullpen Tuesday when teammate Doug Corbett told him to hurry and grab his ball and glove.

“What are ya doin’ here?” Corbett said. “Go out and warm-up the outfielders.”

“Oh,” said Bryden, unsure how this all worked.

So out he went to the left-field line where the Angel outfielders presumably would be waiting to play catch.

Bryden looked good, too. Major league threads. Major league per diem. No more trying to get by on $14-a-day meal money. This was nice.

Except that when Bryden got out there, Mariner Phil Bradley was waiting, not Angel Brian Downing. Something was terribly wrong.

Bradley was giggling, as were the other Mariner outfielders. And where were Bryden’s Angel teammates? Why there they are, in the dugout, where they belong when the Angels are up.

“We weren’t even in the field,” Bryden said. “I saw the Mariners and I sort of stopped. They were laughing, at me.

“I guess I’m still in a daze.”

Less than a six weeks ago, Bryden, 27, and a veteran of five minor-league seasons, was a non-roster player attempting the improbable. All he had to do was show up for camp, pretend he wasn’t nervous, never make a mistake, pitch well every time he made a precious appearance, beat out about seven other guys with the same idea, and do without his wife--again.

If not, Bryden would be returned to Edmonton, where the Angels’ Triple-A team resides. No pressure.

“When spring began, he was just kind of a guy we brought down from the Triple-A team,” said Marcel Lachemann, the Angel pitching coach. “But every time we put him out there, he just kept getting better and better.”

Soon Bryden had nine appearances and almost 18 innings worth of work. His earned-run average was 1.53. The Angels kept waiting for imperfection. A scorecard full of walks, a big inning, a collection of hits, impatience.

As they waited, the Angel pitching roster grew lighter. An injury here, a player cut there. Bryden remained.

Then the Angels asked Bryden to return to Anaheim for the Freeway Series. One last look before making a decision.

The first time Bryden walked onto the Anaheim Stadium field his knees began shaking. A few days later he was pitching against the Dodgers. He got a save. About 15 minutes later, after a brief congratulatory chat with General Manager Mike Port, he had a job.

“Usually when Mike Port does that, it means you’re going someplace,” said Wally Joyner, the only other rookie on the Angels.

Not this time. Bryden was staying. He was the final selection.

“I was either with the team or the next day I went,” he said. “I didn’t sleep real good the night before. I was mostly wondering where I was going to be. I knew they probably go with veterans and guys with guaranteed contracts.”

To remember the occasion, Bryden kept his spring training jersey number, 63. As best as Equipment Manager Mickey Shishido can remember, no Angel has ventured into the 60s.

“I asked him if he wanted to change,” Shishido said. “He said, ‘No, this is OK.’ ”

“Nine was my lucky number,” Bryden said. “Six and three equal nine. Anyway, Rob Wilfong wears nine. So this is as close as I’ll get to it.”

Said Joyner, who wore No. 65 last year before being assigned No. 21 this season: “It worked for him in spring training, so stick with it.”

Bryden also shared a nice moment with Joyner. They played several seasons in the minors together and now they were on the big club. As they passed each other in the clubhouse the two rookies raised their hands and tried a high-five. So what if it looked a bit awkward, it’s the thought that counts.

Bryden hasn’t seen his wife since training camp began. And now that a hotel room is no longer available in Anaheim, he stays with a college buddy. He’ll send for his wife soon.

“We’ve been through this five years now,” he said.

In the Bryden home is a piece of embroidery. It reads: “This marriage is temporarily postponed for baseball season.”

At least now it seems worth the trouble.

And so what if he hasn’t pitched yet. “We didn’t bring him here for a look-see,” Lachemann said. “We think he’s one our 10 best.”

And a quick learner, too. Not once Wednesday did he run to left field.