Dragons pitching coach ‘never wavered’ from his goal

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By Marc Katz, Staff Writer 1:19 AM Thursday, July 16, 2009

Tony Fossas has been there: no money, no job, no prospects.

He just took his own advice: “Never waver.

“I was like David with a rock against Goliath,” said Fossas, then a left-handed pitcher from Cuba, now the pitching coach of the Dragons. “I was released by five organizations. I was on a bus for 13 hours to Mexico City. I just wanted to play.”

You just knew that Mexican League thing wasn’t going to work out, either. Fossas was released, again.

“I never wavered,” he said.

He pitched 10 years in the minor leagues before getting the call, when he was 30.

Tom Grieve was general manager of the Rangers when he called up Fossas.

“I remember a few years before, it was at spring training (Fossas said it was during a season),” Grieve said in a telephone conversation. “He asked me what I thought. Tony had been in our farm system for quite awhile. I told him his stuff was average. I told him it was just my opinion, and we can’t measure a guy’s determination, what’s inside of you. He said ‘OK.’ ”

Fossas said, “People always want to play, but they don’t know how to conduct themselves.”

Fossas said he knew. He knew not to make trouble, just pitch.

“His stuff got a little better,” Grieve said. “And he developed the ability to throw a curveball. We saw him as a situational lefty.”

George Brett was the first guy Fossas faced as a major-leaguer. Oh, and the bases were loaded with one out. Fossas said he waved off his catcher, who wanted a curve. He threw a fastball. Brett one-hopped it back to the mound for a 1-2-3 double play.

Fossas, who arrived from Cuba with his family when he was a kid to make a new life in the U.S., was told by his mother he had to graduate from college first, then play ball.

He did that, then began a long apprenticeship in about a quarter of the major-league organizations.

At his advanced age when he finally made it, Fossas stuck around to pitch in 567 major-league games spread over 12 seasons, with Texas, Milwaukee, Boston, St. Louis, Seattle, the Cubs and Yankees. He had a 17-24 record with 3.90 ERA.

“I guess you could never say you’ve seen it all,” Fossas said. “But I’m close.”

It’s because he never wavered.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157  or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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