After spending the past nine seasons — the entirety of his Major League career — with the San Francisco Giants, Sergio Romo made his first appearance for the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in Wednesday’s victory over the San Diego Padres. He pitched in the sixth inning, a new role for the right-hander, and delivered a message to manager Dave Roberts upon returning to the dugout.
“I literally said, ‘Thank you. I appreciate the outing, boss,'” Romo said. “Three games in and I’ve got an opportunity to help out in one. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be here.” Romo, who was the first reliever out of the Dodgers bullpen, worked around a one-out double to preserve a 3-1 lead.
It was not without the Padres making solid contact, however. Manuel Margot led off with a line-drive out to left field, and Yangervis Solarte later flied out to the warning track in center.
“I was overly excited, my heart was definitely pounding but I wasn’t nervous at all. The lights are definitely pretty bright out,” Romo said.
“I was just excited to get my name announced and help out. I was a little amped up, had a little extra on it. [Roberts] told me to be ready from the sixth inning on, and sure enough I pitched in the sixth inning.”
That the Dodgers intend to use their relievers outside of Kenley Jansen in any role is a foreign concept to Romo. However, he’s committed to a “job that never changes” for a relief pitcher of getting outs, no matter when called upon.
The 34-year-old didn’t take note of when he entered Wednesday until his one inning of work was complete.
“To be honest, I was just really excited to be in the game. I don’t think it hit me that it was the sixth inning until I was done pitching and I realized I had some time to be a fan and cheer on my team,” Romo explained.
The right-hander started a string of four scoreless innings from the Dodgers bullpen, with Alex Wood contributing two frames and Kenley Jansen converting the save in the ninth.
“Those guys came in, really attacked the zone and it was seamless,” said Rich Hill, who allowed one run and had five strikeouts in five innings. “It was really fun to watch. Coming into the season, I think everybody knows the bullpen is one of the best in baseball, if not the best in baseball.”
Roberts said Romo was “lights out.” While the Brawley, Calif., native had pitched for the Dodgers during Spring Training, it was evident his first regular-season appearance came with added significance.
“I’m officially a Dodger,” Romo said. “It feels good.”
