Tony Gonsolin made his first 2023 Spring Training start on Friday for the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and issuing two walks.
He threw 41 pitches before giving way to Jake Reed in the third inning. Overall, it was an effective first start for Gonsolin, who entered this spring with a set role for the first time in his career.
The right-hander is locked into a starting job for the 2023 season pitching in the middle of the Dodgers rotation. This is also the first camp Gonsolin has come into where he isn’t fighting for his role on the team or dealing with issues outside of his control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and MLB lockout.
“I didn’t know what my workload was going to be last year,” Gonsolin said after facing the Angels.
“Coming off ’21, being hurt and missing most of the year, and then we had the lockout and all that stuff, so not being fully built up coming into a new spring, shorter spring. Having last year be what it was and this (past) offseason being a full offseason, normal Spring Training, it’s been pretty nice.”
Last season, Gonsolin had his first All-Star year and became an important part of the Dodgers rotation. In 130.1 innings, he pitched to a 2.14 ERA with 119 strikeouts and a 0.87 WHIP, but also learned how to best prepare himself for a long season.
“Just figuring out the day-to-day routine and being able to build my body up in a way to withstand the inning load that I went to,” Gonsolin said.
Now going into the 2023 season, the 28-year-old isn’t putting any additional pressure on himself to recreate his 2022 season. “The goal is to go wall to wall,” Gonsolin said.
“Go from start to finish and leave the results out of it. Whatever they are, they are. I’m just going to go out there and try to do my best.”
Tony Gonsolin adjusting to pitch timer
Gonsolin’s first start of Spring Training also gave him his first taste of the pitch clock, which he found to be “really fast at the beginning.”
“I felt like I was looking at the clock a lot and then later in the inning and the second inning and third, I felt like every time I looked, I had plenty of time,” Gonsolin added. “So I tried not to think about it so I could really slow down.
“It’s just something we’ve got to get over and adapt.”
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