Diehard Q&A: David Pauley

Diehard’s Jessica Camerato spoke to Pawtucket pitcher David Pauley Saturday at McCoy Stadium. In this free preview of premium content, Pauley discusses what it’s like succeeding at Triple-A [6-4 with a 3.80 ERA, 88 strikeouts and 37 walks in 123 innings] while waiting for the big league call, how his brief stint with the Red Sox last year helped him and his approach on the mound.

Diehard: You’re one of the up-and-coming players on this team, and we’ve seen the Red Sox bring guys like Jon Lester and Kason Gabbard up from Pawtucket and throw them right into the rotation. What is it like knowing that on any day you could be called up to the major leagues?

David Pauley: It makes it exciting. You never know what’s going to come the next day. When you get an opportunity to pitch for a team like Boston, it’s an honor to get up there again. It’s always in the back of your mind.


DH: The pitching staff is so deep this season. How frustrating is it you’re right on the edge, you’re ready to go up there, but there’s just no room for you?

DP: It’s something that you have to go through and play through every year. Whether there’s an opportunity or not, you have to just stay within yourself and do what you came here to do, and then when the time comes you just hope that you’re in the right spot.


DH: What is your relationship like with the guys in Boston?

DP: There’s a few guys that I’m good friends with, a lot of the young guys like Lester, [Manny] Delcarmen and [Kyle] Snyder. They’re guys that I had the opportunity to spend an extended period of time with. It’s a team where a lot of guys are close and you can go in and be comfortable when you get up there.


DH: What are you expecting when you do get called back up, because we saw Kason get called up and sent down again, and Manny get called up and sent back down?

DP: Basically you just take it one day at a time. If you get called up then you take it as the most important start ahead is the next one that you have, and you just go from there. If they decide that they want to keep you up there, than you keep working on your next start, and you just kind of take it week by week when you get up there.


DH: You were brought up for three starts last season. What was that time in the majors like for you?

DP: It’s a dream come true, but it’s a good experience to be able to pitch with some of the best players around. It’s fun, especially when you have a little bit of success and you can take that and build confidence on it and keep going from there.


DH: A lot of people will say that now the Red Sox have everything that they need with Dice-K, [Josh] Beckett, and now Curt [Schilling] coming back. Why do the Red Sox need you?

DP: I look at myself as one of those guys who can jump in anywhere in the rotation and give innings. I’m probably not going to go in and shut people out and strike out 20, but my job is to keep the team in the ballgame and get in some innings to maybe give the bullpen a rest.


DH: When you step on the mound, what goes through your mind when you’re about to throw that first pitch?

DP: Just getting ahead and getting strike one, keeping the ball on the ground and keeping the team off the field as much as possible, and getting them as many opportunities at bat and give them the chance to score runs.


DH: You already faced a few guys last year, but who do you really want to strike out?

DP: [Laughs] There’s plenty of guys. I had the opportunity to face some of the Yankees last year and I got face A-Rod. He was actually one of the guys that I’ve had a little bit of success against. It’s every guy you want to go up there and you want to do the best you can against all of them because they’re the guys that you’re fighting for a job against.


DH: Ten years from now, where are we going to find you?

DP: It’s hard to say. This game is really hard to predict. Hopefully it’s with a major league team somewhere, making a big contribution on that team.