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TwitThisPitching to Barry Bonds
John Yandle loves his work. Who wouldn't? When he's on the job, he's usually surrounded by a stadium of cheering baseball fans.For Yandle, a part-time batting-practice pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, a typical workday means going one-on-one in the batting cage with sluggers Barry Bonds, Edgardo Alfonzo and Michael Tucker. "Sometimes I'll throw Barry four pitches, and he'll crush them," says Yandle. "We'll know he's right on." Other times, he says, "if Barry wants to work on a pitch or two, he'll spend a half-hour in the cage."
Yandle began working with the Giants in 1985. In 1993, he started throwing to Bonds, who in the 2004 season alone hit 45 home runs. "I have a tendency to work on things I don't do well," says Bonds. "John can throw all the pitches I need to perform at my best."
A native of Tacoma, Washington, Yandle yearned to be in the big leagues from the first time he saw Willie Mays play with the Giants. He was just six years old that day in 1961 when his parents took him and his three siblings to see the game. From a front-row seat, he soaked everything up.
After attending Stanford University, Yandle pitched in the minors for five years, first for the San Diego Padres, then for the California Angels. When it became clear he wasn't going to crack the majors, he took up commercial real estate.
Then, one day in August 1985, he dropped by Candlestick Park to meet a friend who was a player. His timing couldn't have been better. A Giants coach mentioned that the team needed a part-time batting-practice pitcher. Yandle jumped at it and has worked with the ball club every season since.
He recalls the first day he threw for the Giants: "It was two hours before game time. The stadium was pretty empty, the place looked enormous, and I was absolutely nervous. Sure, I knew my arm was in good shape -- I was still playing in the semi-pro leagues then. But I also wondered, Will I throw the ball too hard? Will I throw it too soft? As it turned out, everything went okay. After I got off the first few pitches, I relaxed into a rhythm."
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