SAN DIEGO — Most pitchers who grew up in Southern California learned to throw in their backyards or on one of the many fields that dot the communities. The nearly year-round mild, sunny weather allows for kids to play baseball outside any time of year.
Chris Devenski, however, honed his ability to work the corners in a warehouse where his dad ran a moving company. It wasn’t even a baseball that he first started throwing, but a hacky sack, and despite a close relationship with his dad, it was his mom, Shirley Johnson, who first got the right-hander into pitching.
“My dad owned a moving company when I was a kid, and when we were there late, sometimes my mom had this little hacky sack. We had this area in my dad’s warehouse, and my mom would sit in a chair like a catcher,” Devenski recently told the Daily News. “She would be like, ‘Hit the inside corner. Now hit the outside corner.’ She was spotting up like a catcher, and she taught me what the strike zone was. I have no idea how she even knew that.”
Devenski returned to the Mets on Tuesday on a one-year contract. The club designated him for assignment last week, but he received a call late Monday night offering to bring him back. He took the spot of right-hander Huascar Brazobán on the roster after the Mets optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse to get a fresh arm in the bullpen.
While the 34-year-old said he’s happy as long as he gets to continue playing baseball, and a chance to be a part of another World Series team with the Mets is an ideal situation. A member of the Houston Astros team that won a championship in 2017, Devenski is hoping to win another one for Johnson, who passed away in 2023 while he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels, the team he grew up rooting for.
“My mom was sick. My mom was in the hospital for a long time, so I signed with Anaheim to be close to her,” he said. “That was a rough year. I’d go see her in the mornings and then go play a game at Angel Stadium at night. I was doing that every day at home, trying to spend as much time since we knew my mom’s time was limited. It was wild.”
The Angels knew the situation and did what they could to give Devenski and his family the support they needed. Johnson was not only his first mentor in baseball, but also his “best friend.” From his early days in youth baseball, to playing in high school and for Cal State Fullerton, a historic powerhouse program at the time, Johnson was an involved parent, and a friend to many of Devenski’s friends.
The Angels designated Devenski for assignment shortly after Johnson’s passing, the same day he was activated from the injured list with a hamstring strain. It wasn’t ideal timing, but he was at peace with his tenure in Anaheim. Growing up, he passed the Big A almost daily on his way to school. Being able to play there was a dream realized, but at the time, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep playing.
Her funeral was packed with former teammates and their parents. As they were leaving, one of his friends noticed something shiny in the grass. It was a new era sticker, the same ones that come on the bill of brand new baseball caps, the same one Devenski pointed out on his team-issued hat.
“It was right at her gravesite,” Devenski said. “It was wild. I was like, ‘OK, this is a sign from her.’”
He was signed by Tampa Bay the day after the Angels granted him his release. He went on to pitch in the postseason for the Rays, and decided to continue his career. It’s what his mom would have wanted.
Devenski has done well in the few big league outings they’ve given him, posting a 2.38 ERA. A changeup with good spin has always been his calling card, but the additions of a cutter and a sweeper last season have helped round out his offerings. A 10-year veteran, the Mets like that he has big game experience as a former closer.
He may not be with the Mets for the rest of the season, but if the Mets go on to win a championship, Devenski will take solace in the fact that he helped play a role to get them there. He knows Johnson would be proud.
“It’s a hard sport, the ups and downs can have you in some dark places sometimes,” he said. “But if you’re able to come through it, you know, good things can happen if you believe.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Right-hander Paul Blackburn (shoulder impingement) will make one more rehab start Saturday before the Mets activate him off the injured list. Right-hander Tylor Megill (shoulder impingement) will throw an up-and-down bullpen Wednesday in New York, simulating two innings of work. Should that go well, the Mets will move him on to facing hitters.
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