Just Like Jim Leyland
Mark Parent seems to be taking a liking to newly acquired outfielder Tyler Dean. Of course that's going to be the case after the 22-year-old rookie came through with a clutch two-run single that flowed along last night's game-winning rally (Dean's first professional hit, incidentally.) But when center fielder Jason Matteucci had to leave Friday's win after a fastball caught him in the forearm, Parent was more than willing to throw Dean in the lineup barely three hours after he had arrived in town to sign a contract.
"I asked him if he had fun out there and he said he had a blast," Parent said. "It's like (longtime major league manager) Jim Leyland used to do when I was with the Pirates. You play on your first day in uniform, no matter what. I got (to Pittsburgh during the midseason in 1995) and I was in the lineup right away. That was Lealand's thing. The newest guy on the roster starts."