MESA, Ariz. (Feb. 12) \u2014 \u00a0It would be easy to tell the story of Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a><\/strong> story through the name on the back of his jersey. His father<\/strong><\/a> spent 11 seasons in the majors. His Uncle Al<\/strong><\/a> became a two\u2011time All\u2011Star and two-time World Series champion. Some of his best memories are of running around the now-departed Veterans Stadium as a kid, watching his dad work on that same mound. But Leiter is quick to downplay the mythology that comes with a baseball bloodline. \u201cIt’s more when you’re a kid,\u201d he told Sport Relay<\/em> of baseball expectations placed on the son of a major leaguer. \u201cOnce you get here, it doesn’t really mean anything. Nobody cares if you signed for $1,000 and someone else signed for $5 million. It\u2019s a fun story more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n That practical view of the game carries over to how he thinks about pressure. From the outside, it\u2019s tempting to circle the big markets and the bright lights \u2014 Chicago, New York in October, packed stadiums \u2014 and assume that\u2019s where a reliever feels the most heat. Leiter doesn\u2019t see it that way. \u201cAs a relief pitcher, in general, it doesn’t matter what your role is. You feel like your job’s on the line and feel like the game’s on the line,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be playing a one\u2011nothing game in any city against any team, there’s pressure. There’s a built\u2011in pressure as the culture of being a reliever.\u201d Now with the Athletics<\/a>, Leiter is betting that the same mentality that carried him from those childhood days at the Vet to long\u2011relief marathons and high\u2011leverage spots can help him anchor a young relief unit that believes its time is coming.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean that his family background is meaningless. It merely lives in a different lane. Leiter smiled big when asked about getting to play for the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> \u2014 the team that drafted him and a team for which his father pitched two seasons. \u201cGetting to be a Phillie was full circle with what I grew up doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The connections extend beyond the ballpark itself. In clubhouses across the league, Leiter has occasionally found himself working with coaches or staffers who once worked with his dad or uncle. When asked for examples, he said there were too many to list. However, he added, \u201cHaving a lot of coaches or guys that were ex\u2011teammates with my dad or my uncle has always been a really cool thing, and watching their stories and stuff like that,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s always been something that I think is a really cool piece to the puzzle, connecting the dots with their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s where the family name really shows up \u2014 not as a shortcut in the present, but as a thread linking him to those days at the Vet. Once on the mound, all that matters is getting opponents out. In that sense, Leiter\u2019s story isn\u2019t about living up to a surname. It\u2019s about carving out his own place in the baseball world.<\/p>\n Mark Leiter Jr. has pitched in Philadelphia, Chicago<\/a>, and New York<\/a> \u2014 three of the largest, highest-profile markets in North America. He understands why \u201cpitching in New York\u201d has the reputation of being the epitome of pitching under pressure. But when he talks about pressure, the conversation quickly shifts away from zip codes and toward something more universal: leverage, job security, and the thin line every reliever walks.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a relief pitcher, just in general, it doesn’t matter what your role is. You feel like your job’s on the line. You feel like the game’s on the line,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be playing a one\u2011nothing game in any city against any team, there’s pressure. There’s a built\u2011in pressure as the culture of being a reliever.\u201d In his world, the setting is almost incidental. The ball doesn\u2019t care if it\u2019s the Bronx or Kansas City, Tuesday night or a division race.<\/p>\n Where he does see a difference is in how clubs build and treat their bullpens. For a reliever whose livelihood depends on when and how he\u2019s used, that matters as much as any backdrop. \u201cThe way everything is run, the way guys are used, and the way they’re respected or treated is what sets different teams apart. Those are the things that make differences between different teams,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Leiter\u2019s definition of pressure is tied to the moment, not the market. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what team you\u2019re on. A run given up in leverage is a tie game,\u201d he explained. \u201cDoesn’t matter if it’s Opening Day, or if it’s in mid\u2011July, or it’s October, you don’t want to blow any leads.\u201d When the margin is thin, every miss over the plate carries the same weight. \u201cIf you give up two runs when you’re up by seven, you’re okay with that. You move on till tomorrow. When it’s a one run game, you can’t.\u201d<\/p>\n However, even the so\u2011called \u201clow\u2011leverage\u201d spots can be loaded with a different kind of tension. To a veteran with a guaranteed role, mop\u2011up duty is a breather. To a younger pitcher or a struggling pitcher, it might feel like a final exam. \u201cA lot of times, what (some people) don’t understand is in a seven\u2011run game, whoever has that chance is also feeling pressure. Because he might be at a different point in his career,\u201d Leiter said. \u201cIf this guy gives up a run, he might get sent down. So who’s to say that’s not better pressure?\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the part fans don\u2019t see on the broadcast. The score might say the game is out of reach, and the crowd might already be heading for the exits. But for the reliever jogging in from the bullpen \u2014 knowing one more outing where he allows runs could mean a roster move the next morning \u2014 the stakes are anything but low. To Leiter, that\u2019s the real shape of pressure in his job. It\u2019s not which city he\u2019s in. Instead, it\u2019s the constant awareness that every outing is another argument for or against him staying on the team.<\/p>\n Closers get the entrance music and, sometimes, the light shows. Setup men get the high\u2011leverage label. Long relievers, on the other hand, occupy the part of the relief corps hierarchy most fans barely think about. They come in when the starter exits early, when the score is lopsided, or when an ugly game staggers into the late innings. From the outside, it can look like the least glamorous job on a pitching staff. Leiter sees something very different.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an interview I did in Chicago that blew up,\u201d he said, recalling a stretch when teammate Javier Assad<\/a><\/strong> was thriving in long relief. \u201cHe was pitching long relief, and he was pitching at around a (1.60 ERA) and doing some crazy stuff. And I said long guy\u2019s the hardest job in the game, honestly.\u201d There were people reaching out to challenge him. But for Leiter, that wasn\u2019t hot\u2011take material \u2014 it was lived experience.<\/p>\n “He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.”<\/p>\n Mark Leiter Jr. on Javier Assad. pic.twitter.com\/7L7VL0qKju<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 5, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nConnecting the Dots: Family Ties around the League<\/h3>\n
The Real Shape of Pressure, according to Mark Leiter Jr.<\/h3>\n
Pressure Has No Zip Code<\/h4>\n
The Hardest Pitching Job in Baseball: the Long Reliever\u2019s Reality<\/h3>\n
\n