At his introductory press conference at Nationals Park on January 25, Gio Gonzalez addressed his biggest concern about making the jump to the NL:
"Swinging the bat will be my biggest adjustment."
And then he got a hit on Sunday, in his final start of the spring. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post described the moment in all its Little League glory:
When he got his first hit today, he ran to first and rooted his right foot on the corner.
After the inning, Carlos Beltran and Gonzalez passed one another on the way to their respective dugouts. “At least round the base,” Beltran told Gonzalez. “Don’t stop.”
Gonzalez then gave third base coach Bo Porter a double-high five and smiled like a Little Leaguer until he took the mound for the next inning.
(via Nationals Journal, 4/1/2012)
That hit aside, it was a fine ST finale for NatGio: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K. 81 pitches, 52 strikes. He's ready for April 7.
Meanwhile, on an unrelated note, here's Stephen Strasburg on Gio's hair:
"It almost looks like his hair doesn't grow he gets it cut so much."
(Stephen Strasburg on MLB Network Radio - via Federal Baseball, 3/26/2012)
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