Brothers Patrick and William Cherry of Dallas made an agreement in the 1970s that whoever had the first son, the boy would be given a tough-sounding first name.
“My uncle (William) came up with Rocky,” said Pawtucket Red Sox reliever Rocky Cherry, who was born on August 19, 1979. “I don’t know if it had much to do with the movie (the first “Rocky” movie was released in 1976). It was kind of like ‘A Boy Named Sue’ but in another way.
“My dad boxed when he was younger and was a fan of Rocky Marciano. I guess the name was the right fit.”
Indeed, because “tough” has been Rocky Cherry’s middle name.
Eight pitches into his third start of the 2005 season for West Tennessee (which was the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate), he injured his right arm and underwent Tommy John surgery.
One year later, in his second start for Triple-A Iowa, he threw a fastball and left the mound in “excruciating pain” after fracturing the middle finger on his pitching hand.
The story behind the story is what made that injury even more painful for Cherry.
“My first year back from Tommy John, I was throwing 94, 95 and touching 97,” he said. “The word was the Cubs were trying to trade Greg Maddux and then were going to move Juan Mateo, who was a starter his whole career from the pen into the starting rotation, and call me up.
“I needed surgery after the injury and a week later Greg Maddux was traded (to the Dodgers). Our farm director, Oneri Flieta, wished me a speedy recovery and said I was going to be called up. So, I missed my first call-up in ‘06 which was another disappointing setback.”
Cherry split last season between Baltimore and Norfolk and was on the minor league free agent market when he was approached by the Red Sox. Eventually, he signed a minor league contract and was assigned to Pawtucket.
Making that transaction all the more baffling was the fact Boston lit up Cherry last season.
In five relief appearances encompassing six innings against, he coughed up three home runs, allowed 13 base runners and posted a bloated 12.00 ERA.
“When my agent told me the Red Sox were interested in me, I was a little shocked because Boston owned me,” said Cherry, who made 12 relief appearances for the Cubs in 2007 and was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. “Sometimes I pitched well but no matter what they always got me.
“They said they saw something in me that was good, but I have to do it in the major leagues. I can do it in Triple A and they feel I can do it in the big leagues.”
Without question, Cherry is “doing it” in Triple A.
In 15 relief appearances prior to a spot start on June 16 against Charlotte, he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA over a span of 20 1/3 innings – replete with only eight hits allowed and 14 strikeouts.
When Charlotte nicked him for an earned run, it was the first he had allowed since April 26.
Through his first 24 games (23 relief appearances) encompassing 35 innings, Cherry was 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA ERA and only 26 hits allowed.
“We were in Toledo in May and he asked me ‘What do I need to do to get back to the big leagues?’” said PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur. “I told him there are two things. You need to be quicker to the plate and you need to find your fastball command.
He’s found the command of his (two-seam) fastball but he still needs to work on his time to the plate because guys will run him silly. That’s why we’re working on it now.
“I think what he’s done down here has been outstanding. We’re not afraid to go to him when we need him. He’s been throwing strikes. He’s got a major league slider and he’s got a major league sinker when he was the command. When he doesn’t have the command, he’s got one pitch and you can’t live with one pitch.
“He’s worked hard on command of the fastball,” continued Sauveur, “and it’s come around.”
Admittedly it took Cherry time to “come around” to the fact he could still pitch after undergoing two operations.
“After my first surgery I was more down,” he said. “After the second one, I was more nervous because it was something that never had been done (he had a bone spur that was grating on a paper-thin tendon). I was able to throw but it took me a while to trust my finger. I always was a sinker-slider guy and all of a sudden my sinker didn’t exist.
“I had to adapt so it changed the way I pitched. It took a mental coach to get me past that. I worked with (ex-Royal) Buddy Biancalana who had a program called ‘Perfect Mind, Perfect Motion.’ It helped me mentally and now I’m able to trust it and I’m back to my sinker-slider way.”
The question now is can Cherry find his way to Boston, especially since he’s not on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster and the team is stacked in the bullpen.
“A (scoreless) streak like the one I had gets you a little more attention,” said Cherry. “But I know I’m down the list of possible guys who could go up. It’s not because I don’t deserve it. It’s because we have great pitchers here. The good thing about this is scouts are constantly watching us so I’m pitching for the other 29 teams to see if somebody might give me a chance next year or maybe trade for me.
“I think my stuff is good enough to pitch in the big leagues. But I’m not frustrated. I’m trying to pitch and have fun. I know everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. If I never make it back to the big leagues at least I can always say I played there a couple of times.”
Which is something most minor league players can’t say.
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Good stuff, Mike.