Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
irish in the pros Blum got hurt," Pollock said. "It wasn't because of Chris Young, the outfielder, yet. They were bringing me up just to be another outfielder because we had a couple guys like [Justin] Upton — his thumb was sore and stuff like that. They didn't put a lot of pressure on him to play if he couldn't. They brought me up to be a bench guy for a little bit. But that same [night I was in Fresno], Chris Young got hurt and I had to start the next day. I flew in from Fresno to Arizona. "I got here at about 8 o'clock [a.m.] at the stadium. I didn't have anywhere to go, so I just stayed here until the game started. I was overanalyzing everything. I had so much adrenaline in that game. I remember in the seventh inning of that game that if I were to close my eyes right now I'll be asleep." The entire day was a blur, but he was able to appreciate the career milestone. "You play the game your whole life, and that first game gets put on a pedestal for 23 years," he said. "Then it's finally happening and you're anxious. You know exactly what the game is and what's going to happen, but you're still like, 'Whoa.' You go out there and it's a baseball game. That's the cool part about it — it's the same. As soon as you get your adrenaline under control and start breathing the right way, you realize there's no difference." He's a little more rested and comfortable these days after getting 81 big league at-bats last season, which resulted in a .247 batting average and a .315 on-base percentage. That much was evident on opening day this year, when Pollock, who snagged a starting position in center field due to injuries, had three hits and two RBI against St. Louis. "You have your good games and your bad games in baseball," said Pollock, who was called up three different times in 2012. "The [2013] opener was fun — my first opening day. It was a great atmosphere here and exciting to get the year rolling on the right foot." Pollock went 0 for 13 at the plate over the next five games, but rebounded with a three-hit day against Pittsburgh, which included two home runs. As of May 21, he was hitting .248 with 14 doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, five stolen bases and five walks from six different spots in the order in 40 games. His defense has also been a strength for the Diamondbacks, who stood 2619 and in first place one game ahead of San Francisco in the National League West Division as of May 21, while Adam Eaton, Jason Kubel and Cody Ross have dealt with a variety of injuries. An elbow injury cost Pollock the 2010 season, but he came back the following year and hit .307 for Double-A Mobile. The health of his aforementioned teammates could ultimately determine Pollock's fate for the rest of the year. Arizona traded Upton to Atlanta during the offseason, and Eaton (elbow) began this season on the disabled list before beginning a rehabilitation assignment in Reno in mid-May. Pollock believes he's done enough to keep his spot once Eaton returns, but