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PHILADELPHIA — Louis Varland concedes he never saw this coming.
Never could have imagined that a year ago at this time — back when Jhoan Duran was the lights-out closer for the Twins — he’d be sitting at a small table telling the unlikely story of how he would become an all-star.
Especially since he’d never saved a single game at that point.
“Everybody’s baseball career is kind of crazy,” said Varland, who has racked up 19 saves with a dazzling 1.10 earned-run average for the reigning American League champ Toronto Blue. “The baseball world is getting smaller and smaller, and everything happens for a reason.
“To get traded over and then we go to the World Series, it was a crazy three months last year. Then leading to this year has been a lot of fun.”
Varland, 28, graduated from North St. Paul before starting his college career at Concordia St. Paul. The Twins took him in the 15th round of the 2019 draft, and he was pitching for the hometown team when he was suddenly traded to Toronto last July.
In three years with the Twins, shuttling between the rotation and bullpen, he was 8-14 with a 4.62 ERA. But his arm talent was undeniable.
“When we were in Minnesota, I told him he needed to be in the bullpen because he throws really hard,” said Jhoan Duran, who has posted 24 saves himself this season for the hometown Phillies. “I told him ‘I know you’re going to do it.’ ”
“We know it’s a business,” added Byron Buxton, who watched nine teammates get traded away at last year’s deadline. “But for me to see both those guys make the All-Star Game brings nothing but happiness.
“I told them to enjoy this.”
Buxton was here Monday after being voted in as a starter for the first time but won’t play because of a right hip injury.
Varland, an all-star for the first time, admitted he doesn’t quite know what to expect, but he will take Buxton’s advice.
“I’ll be pitching before the ninth,” he predicted, insisting veteran Aroldis Chapman would be the man to close. “I’ll probably relate it to pitching in the seventh game of the World Series.
“I’ll probably be throwing a lot harder but not have as much control as I usually do from all the nerves and the hype. But I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Varland indicated he’ll have five people in his corner on Tuesday: his wife, Maddie, his parents, his agent and one other.
“I asked an old coach of mine, Martin Wehrle,” said Varland, referring to a former Twins’ minor league coach. “He taught me how be efficient — throw harder, but more efficiently. Basically that leads to more strikes and better stuff. I give him a lot of credit for turning my career around.
“I started pitching better. Becoming a better pitcher and not a thrower. I caught some breaks and things have been working out.”
Still, Varland didn’t see this coming.
“Looking back now, it’s been a crazy 12 months that’s for sure,” he said. “If you’d told me this would happen 12 months, ago I would’ve said you’re crazy.
“But here we are.”
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Never could have imagined that a year ago at this time — back when Jhoan Duran was the lights-out closer for the Twins — he’d be sitting at a small table telling the unlikely story of how he would become an all-star.
Especially since he’d never saved a single game at that point.
“Everybody’s baseball career is kind of crazy,” said Varland, who has racked up 19 saves with a dazzling 1.10 earned-run average for the reigning American League champ Toronto Blue. “The baseball world is getting smaller and smaller, and everything happens for a reason.
“To get traded over and then we go to the World Series, it was a crazy three months last year. Then leading to this year has been a lot of fun.”
Varland, 28, graduated from North St. Paul before starting his college career at Concordia St. Paul. The Twins took him in the 15th round of the 2019 draft, and he was pitching for the hometown team when he was suddenly traded to Toronto last July.
In three years with the Twins, shuttling between the rotation and bullpen, he was 8-14 with a 4.62 ERA. But his arm talent was undeniable.
“When we were in Minnesota, I told him he needed to be in the bullpen because he throws really hard,” said Jhoan Duran, who has posted 24 saves himself this season for the hometown Phillies. “I told him ‘I know you’re going to do it.’ ”
“We know it’s a business,” added Byron Buxton, who watched nine teammates get traded away at last year’s deadline. “But for me to see both those guys make the All-Star Game brings nothing but happiness.
“I told them to enjoy this.”
Buxton was here Monday after being voted in as a starter for the first time but won’t play because of a right hip injury.
Varland, an all-star for the first time, admitted he doesn’t quite know what to expect, but he will take Buxton’s advice.
“I’ll be pitching before the ninth,” he predicted, insisting veteran Aroldis Chapman would be the man to close. “I’ll probably relate it to pitching in the seventh game of the World Series.
“I’ll probably be throwing a lot harder but not have as much control as I usually do from all the nerves and the hype. But I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Varland indicated he’ll have five people in his corner on Tuesday: his wife, Maddie, his parents, his agent and one other.
“I asked an old coach of mine, Martin Wehrle,” said Varland, referring to a former Twins’ minor league coach. “He taught me how be efficient — throw harder, but more efficiently. Basically that leads to more strikes and better stuff. I give him a lot of credit for turning my career around.
“I started pitching better. Becoming a better pitcher and not a thrower. I caught some breaks and things have been working out.”
Still, Varland didn’t see this coming.
“Looking back now, it’s been a crazy 12 months that’s for sure,” he said. “If you’d told me this would happen 12 months, ago I would’ve said you’re crazy.
“But here we are.”
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