Q&A with former WSU pitcher Anthony Bass

Karl Henkel: Not only were you selected to the All-Star game, but you also picked up the victory. How special was that?
Anthony Bass: Of course it felt great to be in the All-Star game in general; to get the win, I kind of got lucky on that one because there were just so many good pitchers in that game. To come out of that game with a win is a tremendous honor.

KH: What has been the key to your consistency this season?
AB: I think just staying relaxed and having fun and not getting too stressed out, because I know the season is so long. I’ve never played 140 games in a row.

KH: You’ve pitched about 70 innings so far this season. Is there a limit on your number of innings pitched and/or pitches per start?
AB: I’m on a pitch count of right around 90-95 pitches per outing, which hopefully gets me into the sixth inning. As the season progresses, they kind of shut you down when you start approaching right around 125 innings. Right around then I’ll probably get slowed down, pushed back in the rotation or come out of the bullpen.

KH: Has there been any noticeable difference between this year with Ft. Wayne and last year with Eugene?
AB: There’s two halves to a season now, where last year there was just 76 games from the end of June until September. Now it’s from spring training all the way to September, which will be a big adjustment for my body, mentally, everything.

KH: Has the organization let you know of its plans for you for the remainder of this season and beyond?
AB: I’m hoping to continue being successful. They haven’t told me anything set in stone. I’d like to get a shot at the next level (high-A) eventually some time this season, but if not, next year definitely if all stays the way it’s going.

KH: Will you be playing any fall ball again this year like last year?
AB: It all depends at the end of the season. I do throw that many (125) innings, that’s what they did last year was some of the guys with a lot of innings pitched, they sent them down there for only two weeks instead of five weeks. If I do go down there, I think that might be the case.

KH: Is there something in particular that you’ve been trying to improve on this season?
AB: One thing that I’ve been working on a lot is getting ahead of batters (in the count). Not necessarily a pitch, because I use a slider, four-seam fastball, change up. All of them actually have been great so far this season, but one thing I haven’t really done as well as I should have is getting ahead of hitters and not falling behind and throwing a lot of pitches in an inning.

KH: With a 140-game season, has there been anything new or interesting you’ve found, being on the road more than you have in the past?
AB: It’s all about keeping your mind. When it’s time to go play baseball, it’s all about baseball, but when it’s off the field I like to stay in contact with my family back home, but another thing I like to do is go fishing. It keeps my mind busy and it’s relaxing. We have a pond in our apartment complex at Ft. Wayne, so I get a chance to fish before games or on an off day.

KH: Obvious next question: are you any good at it?
AB: The guys joke with me because I’ve only caught one fish, and they’ve all caught a bunch of them, so I need some practice.