ST. LOUIS – On the morning before his first major-league start Friday, Amir Garrett awoke at 7 a.m. With first pitch more than 12 hours ahead of him, the Cincinnati Reds left-hander was too nervous to sleep in.
To pass the time, he enjoyed an early breakfast. Then he hit some of St. Louis’ downtown retail offerings, returning to the team hotel with some new collared shirts. Then, a nap.
By the time he made his way to the mound at 7:15 p.m. local time, the butterflies were gone. It was again just baseball, and he was just a pitcher.