Bud Norris shared a 30-minute car ride and a lunch with former Atlanta Braves star John Smoltz at a golf tournament over the off-season.
Much of their conversation focused on the transition from starting pitcher to short reliever, a subject Norris wouldn’t have broached six or seven years ago with anyone, let alone a right-hander who was so dominant in both roles he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
“Early in my career, I never wanted to go to the bullpen,” said Norris, who retired the side in order in the fourth inning before giving up three runs in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch.