He was quiet. He was not flashy. He did not possess a 100 MPH fastball. However, from 2012 – 2015, Tony Watson simply took the ball and did his job. In doing so, the former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever make one of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball.
On Pirates Twitter, the saying started. Watson would so routinely, and effortlessly, retire opposing batters that when he finished his outing Pirate fans would Tweet it out – “Tony Watson took the ball, and did his job.” Watson never refused to take the ball, and rarely would he fail at doing his job on the mound.