DENVER • As he worked his way back from independent league baseball all the way to Saturday, his first day in a big-league uniform, new Cardinals reliever John Brebbia said an obvious adjustment sped his advancement. And it had nothing to do with his delivery, his arm angle, or even a specific pitch.
He opened his ears.
“I feel like I say this over and over again — listening,” Brebbia said in the visitors’ dugout at Coors Field. “It’s crazy and it never truly dawned on me until later how valuable it is to listen to the people who have the experience, who have played, and how much they have to offer.