Any birthday, even one as uneventful as turning 27, can give a person a spark, so maybe birthday boy Martin Perez was feeling some extra juice Wednesday when he declared that his 2018 debut was going to be good.
All the good the left-hander discovered down the stretch last season was still intact. His mind is focused. His emotions are in check. His game plan is simplified, on the advice of Bartolo Colon.
That broken right elbow, courtesy of a run-in with a dead-and-eaten bull, isn't remotely and issue. The left elbow — and forearm, labrum, rotator cuff and all other body parts needed to throw a baseball — felt fine for every pitch during spring training.