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West Springfield's Chris Capuano signed with the Boston Red Sox after spending the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers (AP photo).
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- About 10 years before Chris Capuano graduated as class valedictorian at Cathedral High School, he was glued to the television, watching the 1986 World Series between the Mets and Red Sox.
Need more be said?
"I can remember being devastated," Capuano said.
The local boy who grew up rooting for the Red Sox will finally get a chance to pitch at Fenway Park (the only time he's pitched there previously was during a Massachusetts-Connecticut all-star game in high school).
Capuano, 35, signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox that was officially announced on Saturday. The deal is worth $2.25 million, with $5 million in reachable incentives (he can make up to $1.25 million based on the number of starts and an addition $1 million based on innings), according to CSNNE.com.
"I grew up watching the Sox and really following them," Capuano said from the Red Sox's spring training facilities in Fort Myers. "When I was out in the backyard playing Wiffle ball with my friends, we’d always imagine ourselves on the mound at Fenway, so it’s kind of cool to come back and maybe have a chance to be there."
Capuano's wife, the former Sarah Clifford, has family from Grafton. He described the move from Los Angeles, where he had been pitching for the Dodgers the last two years, as "coming home."
"It definitely plays a part in it," he said. "That and the fact that Boston has a great history. It’s a storied organization. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that as a player?
"I just hope to be a positive part of the clubhouse. It’s an already great clubhouse dynamic with the kind of professionals they have in there. These guys, the way they go about their business, they’re so focused. I just want to add to that. And hopefully be a positive part."
With the Red Sox, Capuano is expected to be used out of the bullpen, though he'll be stretched out as a starting pitcher this spring. With the announcement that Ryan Dempster is taking the year off, Boston is down to just five starting pitchers with substantial major league experience. Capuano is one injury away from cracking the rotation.
He'll throw his first bullpen session on Sunday and his first live batting practice on Thursday. By the time the season starts, Capuano should be strong enough to throw 90-100 pitches, if the Red Sox need him out of the rotation. If not, it's off to the bullpen, where he pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings last year between the regular season and the playoffs.
Capuano is capable of pitching in any role, and based off his recent history, could be a valuable asset.
After going through a second Tommy John surgery in 2008 (his first was in 2003), Capuano said he and Milwaukee Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson discovered a mechanical flaw in his delivery. He made adjustments and the results have been much better since. His ERA has gotten better as he's gotten older. So too has his velocity.
His average fastball has gone from about 88 mph to 89 mph post-surgery. He also learned a new pitch while with the Dodgers.
"Velocity and stuff wise, I feel as good as I have at really any point in my career," Capuano said. "I had a chance to really learn from some great pitchers last year with Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. I learned a breaking ball that’s helping me out in my repertoire. I’m just trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get and looking forward to doing the same here."
Capuano isn't your typical 35-year-old; he's thrown less than 1,300 innings in his career.
"It took me a lot longer to come back," from the second Tommy John surgery, he said. "It took me about 18 months to get back. And I had to come to terms with the fact that I might not actually make it back."
He's made it back, all right. All the way back home.