Colorado Rockies pitcher Daniel Bard is sidelined with anxiety to start the MLB season
Colorado Rockies pitcher Daniel Bard is sidelined with anxiety to start the season after battling control issues with Team USA in the WBC.
Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard will open the season on the disabled list due to anxiety issues, with right-hander Jake Bird taking his spot on the Opening Day roster.
The 37-year-old was a member of Team USA in the just-concluded World Baseball Classic, but control issues in a game against Venezuela included an inside pitch to JosĂ© Altuve that broke the Astros second baseman’s hand of Houston.
“It’s kind of hard to admit, but I’ve been through this before,” Bard told reporters, via Denver Mail.
“I’m extremely grateful to be in an organization that understands these things and accepts them.”
“From my experience, knowing myself, I think just stepping back, taking the time to figure things out, getting it right, is the best approach,” Bard said, according to MLB.com.
Daniel Bard starts Rockies MLB season on disabled list with mental health issues
“We all talked about it and agreed to take some time to get things right,” he said.
‘That was better than me trying to get through it. Knowing myself, I knew it was time to take a step back, so that’s the focus here.
Bard was a standout reliever for the Boston Red Sox early in his career, posting a 1.93 ERA in 73 outings during his second major league season in 2010.
But control issues arose and after two outings in 2013, he walked away from the game.
The Rockies gave Bard a look in spring training 2020 and he made the list, returning to his breakout ways last season when he posted a 1.79 ERA in 57 outings and finished 16th in NL MVP voting. , and also won the MLB Comeback Player of the Year award. .
But in the fifth inning for Team USA against Venezuela, Bard allowed a walk and a single, threw a wild pitch, hit Altuve and forced a walk on one run. He finished loaded with four runs on one hit and two walks, not recording an out.
Bard is far from the first MLB player to walk away from the diamond for mental health reasons.
Arguably most shocking was Pete Harnisch walking away to receive treatment for depression in 1997. Since then, there have been several others, including Joey Votto, Justin Duchscherer, and Zack Greinke.
The Royals pitcher missed most of the 2006 season and parts of 2005 due to depression and social anxiety. He returned in 2007 and has been playing ever since.
Bard pitched for Team USA during their run to the World Baseball Classic final this month.
Houston Astros star José Alutve was hit by a pitch from Bard, resulting in a broken thumb.