Bullpen hopeful Veneziano ready to 'Sho' Marlins his mettle?

JUPITER, Fla. -- Anthony Veneziano has recorded 15 strikeouts in his brief Major League career, but one of them will forever be etched in his memory.

Veneziano, a 6-foot-5 lefty reliever, was claimed off waivers by the Marlins from the Royals on Sept. 3, and two weeks later, he exited the bullpen at loanDepot park, tasked with the assignment of recording the final out of the fourth inning in a tie game during Miami’s 11-9 win against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers. At the plate was one of the best in the game, Shohei Ohtani.

Veneziano, looking more like a wily veteran than his resume suggests, struck out Ohtani swinging to end the inning and stop a Dodgers rally.

“I went up and in [with a 96.2 mph] fastball. It was awesome,” Veneziano reflected Monday morning. “There were a lot of Dodgers fans there, and [the previous pitch] I threw up and in to him and got booed by the crowd. My mom and sister were there, I got my first [career MLB] win, so it was really cool. I faced him again two days later, and he doubled off me. That was the game when he went 6-for-6.”

Veneziano is one of two left-handed relievers on the Marlins’ 40-man roster, and with Andrew Nardi nursing lower back inflammation, manager Clayton McCullough is hoping Veneziano will continue to improve in his transition to the bullpen.

“He’s looked great. He’s certainly well in the mix for a bullpen spot with us,” McCullough said. “Very encouraged with how his outing went two days ago, accessing the strike zone, playing with some new shapes and grips, a little tighter breaking ball.”

Veneziano was a starter when he was drafted by the Royals out of Coastal Carolina University, and he said he made “almost 100 Minor League starts” (he has 97 overall in the Minors after '24) before he was converted to full-time relief last season. The transition has taken some getting used to.

“It’s a different animal,” Veneziano said. “The mental side of it, I think, was the hardest thing for me, knowing I’m only going to see this [batter] one time instead of three. I don’t know when I’m going to pitch.

“I was a routine-based guy. As a starter, I can map out the minute I wake up, the minute I eat lunch and whatever. As a reliever, that phone rings, and you get up and get going. I learned not to take as much stock in the pregame bullpen, just get loose, and when I get on the field, it’s go time.”

With 14 Major League relief appearances under his belt, the 27-year-old Veneziano said he arrived at Spring Training with a different mindset than in previous years.

“I learned how to get loose faster, and I learned how to get a routine with eating,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting the guy out and putting up a zero. This year, they’ve told me I’m a reliever for sure, and I feel good about it.”

Veneziano said he was labeled “a Swiss army knife” with the Royals. “I did starts, I did long relief, I was brought in to just get lefties out. Every role you can have as a pitcher, I experienced last year in Triple-A, which I’m grateful for, because I learned exactly how to do all those roles.

"When I got to Miami in September, I was the only lefty in the bullpen, so I knew my role, and it was to get lefties out and give us clean innings and keep the chain moving.”

Just the way he sat down Ohtani that day in September.

McCullough said Nardi was “playing some catch” Monday, but for now, Veneziano is the lone healthy lefty in Miami’s bullpen. Veneziano is confident he can hold down the fort until Nardi is ready for game action.

“I’m a coachable guy, so I think I can conquer either role, and here, they’ve been very transparent,” he said. “I have a really good feeling about making this team and helping our team win. … We have a really good group of young guys. We understand we’re an underdog team this year, but I think [the team] takes that as a challenge, and we’re excited to prove everyone wrong.”