HAMILTON, Ontario -- The music blared as Fernando Rodney finished his warmups in the bullpen and made the stroll from left field for the ninth inning Friday night. He had picked out his entrance song from his days with the Diamondbacks in 2017, when he was 40.
"Let’s go, legend,” someone yelled as Rodney ran in.
This was Rodney in his element; he converted 327 saves and finished 590 games over the course of his 17-year Major League career. And yet, the scene is completely out of Rodney’s element.
"Just to have him here is crazy,” a fan said as Rodney warmed.
This is Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium, a former NY-Penn League ballpark from 30 years ago, and current 3,000-seat home of the Hamilton Cardinals of the Intercounty Baseball League. And Rodney, now 48, is the Cardinals’ closer.
“It’s very surreal,” teammate Josh Williams said. “I remember he was one of my favorite closers to watch. And now this guy’s on my team.”
It’s surreal, but it is not a gimmick. After 20 years in affiliated baseball and another five bouncing between his native Dominican Republic and Mexico, Rodney is pitching independent ball in Canada, in a league that includes a mix of former Minor League players, a few ex-big leaguers, recent college players and semi-pro players with day jobs. The league also includes Japanese women’s pitcher Ayami Sato, who debuted for the Toronto Maple Leafs last Sunday and tossed two perfect innings.
With Rodney, the league has a 2019 World Series champion and three-time All-Star.
“It’s like something new I want to try,” Rodney said. “I’m still having fun. That’s the best part.”
The signing paired a pitcher looking to keep pitching with a team looking for new talent as the league tries to raise its ability level. And it all began with a conversation last fall. Team president and majority owner Eric Spearin and the staff were planning a fall tryout camp in the Dominican Republic. Luis Bernardo, a former Orioles prospect who played for the Cardinals before moving into coaching, had an idea.
“One day he turned to me in the car,” Spearin said, “and he said, ‘Do you know Fernando Rodney?’”
Spearin turned his cap sideways to let him know.
Bernardo is close with Rodney. And if they were interested, he could get him there.
“Fernando came out [to the tryout] and I met him and it was so easy,” Spearin said. “There’s no ego with him. He was pitching in the Dominican the summer before, and he still wanted to pitch. He trusted Luis’ judgment on us. And Fernando loves to travel.
“I was like, ‘Do you want to come pitch for us?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ That was it.”
Said Rodney: “I don’t know how they find me, but they find me. And I said, ‘Yes, let’s go.’”
The signing seemed implausible when announced in November. But the idea of pitching in Canada intrigued Rodney. He has children that are now fully grown. And Rodney doesn’t need the money after his MLB career.
“It’s not about money; it’s about fun,” he said. “It’s like my hobby now. I like fishing, playing dominoes, playing baseball.”
If the arm is willing, so is Rodney, whose beard shows nary a whisker of gray. He has been blessed with an arm that hasn’t needed a procedure since Tommy John surgery in 2004. He is also blessed with a changeup as an out pitch.
"It’s still there,” Rodney said. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I still play baseball.”
IBL hitters were no match for Rodney’s changeup during preseason play. He retired the side in order on seven pitches in one outing. He was on track for a similar inning Friday, getting a first-pitch fly ball and quick groundout while protecting a 7-4 lead.
Then the Brantford Red Sox struck: Double, stolen base, single, walk. Rodney was a strike away from escape when he hung a changeup to former NAIA slugger Tim Holyk, who drilled it deep to left for a go-ahead three-run homer.
Rodney finished the inning. The Red Sox were jubilant to hit a former Major League closer, but they still had to pitch the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinals loaded the bases before Williams, an IBL veteran who works as a Toronto police officer, hit a walk-off two-run single.
No apologies necessary.
“He still has it,” Williams said. “I’m not worried about him. He’s going to keep doing his thing, and I’m proud to have him on the team. He is so positive. He’s a great person.”
Rodney vultured the win. Yet as different as their tracks might be, what drives them is the same.
“You have to love the game,” Rodney said. “I feel good, I’m healthy, and I want to keep playing baseball as long as I can.”