BHRA's Dodd reflects on son's first stint with MLB's Braves
Apr. 18—WESTVILLE — Dylan Dodd described a sort of relief that washed over him when his Major League Baseball debut concluded earlier this month.
When Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker shook Dodd's hand in the visiting dugout at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, after the 2016 Bismarck-Henning graduate had tossed five quality innings on April 4 versus the Cardinals, a game Atlanta won 4-1 over St. Louis.
"Not that I don't want to be out there. Obviously, I want to go out there as long as possible," Dodd said during his postgame media scrum. "But just having the first one done and in the books is a good feeling."
His father felt the same way.
"You're on pins and needles," Mark Dodd said this past Friday, after coaching the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin baseball team in a 7-2 road loss against Westville. "But it was just so joyous for all of us. It was so fun to see my kid out there under the big lights, competing the way he did. And then having success and having so many people there to support him, I think that was a dream come true."
Dylan Dodd earned the win against the Cardinals with five innings of one-run, six-hit pitching that included three strikeouts.
"Two, three, four coming up in the (St. Louis) order that are all All-Stars, he doesn't need to see them for a third time," Mark Dodd said with a smile. "He did his job, and I think he knew it and everybody else (knew it). That was exactly the right call."
Dylan got to share a memorable postgame moment in the dugout with Mark and mother Thea Dodd.
"Apparently, they were beating him up in the locker room for a while," Mark Dodd said. "We got to talk to him and congratulate him and get a few pictures, and it was just a great, great day."
Dylan Dodd's second MLB start didn't go quite as well. The 24-year-old left-hander permitted 10 hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings on April 9 versus a the Padres, striking out three batters once again.
Mark and Thea made the trip south to Truist Park in Atlanta for that game. Two days later, Dylan was optioned to the Class AAA Gwinnett Stripers.
"It may have nothing to do with his performance at that point. You've got a 21-game winner (Kyle Wright) coming off the injured list," Mark Dodd said. "(Dylan) had a couple physical things that were kind of bothering him (against San Diego), and that kind of caused his velocity to be down that second start. ... He says they have that handled."
It certainly seems so. Dylan Dodd made his Class AAA season debut on Sunday for Gwinnett and shone brightly, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings in which he gave up four hits and three walks while striking out eight.
Mark Dodd appreciates the way the Braves integrated his son into the MLB ranks.
"To take a kid that maybe they think, 'All right, we're going to get all those nerves ... out of the way early in the season' so if they do need him (later) it isn't going to be such a big shock (was smart)," Mark Dodd said. "He already has done it and been somewhat successful. I think it was perfectly handled."
