WHAT A RELIEF: Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano, pitching last month (above), returned to the mound yesterday wearing a heart monitor after being diagnosed with a rare condition called left ventricular non-compaction. (Anthony J. Causi)
JUPITER, Fla. — Pedro Feliciano said he wasn’t anxious before taking the mound yesterday for the first time with a heart monitor in his back pocket and wires strapped to his chest.
“The hardest part has been the waiting,” Feliciano said this week. “The week when I wasn’t allowed to do anything before I got cleared, that was the most difficult part.”
That’s part of the reason Feliciano was in such good spirits following his outing, despite the fact the first batter he faced homered.
“It’s good to get it out of the way right away,” Feliciano said with a laugh following Ben Lasater’s blast in a B game against the Marlins on a back field behind Roger Dean Stadium.
Feliciano said he felt “outstanding” during his one-inning outing when he faced batters from both sides of the plate — something the lefty specialist is unlikely to do during the regular season.
“It was better than what I expected,” Feliciano said.
The 36-year-old has made more headlines because of health issues than anything he’s done pitching over the past two seasons.
He never pitched for the Yankees after signing a two-year, $8 million contract and then he signed a minor league deal with the Mets this offseason in an attempt to revive his career as a second lefty out of the bullpen.
That effort was dealt a blow when he was diagnosed last month with a rare genetic condition called left ventricular noncompaction. The condition results from the failure of myocardial development from birth.
He reported no symptoms before the diagnosis and yesterday he said the equipment he will have to wear for at least one more outing had no impact.
“I didn’t think about it,” Feliciano said. “It was easy.”
Feliciano threw 18 pitches and hit the only lefty he faced. He is scheduled to pitch again tomorrow.
Terry Collins doesn’t anticipate keeping a closer eye on him because of the heart situation.
“No, he’s fine,” said Collins, who also saw LaTroy Hawkins pitch for the first time this spring yesterday, tossing two innings. “It’s never been an issue. It never seems to be a problem once he starts pitching.”
And the manager liked what he saw from Feliciano.
“He threw the ball over the plate like I knew he would,” Collins said. “He knows himself. He hasn’t pitched in quite a while and was down for two weeks. I was really looking today to make sure he got out there and there was no discomfort or anything.”
Feliciano would still like to get his velocity up after seeing it stick in the low to mid 80s yesterday but had no complaints.
“I had a good slider and sinker,” said Feliciano, who pitched winter ball in Puerto Rico before arriving at Mets camp. “I just want to get innings.”
He figures to get more chances against major leaguers soon enough, something he hadn’t done since he last was a Met in 2010.
To him, that part will take care of itself.
“It’s a bat, it’s a ball,” Feliciano said. “They’re better hitters, but it’s the same thing: You have to get better to get them out.”
And while he’s had a hard time staying in one piece, Feliciano thinks he’s on his way.
“I know they want to see how I do and if I can pitch back-to-back [days],” Feliciano said. “For me, there is no doubt. I’m going to be the same Feliciano I always was.”