At 36, Pirates' Jason Grilli is first-time all-star

NEW YORK - Pittsburgh Pirates closer and first-time all-star Jason Grilli had one thought during his brief stay with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies' triple-A affiliate, in 2011.

"I was thinking that I wanted to get the heck out," Grilli said before Tuesday's 84th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citi Field. "Who wants to be an IronPig? Not me."

It's nothing against the IronPigs organization, he said, but Grilli believed he should have been pitching in the big leagues.

"I was 34 years old at the time and pitching rather well, and wanted to be a Phillie . . .," said Grilli, who leads the National League with 29 saves. "I thought I pitched well enough."

The Pirates agreed.

Grilli had a clause in his contract that said if any team wanted to promote him to the majors, the Phillies either had to do the same or release him.

So the Phillies released him and he signed with Pittsburgh on July 21, 2011. Last season, he had worked his way up to the setup role.

During the offseason he signed a two-year, $6.75 million contract. And now he is an all-star closer. Grilli gave up a leadoff triple to Detroit's Prince Fielder in the top of the ninth before retiring the side.

At Lehigh Valley, Grilli was 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 28 relief appearances. In 322/3 innings, he recorded 43 strikeouts and issued 12 walks.

Even though Grilli thought he was good enough to pitch for the Phillies, he harbors no resentment.

"I was lucky the Phillies gave me the chance to showcase myself," said Grilli, a product of Seton Hall.

Last season, he emerged as the Pirates' setup man for Joel Hanrahan. When Hanrahan was traded to Boston in the offseason, Grilli fit into the closer's role.

"He definitely opened up a lot of eyes last year being in that setup position," Pirates all-star outfielder Andrew McCutchen said. "Then he got the closing role and has been great, and to be able to do it at his age and have him make his first all-star game is definitely great to see."

Not only was Grilli at an advanced age before he joined the Phillies organization, he missed the entire 2010 season. During spring training with the Cleveland Indians, he was doing a normal running drill when his season ended.

"I was not turning or twisting, just running straight," he said. "It was a time when my body had a bone chip in my quad and I tore the quad tendon and ruptured some other stuff in my knee, and it was pretty severe."

Through arduous rehabilitation, Grilli persevered. Then again, he has been in the big leagues with six teams, so Grilli knows all about perseverance.

Now 36, he has helped lead Pittsburgh to a 56-37 record and a .602 winning percentage that is second best in the major leagues.

"He has a quick fastball, especially when he does a slide step, and a much better slider than people give him credit for," said Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto. "He throws strikes and knows how to attack hitters."

After every game, Grilli calls his father, Steve, a former major-leaguer who pitched in 70 career games, 69 with Detroit and one with Toronto.

"He's taught me everything," Grilli said.

His father has the distinction of losing the longest game in professional baseball history. Pitching for Baltimore's triple-A affiliate in Rochester, the elder Grilli took the loss in a 3-2 defeat by Pawtucket that lasted 33 innings in 1981.

The most important lesson he has taught his son is to keep fighting, scrapping, and battling. That's what turned a journeyman reliever into an all-star.