Brett Tomko Back With the Reds

Brett Tomko came out of Florida Southern College to the Reds with the confidence that he would star in the Major Leagues.

He was 22 when the Reds drafted him in 1995. His competitive nature prevented him from listening to a lot of advice.

Tomko pitched well enough to debut with the Reds two years later on May 27, 1997.  He pitched six good innings in a 2-1 loss to the Phillies but was felt as if he belonged.

"I had a chip on my shoulder," Tomko admitted.  "We all do.  That's what makes us competitive."

Tomko won 29 games for the Reds in 2 1/2 seasons.  He had 11 wins in 1997 and 13 in 1998 but he slipped in the Reds 99-win season in 1999.  He was 5-7 with a 4.92 ERA in 26 starts and he was miserable.

Then just 26 he butted heads with manager Jack McKeon, who called him Bert rather than Brett.  Tomko was insulted.  He took issue with things the writers wrote about him at the time, refusing to talk to the media for awhile.  There was the story of teammate Greg Vaughn pushing the righthanded pitcher against a wall after he was sulking after a game.  Vaughn told him, "This isn't about you.  Its about the team."

After the season the Reds traded Tomko to Seattle for Ken Griffey Jr.

He wandered around the big leagues like the Moses in the wilderness.

Two seasons in Seattle, one in San Diego where he won 10 games, one in St. Louis, 13 wins, two in San Francisco with one 11-win season, two half seasons in Los Angeles, back to San Diego, Kansas City Royals and back to San Diego.  He made the Yankees as relief pitcher in 2009, working in 15 games with a 1-2 record, then was released on July 29.  He signed with Oakland a week later.

Oakland put him in its starting rotation.  Tomko seemed to be back to his winning ways.  He won his first two starts with 11 innings of work, allowing just one run.  He won the 100th game of his career for Oakland on September 14th.  He shutout the Texas Rangers but pinched a nerve in his right shoulder in the ninth inning.

"I threw nothing but curveballs to finish the game," Tomko said.  "Four days later my twin sons were born.  I couldn't hold them.  My arm was numb.  I had a burning sensation like a bad sunburn.  Just a wrinkle in my skin was like holding a match to it.  I would be feeding my daughters and it would be burning the whole time."

The A's resigned him in February, knowing he was hurt.

"I had to learn how to through again.  I couldn't lift a one pound weight.  I would try to throw to someone and overthrow by 3 feet."

He went to the Rookie League in June of 2010.

"I was getting bombed by rookie leaguers.  I would throw as hard as I could and it would come out 83," Tomko said.

He improved enough to go to Class A  Stockton.

"There were times I thought I couldn't go on.  I was in Stockton and called my wife to tell her I was coming home.  I had some good years now its time to do something else."

He nearly made the Texas Rangers staff out of spring training last year.  He was called up on April 24 and pitched in eight games for the American League Champions.

Tomko wanted to come back to the Reds in spite of a grudge he once held for Jack McKeon.

"I talked to him for 40 minutes at the World Series.  We had a good talk.  He called me Bert and said some things I didn't agree with.  I hated him for years.  We had a good talk but why hold a grudge.  I see now that a lot of things he told me were constructive.  I am more mature now.  We used to make fun of the veterans that filtered through when I was with the Reds the first time.  Mike Morgan pitched for 10 teams.  I couldn't imagine that. I saw guys like Joe Oliver come back to the organization."

Now 38 the San Diego resident has been married for 8 1/2 years with two daughters.

"I wondered what it would be like to come back to Cincinnati.  I almost came back a couple of times in 08 I had talks with the Reds but it never really blossomed. This winter I talked to Baltimore and Anaheim but this is where I wanted to come.  It's surreal. The same people are here Rob Butcher, the media relations director, Gary Wahoff the traveling secretary, all the clubhouse guys, Rick and Mark Stowe.  This is where I wanted to be it has been a weird week.

Tomko signed on Sunday and is invited to try to win a spot on the Reds staff this spring.  His Reds comeback  is underway.