Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
PEORIA, Ariz. -- At this time last year, San Diego Padres manager Bruce Bochy concedes he knew little to nothing about minor-league pitcher Dario Veras.
In the ensuing 12 months, Bochy has learned enough about Veras to include the 24-year-old right-handed reliever among the 11 pitchers with whom he will open the regular season in 11 days.
Signed as an infielder by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1990, Veras made the difficult leap from double-A to the major leagues -- with a brief layover in Las Vegas -- last season. Appearing in 23 games with the Padres after his July 31 promotion from the Stars, Veras posted a 3-1 record with a 2.79 earned-run average and was the winning pitcher as the Padres beat the Dodgers 2-0 in 11 innings to clinch the National League West Division on the final day of the season.
"For him to have that feel of pitching this quick, yeah, I'm shocked," Bochy said of Veras, who was converted to a pitcher only five years ago. "He's got a good feel on his changeup, he'd got good location on his fastball and he's got a pretty good breaking ball -- and he throws strikes.
"That's really pretty remarkable when you consider he's been pitching for only five years."
It was only by chance that Veras came to Bochy's attention. On the final day of spring training last season, the Padres made a stop at their double-A affiliate, Memphis, to play the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition. Not wanting to waste any of his pitchers with the major-league season opening the next day, Bochy summoned Veras to pitch.
"I'll be honest, I didn't know that much about Dario until last year," Bochy said. "At the end of spring training, he pitched for us against the Cardinals in Memphis. Here's a kid who took the ball and came right at them. The jury was still out on him but we really followed him after that."
Bochy and the Padres watched as Veras mowed through hitters in the Southern and Pacific Coast leagues. At Memphis, Veras was 3-1 with one save and a 2.32 ERA and struck out 47 batters in 42 2/3 innings. After joining the Stars in June, Veras went 6-2 with one save and a 2.90 ERA and struck out 30 while walking only five in 40 1/3 innings.
After tossing one perfect inning of relief against the Oakland Athletics Thursday afternoon, Veras said he still shakes his head in amazement when he looks back on his whirlwind 1996 season.
"I think before the season started, I thought if I did my job (at Memphis) they might call me up to triple-A," Veras said. "But the major leagues, no. I think it was quick because it was my fourth year (that) I play in the States and I'm in the major leagues already."
Veras spent his first two seasons in the Dodgers' system playing in the Dominican League, then came to the United States and played at Class A Vero Beach and Bakersfield in 1993. Following his first season in the U.S., the Padres selected Veras from the Dodgers in the minor-league Rule V draft.
Three years later, the Dominican native found himself pitching the ninth inning of a scoreless game in Dodger Stadium for the division title. Veras responded by holding the Dodgers scoreless on one hit for three innings and was the winning pitcher as the Padres rallied for two runs in the top of the 11th.
"It was a big situation, that game, because it was the last game of the season and we were in L.A. and they have a good team," Veras said. "It was real hard for all of us, but we played like we played the whole year."
Although he had only 26 major-league innings under his belt prior to that outing, Veras said he wasn't nervous pitching in such a pressure-packed situation.
"I was never nervous because if something happens, something happens," he explained. "Sometimes you come in and you do the job and sometimes you come in and something (bad) happens -- you can't let it bother you."
It is that attitude that convinced Bochy that Veras is the perfect man to come out of the bullpen in the late innings as a set-up man for closer Trevor Hoffman.
"Most guys take years to learn that," Bochy said. "The fact that he has that kind of poise and has been pitching for only five years is just remarkable."
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