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‘I don’t have a lot of quit in me’: David Robertson is making the most of his second chance with the Phillies

David Robertson was traded to the Phillies at the deadline. (Cheryl Pursell)

There are a lot of perks that come with being a big leaguer. For a 14-year veteran like David Robertson, having a catch with his oldest son in the outfield before a game is a memory not many big leaguers get to make in their careers.

Few players get to play long enough to see their children reach an age where they can remember bits and pieces of their father’s big league career through their own perspective.

“I’m trying to bring him as much as we can. Let him enjoy it,” Robertson said about his 10-year-old son Luke. “He just now starts to realize what Dad does. He’s like, ‘Holy cow, Bryce Harper is in the clubhouse. Is that Kyle Schwarber? Is that J.T. Realmuto?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, those are my teammates.’”

Those little moments at the ballpark at age 37 were something Robertson had to fight for. He signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Phillies in January 2019 with the hope that he’ll hold down a spot in the back end of the bullpen. Robertson made only eight appearances before suffering an elbow injury that ultimately required him to undergo both Tommy John and flexor repair surgery.

Doctors gave him a 16-to-18-month recovery timeline, but Robertson tried to return in 12 and salvage anything he could out of his first tenure with the Phillies. It was an ambitious plan that failed when Robertson tried pitching in an intrasquad game at the alternate site in August of 2020.

“I thought I really messed my elbow up again,” Robertson said.

He just needed more time. After taking a few months off from throwing, Robertson embarked on a more deliberate comeback plan. He received a few big league offers prior to the 2021 season, but declined and decided to wait it out until he found the right fit.

A former World Series champion, Robertson re-climbed the baseball ladder to get back to the Show. He went from pitching in a men’s league game in Rhode Island one week to winning a silver medal at the Olympic games in Tokyo not long afterwards.

“I don’t have a lot of quit in me. I don’t like to lose,” Robertson said. “I want to compete at the highest level all the time. So for me, I did everything I could to get myself back into baseball.”

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He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in August and took the mound to pitch a scoreless eighth inning against the Red Sox 871 days since his last MLB outing. With a month plus three scoreless appearances in the postseason under his belt, Robertson signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs after the lockout and quickly established himself as the team’s go-to option in the ninth inning.

Through his first appearances with Chicago, hitters went 1-for-34 against Robertson.

“I think I was able to do the same thing I was doing in years past at a little bit higher level because my elbow feels a lot better,” Robertson said. “My body just felt ready to go.”

The rebuilding Cubs eventually dealt Robertson to the Phillies at the deadline for ascending starting pitching prospect Ben Brown. Rumors swirled for weeks about a possible return to New York, either with the Mets or Yankees, but instead, Robertson was given a second chance to contribute to a Phillies team with playoff aspirations.

“Philly is a great spot to land because I’ve been here before. I knew a lot of the guys,” Robertson said. “I know what’s expected of you when you play here. And I relish the opportunity to be here and be a part of this team. You know, I felt like my first time here just didn’t go well for me or for the Phillies. I blew my elbow out so quickly in there and just couldn’t get right only to figure out that I tore it up so bad that I couldn’t pitch.”

Robertson quickly became the most important pick up at the deadline. Seranthony Domínguez, the team’s undisputed bullpen ace, has been out since Aug. 20 with triceps tendinitis. He’s not expected to return until the start of the team’s next homestand at the earliest, so Robertson will be the top option in tight spots against the most difficult pockets of the opposing lineup for the time being.

It helps to have a pitcher of Robertson’s caliber in the bullpen. His cutter velocity is up a tick, hitters are swinging and missing at his curveball 44% of the time and both righties and lefties are batting well under .200 with a .550 OPS against him. His extensive playoff experience will also help down the stretch when the importance of each outing increases.

“The postseason is just another game,” Robertson said. “Mistakes are magnified a lot more in the postseason. It’s still the same game. You’re gonna go out there and do everything you can to the best of your ability and it’s either gonna work out or it’s not. That’s the way I look at it.”

Robertson is just one of 11 active big leaguers to have played against the Phillies in the postseason. His two hits allowed in the 2009 World Series with the Yankees came against Raul Ibañez and Cliff Lee. It’s really been that long.

While it seemed impossible two years ago, there’s a decent chance Robertson has hung around long enough to help a new crop of Phillies players reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.