When Yakima Bears second baseman Danny Pulfer’s professional baseball career started out with an 0-for-20 slump, he had to keep faith in his ability as a hitter.@@http://www.dailyemerald.com/2011/07/09/eugene-emeralds-beat-yakima-bears-7-6-on-zach-kometani-home-run/@@ @@http://www.registerguard.com/web/sports/26526258-41/pulfer-eugene-inning-run-yakima.html.csp@@
“I was putting together some good, quality at-bats and that’s all you can ask for,” Pulfer says. “Would I like the results? Yeah. But that’s baseball — that’s what makes this game great. You can do everything right and still get out four times in a row.”
For the former Oregon second baseman, this wasn’t the first time in 2011 his season has started out on a rocky note — he went 2-for-22 to open the season for the Ducks before ending his final season as an All-Pac-10 selection with a .351 batting average and a school-record 16 doubles.
Pulfer was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 19th round after his junior season as a Duck, and signed quickly, being placed with the Single-A Bears of the Northwest League.
Pulfer’s faith goes beyond the batter’s box, however.
“I just matured a lot, and I think my faith and the Lord have had so much to do with that,” Pulfer says. “When I give myself to him, it makes everything easier.”
During his return Eugene to face the Emeralds, Pulfer took a leading role in the Emeralds’ “Faith Night” promotion Sunday afternoon, taking part in a postgame roundtable discussion Sunday with Emeralds center fielder Kyle Gaedele, Oregon volleyball outside hitter Alaina Bergsma, and Oregon football offensive lineman Ryan Clanton that was moderated by former Oregon football punter Josh Bidwell, a 10-year NFL veteran and former Pro Bowler.@@http://eugene.emeralds.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110709&content_id=21638630&vkey=news_t461&fext=.jsp&sid=t461@@
During the event, Pulfer explains why he began to wear a rosary during his junior year of college, although he is not Catholic. During his senior year at Cypress (Calif.) High School, @@http://www.cypressalumni.com/@@his team’s bat boy had beaten Ewing’s sarcoma,@@http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002279/@@ a deadly cancer that afflicts young people. As Pulfer was overcome with emotion, he said the boy’s cancer had came back.
“This young man was full of energy, full of spirit, full of life,” Pulfer says. “Our faith, his faith, his family’s faith, we all started praying and I haven’t stopped since.”
Pulfer has also made an impact on the field, playing in all four games in Yakima’s series in Eugene to this point, going 3-for-14 with two singles, a triple and three runs scored.
Coming back to the Emerald Valley gives Pulfer an opportunity to reflect on his three-year stay as the Ducks’ second baseman.
“The three years I spent here at Oregon, I grew the most in that three-year span of time as a baseball player,” Pulfer says. “I’m always going to remember those three years. 14-42, 40-24, 33-26-1 — I’m going to remember all that kind of stuff.”
After a pinch-hitting appearance Thursday, Pulfer had his best game as a professional Friday night in the cozy confines of PK Park. He went 2-for-5, breaking up Eugene’s combined no-hitter in the sixth inning with a single and scoring the game-winning run in the 13th inning of the Bears’ 3-2 victory over the Emeralds.
“Playing here in Eugene has been the top of my list for any kind of baseball,” Pulfer says. “It’s just fun to be in this crowd, it’s fun to play here and I’m just fortunate to get to play here one more time.”
Pulfer has also made a couple of stellar defensive plays during the Bears’ series in Eugene. He initiated a stellar 4-6-3 double play in the fourth inning Saturday against Emeralds catcher Jeremy Rodriguez, @@Jeremy Rodriguez@@making a diving stop to his right before flipping the ball with his glove to Bears shortstop David Narodowski,@@http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=sa501748&position=SS@@ who barehanded the ball and threw it to first base in time to retire Rodriguez.@@http://www.dailyemerald.com/2011/07/09/eugene-emeralds-lose-to-yakima-bears-3-2-in-13-innings/@@
Pulfer’s other stellar play came in the bottom of the fourth inning Sunday, as he took a sure run away from the Emeralds with a leaping catch of a Cory Spangenberg @@http://thetimes-tribune.com/sports/cory-spangenberg-selected-by-the-san-diego-padres-1.1158233#axzz1Rlfq1Wvp@@line drive with a runner on third base.
When he describes himself as a player, Pulfer knows he’s not a power hitter, saying his best tools are hustle, hitting for average, and defense, adding, “Defense is going to keep me in the lineup.”
Given his performance and work ethic, Pulfer has a bright future as a player. @@boy, why you tellin’ me for be is? and not showin?@@ @@child, because I needed a solid break and this was the easiest way@@ @@Sons, shuddup. Daddy be tryin’ to sleep. And that ain’t racin’@@
“I’m learning on the fly, and I’m going to have to learn quickly because if somebody learns quicker than I do, I’m going to be out of a job,” Pulfer says.
“He’s crazy good, that kid,” first-year Emeralds manager Pat Murphy said after Saturday’s game. “Glad I got out of the Pac-10 in time.”
Since recording his first hit June 22, Pulfer has gone .246, belying his season-long .185 batting average.
Whether he plays as an amateur or a professional, Pulfer has an attachment to baseball he won’t soon leave behind.
“A baseball field is like my church,” Pulfer says. “I don’t get to go to church that often, so I treat this like my church. I come here every day, I praise the Lord because I know this is somewhere I’m going to be every day.
“I think my faith and the journey that I’m embarking on has calmed me down and matured me as a baseball player.”