In 2008, Kevin Russo was named the Trenton Thunder Fan Favorite. The Colorado native hit .307 with two home runs and 33 RBI in 71 games, and came back from two health scares that season — he missed significant time after being struck in the face by a batting practice ground ball, and was taken out of the lineup early in the season after blood tests revealed the platelet count in his blood was too low.
After a standout season in Scranton in 2009, in which his .326 average was third best in the International League, Russo again began 2010 in Triple-A, but was optimistic that he would have an opportunity in the big leagues when I spoke to him in April.
I visited with Russo and Colin Curtis at Coca-Cola Park in Buffalo just two months ago. It was freezing cold, there were maybe 2,000 people in the stands, seagulls were flying low over the stadium, and Scranton got shut out. Not a good day. Just a month and a half later, however, Russo had been summoned to the big leagues. At least for now, his days of small crowds and minor league spreads are over…
I recently was able to catch up with the 25-year-old infielder in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse. Here’s how the conversation went…
Mike Ashmore: The last time we talked, you were playing in front of a handful of people on a freezing cold day. Now, you’ve got around 50,000 people watching your every move at Yankee Stadium…can you take me through the moment you first found out you were coming up to the big leagues?
Kevin Russo: “It was crazy. It’s what you sit there and work for your whole life. You sit and wait for that moment, and it finally came. It was a great feeling. I’ve been having a great time so far. Miley called me into the office and said, ‘Hey, get your stuff together, you’re going to New York,’ That’s basically how it happens. It was right after a game.”
Ashmore: Were you surprised at all?
Russo: “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t ask any questions, I just got my stuff ready and went. (Laughs) But yeah, I was definitely a little surprised.”
Ashmore: Whether it be on the field or off the field…is there anything that you weren’t expecting up here? Anything surprising?
Russo: “I knew there was going to be a lot of media. I knew that coming in, they explained that to us. I’ve seen it in spring training, so I kind of knew the atmosphere a little bit, but this is obviously a different world. I’m still learning stuff every day. I couldn’t even tell you some of the things. It’s been great so far.”
Ashmore: Is there any sense of…not necessarily being awestruck, but being a little overwhelmed when you first got up here, or does spring training kind of help out with that?
Russo: “I think spring definitely helps. But at the same time, it’s twice as much during the regular season…but still, you get a little bit prepared for it during spring training, which is good, it’s a good start. I don’t know if I could say I was prepared for it, but I knew what was going to happen when I came in.”
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com
