Meredith’s bonus in deal: being near home

BALTIMORE Cla Meredith was about to be uprooted again.

He was sitting on a couch in the San Diego Padres' office, where all he knew was that he had been traded. It shouldn't have come as a surprise -- the life of any major-league baseball player is nomadic, especially for a middle reliever with a unique sidearm throw.

This time was different, though. He had made a second home in San Diego and gotten to know his teammates. He had a 5-month-old daughter, Addy.

As those thoughts spun in his head, General Manager Kevin Towers entered the room.

"I think you're going to like this one, Cla," he said.

It was time for Meredith to return home.

. . .

It's been one month since the Baltimore Orioles traded for Meredith. He started with four straight appearances in which he didn't allow a run, but leveled off to a 4.73 ERA after a rough week against AL West competition.

Just as important, Baltimore is only a few hours from his home in the Fan District, where he spends his offseasons in what he describes as the ideal town.

"It's amazing how you can drive through the hustle and bustle of D.C. and Northern Virginia, and you get south of Fredericksburg, and it all just stops," he said.

Growing up, he remembers watching the Orioles on the Home Team Sports network -- he even remembers the channel, 24 -- though like most Richmonders, he was more of a Braves fan.

His career started at Meadowbrook High School, where he pitched for former major leaguer Johnny Grubb. He was the only sophomore to make the varsity team, but when it came time for college, he wasn't a hot recruit.

Grubb put in some calls at VCU, where he was accepted, and he started to grow as a pitcher with the Rams.

He still keeps in touch with people at the university, and during the offseason, he can be seen attending basketball games and working out in the campus weight room.

"It's wonderful to have him around. It's the sort of alumni connection that we want," VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague said. "He's a real down-to-earth individual, very approachable."

. . .

Cla Meredith has batted three times in his major-league career, though one of those was a Hall of Fame at-bat.

In 2006, he pitched the top of the seventh inning for the Padres against the Pirates. When his turn came up in the batting order, manager Bruce Bochy asked him if he could bunt.

"I had never had a major-league at-bat, but I said that yeah, I could figure it out," Meredith said.

He did, executing a sacrifice bunt, then retiring the side in the eighth. That cleared the way for Trevor Hoffman to get his 479th save, a major-league record. The scorecard from that game is on display in Cooperstown.

That's not the only unorthodox thing about Meredith. His sidearm delivery is unique, starting with pulling his arm back as if he were bowling, then flexing his elbow 90 degrees, keeping the hitter from seeing the ball until just before it is released.

It's a style that works best from the bullpen, providing a jolt to batters who have hit against a conventional pitcher for several innings.

"He's got a great sinker, and is a guy who can pitch multiple innings in a row," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He's done a nice job for us."

. . .

Last Thursday, Meredith experienced one of the benefits of living in Baltimore. During the team's off day, he returned home to Richmond for the first time since February.

"It meant the world to me to just sit down and be able to read the metro section of my own city's paper," he said. "When you live a lifestyle where you get taken away from home, you find out you take these things for granted."

During the offseason, he's an avid golfer, playing his rounds at Glenwood Golf Club ("They'll love it if you give them a shout-out," he says as he divulges his strategy of "just bombing it with the driver" on the wide-open course).

Those days may be in the past, though, as he adapts to life with a baby girl in the house.

While nothing is permanent in baseball, he's going to enjoy being close to home with Baltimore for as long as he can, giving Meredith more opportunities to return to the city he loves.

"It's home. It's the people, and my family," he said. "It's all I've ever known, really."

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546