Derek Holland has pitched in dozens of Cactus League games, but the 30-year-old left-hander said he still felt “butterflies” as he went out for his first as a White Sox starter Thursday.
“I felt like I got my pregame routine done in, like, 30 seconds, I was so excited to be out there,” Holland said. “But these guys have done a good job keeping me comfortable, keeping me grounded.”
Holland signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Sox in December, and he’s trying to put together his first fully healthy season since 2013, when he made 33 starts and pitched 213 innings. Since then, he has battled knee and shoulder problems, topping out at 107 1/3 innings in 22 appearances last year with the Rangers.
“I’m past it,” Holland said of the injuries. “I always turn the page on that. You’ve got to worry about the present and not the past. Overall I feel really strong, very good. I was telling (pitching coach Don Cooper) it feels really good over here.”
Holland pitched two scoreless innings against the Giants, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the second by getting Jimmy Rollins to pop out. He said he was most disappointed with his two walks to lefty hitters.
“I don’t feel like there was really bad command, it was more the rushing,” Holland said. “If I slow that down, which that’s what we need to work on, I feel very confident with what we’ve got.”
