Bedard welcomes ‘great opportunity' with Sox

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By Sean McAdam
CSNNE.com Red Sox InsiderFollow @sean_mcadam
BOSTON -- If, as has been specualted, Erik Bedard has little appetite for pitching in a big market, he did an excellent job hiding that fact in his introductory press conference in Boston.

"This is a great opportunity," said Bedard, obtained from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline. "I jumped from last place to first place in a heartbeat. It's fun. I'm just going to come here, do the best I can, try to win ballgames and help the team win . . . I'm happy to be here."

The chance to take part in the postseason for the first time "means the world. You play this game to be in the playoffs, and be in a World Series and win a World Series. It's a great opportunity and I'll do the best I can."

Having pitched in relatively small markets (Baltimore and Seattle), Bedard said it won't be much of an adjustment coming to Boston, where media coverage is omnipresent and fan expectations are greater.

"When you're on the mound," he said, "you just do what you can. Adjustments? I don't think you have to change what you do, day-in, day-out and try to help the team win."

Bedard labeled Fenway his "favorite park in the big leagues . . . the atmosphere, the fans feel so close. It's just a nice ballpark."

The lefty has spent the last nine years in the big leagues pitching for teams way out of contention -- five seasons in Baltimore and the last three in Seattle.

The prospect of pitching for a team with championship designs is clearly invigorating for him.

"For everybody," said Bedard, "to be in a playoff race and be on a contending team is what you want to accomplish being a baseball player. I think it will be fun."

Bedard described the days leading up to the deadline as relatively routine.

"I didn't think anything about it until Sunday minutes before the deadline," he said. "It usually takes time to get a trade done. I was looking at the clock to see where I was going. Thirty seconds before the deadline struck, I got traded."

Returning to the American League East "brings back memories. It's closer to home and travel is way better here than in the geographically-isolated Pacific Northwest."

Bedard spent much of the previous five weeks on the disabled list with a knee injury, but said he's recovered.

"Right now," he said, "I don't have any concerns."

After throwing just 57 pitches in his last start on Friday, it will take him some time to build up his pitch count. He expects to throw 80 or so pitches Thursday in his first start for the Sox, then graduate to the 100-pitch level in his next outing.

"Regaining control might take a game or two," he said. "But I felt good. That's pretty much the bottom line."

"With Erik," said Terry Francona, "we understand with him we're going to have to be a little bit slow here. He pitched a game in the major leagues after being activated, probably for obvious trade-showcase reasons, probably before he was ready to pitch. He probably should have been on a rehab assignment. We're going to try to ramp him up.

"We obivously need to win games. But we have to look at the big picture, that we want him to be at his best coming into September and hopefully, moving forward . . .He might not be at peak efficiency yet."

Bedard said he was unfamiliar with most of his new teammates, citing John Lackey (who pitched in the A.L. West with him for two seasons) and Darnell McDonald (with whom he played in the Orioles' minor-league system) as the only players he knew well.

"It will take time to get to know everybody," he said. "Hopefully, I don't screw up any names."

He said he expects to quickly familiarize himself with catchers Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia along with pitching coach Curt Young, but expects the transition period to be brief."

Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam

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