Spokane Indians fans will be seeing double
In one way, the Spokane Indians of 2014 will mirror the Spokane Indians of 2013. Indians relief pitcher Ryan Ledbetter is the identical twin of David Ledbetter, who was a starting pitcher for Spokane last season. Read story
When reflecting on his first year as a professional, Ryan said he had to quickly set aside his college mode.
"It just takes some getting used to and really kind of listening to coaches," Ryan said. "Whereas in college, you kind of play your own game, especially if you go to a small school like David and I did. We kind of did what we wanted, in a way. We got away with a lot of things that you wouldn’t get away with here."
The more serious outlook appealed to Ryan, who turned 22 years old in February.
"It was a settled-down kind of phase: This is my job now, and these are the things I have to do," he said.
The topic of consistency comes up frequently when Ryan speaks. He said pitchers can't back down and nibble against any batter, as throwing strikes is always the No. 1 way to succeed.
"Say I hit (the strike zone) five out of 10 times (last year), now I have to do it seven out of 10 times," he said. … "In this game, you never really know where you’re going for sure."
