EYES FOR SAN FRANCISCO

DEREK HOLLAND KNEW A WELCOMING CLUBHOUSE FOR A GUY WITH A FUN-LOVING — AND SOMETIMES OFFBEAT — SENSE OF HUMOR WHEN HE SAW ONE. WHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A VETERAN PITCHER TO CONTINUE HIS CAREER RESURRECTION?

BY KERRY CROWLEY

Farhan Zaidi got his guy. No, not Bryce Harper. Derek Holland, of course. Holland is back with the Giants on a one-year deal, and the offbeat left-hander with a big heart didn’t want it any other way.

Holland, 32, earned the wordplay nickname “Dutch Oven” (Holland...Dutch... get it?) early in a career that began with the Texas Rangers. Like any good athlete who is quirky by nature, Holland has a few distinguishing traits that give him away — a passion for professional wrestling, funky postgame T-shirts and impersonations (he’s known to do mean renditions of Kermit The Frog and Harry Carey), for starters. Before he heads back to the starting rotation, we took a few minutes in Arizona to tackle those topics and more.

QYou said early on last year that you hoped to return to the Giants in free agency. What influenced that decision?

AJust being able to be here with the veteran guys and the teammates, you felt very comfortable. That’s the best way I can put it. It was just a great place to be. The environment was awesome, the fans were great, and the staff was easy to work with. I just felt like there was something special about this place, and I wanted to come back and do it again.

QYou moved to the left side of the rubber last year. How did that make you a better pitcher?

AThe big thing is being more deceptive and making the pitches look a little more similar to each other. I’m not too sure, but I saw the success, the confidence rose with it.

QA lot of starters wouldn’t have been comfortable moving to the bullpen like you did in the middle of last year. Why was that so easy for you?

AFor a team like the Giants to pick me up, I felt like I owe it to them. They gave me a second chance to redeem myself and then on top of it, they had a strong group of starters to begin with. So for me to be able to get into that rotation, I felt like if I get to stay here, I’m going to do whatever I can. If I get to go to the bullpen and help, fine, I’m going to do it. I made sure whatever the situation was, I was going to give everything I had. Because it’s more about the team than it is yourself.

QYou have your 60-foot, 6-inch Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about that and why it’s important to you?

AIt’s very important to me because it benefits pediatric cancer patients. Experiencing it was something that was hard for me. There was a little kid and his name was Briggs Berry who inspired me to really get into it. I always went to the hospital with the Rangers and saw kids on Christmas, and it’s tough because those kids that you’re seeing are going through so much, and it changes your view on a lot of things. I met several kids, and it was going to be their last Christmas and to walk in there and try to take them away from it. It’s kind of what inspired me to do Kermit the Frog. No kid should ever have to deal with those kinds of things.

QWe know you’re one of the biggest WWE fans around. How did your interest in that start?

AIt’s an entertainment thing, and to me, it’s perfect for what’s going on in the world right now. It takes us away from that, and it shows that anyone can do anything that can entertain people. You’ve got the bad guys, the good guys, you’ve got everything, and that’s what it’s all about. Taking people away, a distraction. I’ve been inspired by it. Meeting these guys and seeing what they go through, it’s a literal grind for them, 24/7. I started the whole WWE thing, giving the belts away to kids, because I sat next to John Cena’s Make-A-Wish kid and I saw he didn’t have a belt, so I got him a belt and we continued to keep doing that. It’s been a tradition of mine. I wanted to keep doing it and not being noticed, but it’s a cool feeling that you get caught because at the end of the day, it’s all about putting a smile on a kid’s face. It ties into my charity, and that’s what I want. We’re taking them away from something and letting them have something big.

QYou guys had a huge group of gamers in the clubhouse last year. What are you guys playing this spring?

AD-Rod and me play a lot together; we just played Grand

Theft Auto. We do a lot of streaming. I stream at Dutch_Oven45 on Twitch, and we literally game all the time. That’s our big thing; it’s a bonding thing for most guys and especially the young guys. Keeping them relaxed. To me, it’s bonding. We do dinners and stuff like that, but something else that helped with the decision to come back here was because of the gaming and the bonding that these guys have. There’s not a bad person in this clubhouse. We all get along, we all hang out with each other. That’s what’s huge.

QTo bring it back to baseball, you’re a switch-hitting pitcher. How did that start?

AWhen I was in high school, I was an outfielder. I pitched, but everybody did, and I loved playing outfield. My dad thought, “Why not try to be a switch-hitter?” So I took it and we ran with that. I get worn out because I’m a switch-hitter and I don’t really hit, but I don’t want to change it because that’s just who I am. I’m going to be who I am. I’m going to be different. I take the time and I work on it with Alonzo Powell and I take pride in it. I know I’m not very good at it, but I have fun with it and that’s the whole purpose. I know Kruk and Kuip always wear me out, but if you can’t have fun with it and can’t embrace it, you’re not in the right profession. I’m going to be who I am because that’s what works for me. I’m not going to be Mr. Serious, even though I’m serious when I pitch, but you’ve got to be who you are. The one thing I’ve always learned, and that’s what inspired me with Briggs Berry, was live your life and be who you are and don’t try to be somebody that you’re not. On top of that, don’t try to compare yourself to somebody else. Compare yourself to what you were yesterday and be better than that. If you can do that, you’re going to live a happy life and be fine.

Derek Holland likes to bond with his younger teammates by playing video games in the clubhouse. They even like to stream their battles live via Twitch.