The Southwest Voice

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Sixty feet. That’s the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate. At first, it doesn’t seem so far — a very tall baseball player could probably cover the ground in 20 steps.

But to one major league pitcher, it took many steps, a little adversity and a huge amount of heart to get where he needed to be — and the journey began right here in Southwest Bakersfield.

Phillip Dumatrait, 26, grew up in Bakersfield, graduated from Ridgeview High School in 1999 and hoped — but had no real idea — that a professional baseball career was ahead of him. At Ridgeview, he was a four-year starter on varsity and was selected to the all-area team as an outfielder, while he also led Kern County in several categories for pitching.

Local teammates will say that Dumatrait was at the baseball field all the time working on his game, whether it was at Ridgeview, the Southwest Baseball diamonds, the Bakersfield Baseball Academy or Bakersfield College.

No one can argue that it has paid off.

The Boston Red Sox liked his work ethic. So did the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he is now in the starting rotation. 

Although it has been a long and sometimes arduous journey from the baseball fields of Ridgeview to the glistening lights of PNC Park in Pittsburgh, it has been a trip that this local baseball product is happy to have taken. There have been successes and setbacks along the way, but with each day that passes, Dumatrait knows that he is on his way to a successful major league career.

  Still a hometown boy, the 6 feet 2 inches pitcher remains Bakersfield-relaxed –– humble and unassuming –– as he sat down for this interview. It was approaching 9 p.m. in Los Angeles, where Dumatrait and the Pirates were in town to take on the L.A. Dodgers.

From the streets of Bakersfield to the pinnacle of baseball, Phillip reminisced about his journey as he ordered his food and talked about playing baseball in Bakersfield.

“I loved playing baseball at Ridgeview. I still talk to some of the guys that I played with, and some of them even came up to San Francisco last year when we played the Giants. Those guys are amazing teammates, and we are still great friends,” said Dumatrait.

Dumatrait laughed about old high school stories, and when asked about how he felt when received the phone call about being drafted, he said it was a moment he would never forget.

“It was surreal. It didn’t hit me until I was leaving for spring training that I was actually drafted,” Dumatrait said. “I can’t describe the feeling I had when I got the call. It’s one of those moments that words can’t describe.”

While there are many successes for Dumatrait, he has also endured a 12- to 18-month rehabilitation program after a career-threatening Tommy John surgery — a procedure to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow — and a less than stellar first year in the big-leagues.

“I think it’s important for young kids to know that everyone struggles at some point, but they also need to know to learn from those struggles so that they can succeed in the future,” said Dumatrait.

Dumatrait’s young professional sports career has already seen several ups and downs that would shake the confidence of most people, but Dumatrait takes them in stride and keeps working hard.

He is conscious of his own hard work, but Dumatrait is also quick to give credit to those who helped him along the way.

“I could not have done this alone. I have played for so many great coaches and trainers over the years. I have worked with Bobby Maitia since I was a kid, and we have become great friends as I have gotten older. During the off season, I still go to his school to long toss and work on mechanics,” Dumatrait said.

Dumatrait’s father, Jerry Dumatrait, said he always knew his son had the tools and the drive to succeed.

“I don’t think there was ever a thought in his mind that he would not succeed. He has wanted to be a baseball player since he was 4 years old, and I don’t think anything could stop him from living his dream,” said the elder Dumatrait.

In the off season, prior to the 2008 season, Dumatrait was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He views this opportunity as a breath of fresh air.

“I was so excited ... I wanted a chance to make the team out of spring training, and they gave me that opportunity.”

After making the move from starter to long reliever back to starter again, Dumatrait has proven that he has what it takes to survive the long walk through professional baseball.

A long walk that began with his first step right here in Southwest Bakersfield.