Q&A with Jed Lowrie

Jed Lowrie is in the big leagues, and to the surprise of many, it's in a Red Sox uniform. Rumored to be going to Minnesota in the Johan Santana trade that ultimately didn't happen, Lowrie instead finds himself playing a key role for the team that acquired him as a supplemental first-round pick in the 2005 draft. A switch-hitting infielder out of Stanford, Lowrie made his Red Sox debut on April 15, two days before his 24th birthday, and is hitting .286/.333/.371 in 35 at-bats. David Laurila recently had the chance to sit down and ask Lowrie a few questions.

DL: You made your big league debut a few weeks ago. How did you find out that you were in the lineup?
JL: Tito told me that I was starting during the last game of the Yankees series here -- that I would be starting the first game in Cleveland . He said for me to get ready and to prepare myself. That was a good thing, because I was able to get myself ready for Cleveland and have a day to get comfortable with my surroundings before getting thrown out there on the field.

DL: What did your first big league at-bat feel like?
JL: It was kind of a culmination of all the hard work I had put in, but it was also a realization that this was the start, not the end. Just because I had made it here doesn't mean that the work stops. It's more like the beginning of what I need to do.

DL: How fast was your heart beating when you stepped in the box for the first time?
JL: Oh yeah, the nerves were there. But I get nervous before every game. It wasn't like I felt it much more than usual; it wasn't crippling.

DL: Did you go up to the plate with the intention of taking the first pitch?
JL: Yeah, but that's kind of my approach at the plate anyway. I don't go up there to take, but I want to get a good pitch to hit, so I like to see what the pitcher's got to set myself up for at-bats later in the game.

DL: You got your first hit in your third at-bat. What was that like?
JL: It was pretty exciting, especially with the situation. I came up with the bases loaded and was able to drive in two runs to put us ahead, so yeah, it was definitely exciting. The guy [Rafael Perez] threw me some tough sliders, and I was just trying to find a hole. I hit a hard ground ball that did find a hole, and, as they say, the rest is history.

DL: Was your family there for your debut?
JL: No, they actually came out to New York . For the Indians game, my mom called about 35-40 people back in Salem ( Oregon ), and they all went down to the local sports bar to watch the game on Fox Sports Ohio, or whatever it was. They all saw it there.

DL: When your name was being mentioned in the Johan Santana trade rumors, many people felt that your path to the big leagues would be shorter with the Twins. Do you find it ironic that this opportunity came so soon -- in a Red Sox uniform?
JL: Not really. It's just something where I knew going into the season, with all the veterans we have, that it might be that I'd spend the year in Triple A. It just so happened that Mikey ( Lowell ) got hurt and I got the opportunity to come up here to try to help the Red Sox win some games.

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