Mainieri hopes Wild Thing makes his pitches sing in return to LSU bullpen

Life does indeed imitate art.

Or is it the other way around?

Thirty years ago, the movie league “Major League” hit theatres. A fictionalized version of the Cleveland Indians, the film had a cast of characters such as pitcher Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn, a convicted felon on work release who was at his best throwing unhittable fastballs.

Five years after the original came the sequel “Major League II.” One of the story lines was Vaughn decided to change his image off and on the field, the latter where he began throwing more curveballs and getting hammered by opposing batters.

By the end of the movie, Vaughn realized he needed to become his old self, the fastball-flinging “Wild Thing.

So with all that in mind. . .

Zack “Wild Thing” Hess 2017, meet Zack “Mild Thing” Hess 2019.

For almost two full baseball seasons after then-LSU freshman closer “Wild Thing” Hess was the talk of the Tigers’ College World Series in Omaha, he has diligently worked to become LSU’s Friday night starter in the weekly three-game SEC series.

A Friday starter is the bell cow of the pitching staff, the team’s most consistent hurler, someone who’s going to deliver at least six innings and maybe seven innings of virtually flawless throwing.

How important are first-game wins in SEC series?

In the five seasons under Tigers’ coach Paul Mainieri when LSU advanced to the College World Series, the Tigers won 59.6 percent of their SEC series first games. And in the seven years LSU didn’t make it to the CWS, they won just 42.8 percent of their league series openers.

Mainieri enjoyed a long string of outstanding Friday night starters, such as Alex Lange in 2015-17 (30-9 in 53 starts), Aaron Nola from 2012-14 (30-6 in 49 starts including 23-2 his last two seasons) and Louis Coleman in 2006-09 (36 starts, 29-15).

Notice that in the two-year gap in 2010 and 2011 when Mainieri didn’t have a definite Friday night starter, the Tigers were knocked out of the ’10 NCAA tourney regionals and didn’t earn a postseason berth in ’11.

In the last two seasons since Lange was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs, Hess is 9-9 in 26 LSU starts including 2-3 with 4.65 earned run average in 10 starts this season.

Hess’ shortage of success isn’t from a lack of work ethic. Teammates and coaches vouch he’s one of the most tireless workers in the team.

“I’ve worked as hard as I can at this role,” Hess said Wednesday as the No. 9 Tigers (29-16 overall,13-8 SEC) prepared for a key SEC home series against West Division rival No. 13 Ole Miss (30-16, 13-8) starting Friday night in Alex Box Stadium. “The bottom line is my style just isn’t a fit.”

So Mainieri and Hess are in agreement he's going back to his Wild Thing comfort zone as a reliever.

As a closer, “Wild Thing” Hess stayed true to what caught the eyes of major league scouts as an aggressive flame-thrower with a bulldog mentality. Knowing he would throw two innings at the most, he could rare back with his cannon right arm and throw 97 miles per hour fastballs and dancing sliders.

As a starter, “Mild Thing” Hess had to tamp down the assertive mound presence, understanding he had to pace himself because the goal was to stay in the game as long as possible.

“My style of pitching, my tempo and what I need to do to be successful fits a reliever,” Hess said. “I’m not good at pacing myself. When the game is on the line, I just need to put my foot at the gas pedal. That’s when I’m at my best.”

So why did it take so long for Hess to realize this and approach Mainieri early last week about the change that Mainieri also began considering?

Pride.

Every athlete has notions they are less than if they aren’t a starter. Though coaches often tell their players that it’s who finishes a game and not who starts that ultimately counts, any athlete worth their competitive spirit has a problem accepting that.

Until they finally see the light, as Hess did ironically after one of his best performances of the season in March. It happened when he struck out nine and walked no batters in eight flawless innings of LSU’s series-opening 1-0 win at No 11 Georgia.

But he didn’t feel dominant, not like he was as a freshman when he appeared in eight of LSU’s 12 NCAA tourney games and was darned near perfect until Florida’s national title clinching win when he allowed four runs in three hits in 2.1 innings. Until that point in the tourney in eight innings spread over seven appearances, he had given up one run on three hits with 18 strikeouts and just four walks.

That postseason remains Hess’ gold standard. He looked at those numbers, considered his two-year stats as a starter and knew what he had to do.

Retire “Mild Thing." Bring back “Wild Thing."

“It’s become evident to me that does it really matter to be that starting pitcher?” Hess said. “Why not be what you’re best at? My best outings and the best parts of my career have been when coming out of the bullpen.”

Mainieri, who almost made the change last week until freshman starter Cole Henry was sidelined by a sore arm, isn’t hesitating any longer even if Henry is also out for this weekend.

Hess will be back in the bullpen and ready to roar.

“I’m all for it if this gives our team a jolt,” Hess said.

With three remaining SEC regular series, it’s what Mainieri is counting on.

“I want him to go back to who he is,” Mainieri said, “which is the Wild Thing.”