It wasn’t for a lack of trying on Quintana’s part. He’s long established himself as one of the most consistent fundamental pitchers in the game. But what kept him from reaching 10 victories for so long was the fact that the White Sox only average 3.6 runs when he takes the mound. That put Quintana in some tight spots over the years. Out of 144 career starts, almost a third of those games were no-decisions. The good thing is that Quintana never let that discourage him and he kept working on what only he could control. And his patience has now paid off.
“I keep doing my preparation and working hard every time I go to the mound. And now I have my first 10-win season,” said Quintana about staying the course.
In reaching this plateau, Quintana is only the second Colombian pitcher to get double-digit wins in a season. The aforementioned Teheran has done it twice already. Considering soccer is king in their homeland, Quintana is proud to show that Colombians can play baseball as well.
“It’s good for my country,” Quintana says about making a statement for Colombian baseball. He continued, “(Teheran) and me we’ve done a good job being at this level. That’s important for us especially when (Colombians) don’t have too many pitchers at this level.”
How does Quintana feel about the possibility of inspiring future generations of Colombian baseball players? “It’s a good feeling,” he says.
Hopefully for the White Sox, this could be the start of bigger things to come for Quintana.