Spokane’s Tyler Olson lives the good life while pitching for the Cleveland Indians

ARLINGTON, Texas – Tyler Olson has been a father for nearly 11 months. The Spokane native and Cleveland reliever admits fatherhood has changed his life.

“It’s been awesome. Yeah, I always joke about it with my wife, he (our son) saved our lives,” Olson, 29, who also pitched at Gonzaga, said. “To really put things into perspective of what’s important, how important family is and the time that we do have, because obviously we travel a lot. I’m not home a lot of the time and even when I am, I’m resting to come in for another game. The time that we do have is really special, and we do everything we can to create a strong bond with our family.”

Olson, who was the 2013 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year as a Gonzaga senior and made his big-league debut for the Mariners in April 2015, knows he’s in a great spot with the Indians, especially after making his second consecutive opening-day roster.

A big reason why he loves playing in Cleveland is because of Indians manager Terry Francona.

“I think he creates an environment for success. He demands a lot of his players,” Olson said of Francona. “He doesn’t say a lot in that aspect, but everyone knows. Everyone knows when you come into this organization, with that type of guy as your manager, that there’s a standard with the way you’re going to play the game and respect the game, be a good teammate, show up on time.

“The culture that he’s created here, it’s really special to see what he’s done with this organization and other organizations. To see that and learn from a guy like that and just be a part of the culture that he’s created, it’s unreal.”

Olson has been with Cleveland since 2017. Francona likes the deception the University High product brings to his bullpen.

“Kind of a funky delivery with a lot of deception, especially versus lefties,” Francona said. “Two-seamer that hopefully works against righties. But he’ll face a majority (of lefties). We’ll try to have him face left-handers just because of the deception in his delivery.”

Cleveland is Olson’s fifth organization, joining the Mariners, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2013, Dodgers, Yankees and Royals. He only made 11 appearances for Seattle in 2015, but the opportunity to debut with the same team he rooted for while growing up remains a great memory.

“It was special. That was a special moment for myself and my family to be there and be a part of that,” Olson said. “Yeah, I grew up going to M’s games and watching those guys go through. To be able to start my career there was really special.”

As for his 2009-2013 tenure at Gonzaga, it’s an experience he calls “amazing.”

Whenever Olson sees any fellow Bulldogs in the big leagues, such as Mariners starter Marco Gonzalez, it’s a special occasion because he’s reminded of all the good times at Gonzaga.

“It’s awesome, because a lot of those guys I played with,” Olson said. “To see them where they’re at now and where they’re taking their careers, when we started as young kids in college trying to figure it out there. Then to actually figure out at this level, it’s really special to follow each other and check in on each other to see how everyone is doing.”

“Blessed” might be the best way to characterize Olson’s life. After growing up in Spokane, leaving for California and returning to Spokane, he stayed close to home to pitch at Gonzaga. He made his big-league debut for his favorite team, the Mariners, and is now entrenched in the Cleveland bullpen. He’s a relatively new father who gets to play the game he loves.

In short, life is good for the veteran southpaw.

“It (baseball) is a job, but the reason that I started this ‘job’ is because I love it. I love this game,” Olson said. “I love every part about it – the camaraderie with the guys. We’re with each other a lot. I’m with these guys more than my wife. That says something with the closeness that you can have with the team. That’s something that no one can take away from you. To be able to come and play a game as a job, it’s unreal, to have that opportunity. You never take anything for granted – show up and work hard every day and just enjoy every moment you have.”