Al Leiter
Al Leiter
Alois "Al" Terry Leiteris a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. Leiter pitched 19 seasons in the Major Leagues for New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets. He is now a studio analyst for MLB Network and a color commentator for the YES Network and Fox Sports Florida...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth23 October 1965
CityToms River, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
This is what I was hoping for. I think the tournament is a great thing for baseball and I really wanted to be a part of it. If it ends up being the last time I pitch I would be very satisfied with that. This was one of the big reasons I decided to keep playing.
We didn't get it done, ... That was a big surprise and a feeling of shock.
Believe me, I saw my numbers last year. I'm grateful to be on the team. I know I can help.
Tom and Shirley were like Julie McCoy on the Love Boat. We'd go to their room every night for a cocktail party before dinner.
It feels good to be able to go out on your own terms. I love the game very much, but when you were a certain type of player for a few years, being a front-end starter, that's the way I still think I can pitch. But the body tells you no. It feels right. Family, kids, I'm constantly being asked when I'm coming home.
I think Joe's thing is going to be he's going to be a very Type-A kind of guy that's going to have it all covered, ... He's going to be well prepared. As a player, especially as a starting pitcher, you want your club as a whole to always feel that this game is the most important game tonight. Not only in rhetoric, but also preparation.
I was a little nothing. My brother Kurt was a lot older. Mark had three years on me. They were all better. But maybe I learned a lot in those games. We had leagues where we'd imitate big-leaguers.
I think the World Cup is going to be bigger than what a lot of people are anticipating. At this stage in my career, when there is an opportunity, albeit a small one, of being on the team, what a great way to possibly end my career.
I think there's a lot of variables and factors. Obviously, I've got to feel good, feel healthy. I have to feel as though the way I'm throwing the ball is good and effective. I have to know that if I am feeling good and throwing the ball with quality pitches, I have to feel I'm wanted or needed by the organization.
For seven years, I was in this fishbowl with this intensity, with all the stuff that went on with the Mets.
He was a rock star. The little bit of attention other guys or I would usually get would suddenly be zero. He'd be miserable but we'd be left alone.
Having been part of a few playoffs, this definitely has that feeling.
He is a guy modern players can relate to and respect because he actually played at the major-league level. He will understand the ups and downs of a major-league player and know when the time is appropriate to jump on someone and when to give a pat on the back.
Having faced a lot of these Canadian hitters, I certainly didn't think of them as patsies.