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
We were in a bad spot going to Game 5, ... And we put ourselves in a bad moment. But everybody felt good about what the outcome should have been or what we thought it would have been. I don't want to say (the plane ride was) sad. But it was about as depressing a room as I've ever seen.
I knew yesterday was the day, because everybody was leaving today. I knew I had a chance.
You put deadlines on people you really don't want, because that's how you feel about them.
The pitcher setting up the batter. It's chess, and you play with it.
I like starting. It's pretty cool.
I did not want to leave the Mets and I did not want to leave New York.
Announcers don't do enough of the cat-and-mouse strategy and all the work that goes into it. You watch a broadcast and guys get the pitches wrong.
Pitches are like pages of a book; they're so important. The chess game; how I set you up early, and how I'll do it differently later.
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 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.
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.
Who knows after this is up what happens.