Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter
Christopher John "Chris" Carpenteris an American retired professional baseball starting pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseballfor the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals from 1997 to 2012. A Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion, he was also a three-time All-Star selection. In addition, he was twice named the Sporting News National League Pitcher of the Year, and voted for a number of Comeback Player of the Year awards for surmounting injury...
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth27 April 1975
CityExeter, NH
I thought I was pulling off the ball. I was trying to make the adjustment. I would, and then I'd throw a few pitches to a hitter, and then go right back to it again. So it was just one of those days. For some reason I wasn't able to make the consistent adjustment to keep me where I needed to be, and I battled.
I thought I was able to match pitches when I had to.
I'm sitting watching, thinking that they've got the best closer in the game on the mound and we have the best hitter in the game at the plate. It was an unbelievable feeling.
We have three games left. It's going to be a big weekend closing the stadium. But I think guys are eager and ready to get going, and I'm one of them.
I can only control what I can control and that's go out and try to make pitches and keep my team in the game and give them a chance to win. So that's all I'm going to do.
I got my work in and I'm ready to go. I kept the ball down.
I didn't make very many good pitches in the second inning,
I'd lie if I don't say that it crosses my mind, ... But those are the things that I might think about for about 30 seconds, and then get rid of them. Because all that is, is stuff in your head that you don't need to think about.
I was so locked in the whole season and then we clinched, and there were some other things going on that you start looking ahead, ... By keeping myself fresh and staying healthy to get me through the end of the season you lose that little edge.
Oh yeah. I knew. I got a little careless in the sixth with the catcher there, throwing him a bunch of breaking balls in a row. That's why it's so hard to do it. I wasn't concerned about it. I wanted to win the game, and we did.
Shows consistency. But that's what my goal is: trying to be consistent as often as I can. I've said this (before): If you go out and be consistent and give this team a chance to win with the defense, offense and bullpen we have, we're going to win a lot of games.
Since the time in Oakland to now he's become a different pitcher. Now he pitches. He's thinking about location. He's thinking about the count. He's thinking about working the hitter. He's not just thinking about heaving the ball as hard as he can.
I love competing against a guy like him, ... I know him pretty well and I know the type of person he is, and he is going to give everything he's got. It was a well-played game, and it was fun to have Roger out there.
I hate losing, never mind losing that way, not being able to make an adjustment and get the ball down in the strike zone. It's just an angry, disgusting, embarrassing feeling.