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 think guys are ready to go. I think guys are ready to start the games that count, competing for real. We take the field here and we want to win, but making it worth something. I think guys are ready to go.
Each start is a new start, a new game, ... I can't take anything from the last game into this next one except to continue to try to throw strikes down in the strike zone. I feel like my stuff is pretty good and I feel like I was able to control counts and I'm going to try to do that again.
It's huge. We need Jimmy in the lineup every day to come out there and compete every day and be a big part of that offense, never mind his defensive play. It was nice to see him back in there and doing what he did today. Hopefully we can get him on track and he can start feeling better.
Obviously, it's a big number, ... But I've got five (starts) left, I think, the rest of the season. I'll start getting prepared for New York on Wednesday.
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.
He fits in good. Sidney has a lot of fun. He brings that aspect to the other four of us in the rotation. He makes us enjoy being together a little bit more. We're the more serious types. He's definitely a different guy when he comes to the park and it's his day to pitch. He's serious, and you know he's ready for his day. But in between starts he keeps us laughing. It's fun to have him around. Everybody in here is pulling for him. When you're around him, you can see he's a nice guy, and he's here to compete and win.
I actually enjoy pitching here. It's a nice place. I like the park. The mound is good. If you start concerning yourself with that short wall in left, the next thing you know, you go away from your game. They still have got to hit it out there.
I felt good. I definitely felt better than my last two starts mechanically. My sinker was better. My cutter was better. My command was better. What allowed me to finish the game was taking the ninth like it was the first. If you rush through the ninth trying to get outs, you're not going to complete that game.
You can't take the results from your last start into your next one. You have to prepare differently and prepare yourself to go out and execute pitches.
You can say whatever you want. The results weren't there but ... we've pitched well all year and we've got five veteran guys ready to go out and compete. I don't see any difference when we start the series. I think we've got guys who are going to be prepared to come out and pitch. You get to a certain point in the season with 2 1/2 weeks left. Granted, as a competitor the games mean a lot to you. You want to go out and win and do well. But we clinched and there was nothing on the line anymore.
You can say whatever you want, ... The results weren't there but ... we've pitched well all year and we've got five veteran guys ready to go out and compete. I don't see any difference when we start the series. I think we've got guys who are going to be prepared to come out and pitch. You get to a certain point in the season with 2 1/2 weeks left. Granted, as a competitor the games mean a lot to you. You want to go out and win and do well. But we clinched and there was nothing on the line anymore.
When I was out there in the sixth, my hands and my fingers started cramping up, ... The same thing happened when I went up to hit.
We have a solid staff and we have five guys that have experience and know how to pitch. It's going to be a fun year. We've still got to go out and play the games, but we have the potential. We'll see how it plays out.
When you're trying to learn and establish yourself and be consistent in the major leagues, it's hard to do that with the amount of pressure everybody from the outside is putting on you. But obviously all three of us were able to continue to be successful, move on and do the things everybody expected us to be able to do.