Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwellis an American former professional baseball first baseman and coach who spent his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseballplaying career with the Houston Astros. Originally, the Boston Red Sox selected him from the University of Hartford as a third baseman in the fourth round of the 1989 amateur draft. The Red Sox traded Bagwell to the Astros in 1990; the next season he made his MLB debut and was named the National LeagueRookie of the Year. The NL Most...
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth27 May 1968
CityBoston, MA
It's just a natural progression right now. I'm throwing a little bit between innings and getting my at-bats.
It was awesome. I can't imagine the fans being any better than they've been. ... I couldn't have appreciated it any more. It's sad for it to happen like this, but it made me feel that way.
It's very important to be there, ... He's been a friend of mine 15 years, and it goes beyond baseball. We stayed friends beyond baseball. He was a great man, and we owe it to him to be there.
I want him on the mound tomorrow night. He's one of the main reasons why we're here. Things happen every once in a while. I'm sure it's going to be the last time you see that.
I want him on the mound tomorrow night.
It's amazing, right down to both being hurt. I understand what he's going through, because I've gone through a lot of the same things. You don't really feel a part of it.
It kills me that I can't play now, ... I think the best chance for me to play again is to do the surgery.
It's difficult. It's probably the most difficult thing to do in the game. You're just thrust into a situation where the game speeds up real quick. When you play every day, it's easy to slow it down. It's been a difficult adjustment.
I told Phil I don't want this to be a charity case or sentimental pick. That's not what Phil is about. He's a standup guy and he's going to be honest with me. This is what he wanted. He wanted me to be here and he wanted me to get an opportunity to play, because he thinks I can do something.
When I came back, we decided to give it a try and see how I would do. I told them: I can give you a good at bat and I think I can help the team. I can hit a home run now. I can get a base hit to right field. I'm just a lot stronger -- and I've been in these situations, runners in scoring position.
I threw 20 balls and took about 15 swings on videotape and went and saw Dr. Andrews, who was a heck of a trouper for seeing me in his hospital bed after a heart attack. We had a good conversation. He examined me, and that's about the extent of it right now.
When you're playing in his games, ... it seems like you raise your intensity a little bit, because you don't want to make a mistake behind him.
Over any short period, pitching can carry a team. We've got the kind of pitching than can give you the chance to win game after game after game.
There's been a lot of business decisions that have been made over time,