BOSTON – Talk about anticlimatic.
Bret Saberhagen, once one of the best pitchers in the game, has been reduced to an afterthought. He’s the guy who will pitch for the Red Sox the day after Pedro Martinez. And Saberhagen’s ego is completely OK with the situation.
“Put it this way,” Saberhagen said of yesterday’s Martinez-Roger Clemens game 3 showdown. “If I didn’t have a ticket to this game today, I would definitely sneak in to see the game. Yeah, this is a dream matchup today. A guy that did so much for Boston and pitched so many great games here. Now he has got the Pinstripes on and he is an enemy. This game would still be a dream matchup if it was at Yankee Stadium, but I think there is a lot more meaning and a lot more feeling being in Fenway. So, yeah, I am going to sit back and enjoy this game today very much.”
Tonight Saberhagen’s enjoyment will have to come at the Yankees’ expense. He’ll start for the Red Sox and face Andy Pettitte in Game 4.
Saberhagen and Pettitte have both had their struggles this season. Pettitte’s was in his head. He struggled with his command, overthinking and then overthrowing.
Saberhagen’s troubles have been physical. Twice he was placed on the DL this season with shoulder trouble. In May of 1996, Saberhagen had career-ending threatening surgery on his right shoulder. He missed the entire season and was signed by the Sox as a free agent on Dec. 9th
He pitched in just six games in 1997, but last season Saberhagen returned to go 15-8 with a 3.98 ERA. He was 10-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 22 games this season. And he treasures each start more than he did early in his career.
“I think I appreciate pitching a lot more and playing professional baseball a lot more than I did when I was younger,” said Saberhagen. “It was always a gift that I had to play baseball. Once I was hurting, it was taken away. I really realized that God gave me this special gift to play baseball and I appreciate the game a lot more because I know what it takes to play at the major league level and how tough it is. I guess you could say I am more of a fan now of baseball than I was.”
And Red Sox manager Jimy Williams is a fan of the Babylon resident.
“He is a warrior,” said Williams. “He is a kid that he relishes the moment now I think maybe as much or more than when he was healthy as a youngster because he understands that maybe, he could have not been pitching again.”
Saberhagen will pitch today against Pettitte. It won’t be Martinez-Clemens. For Saberhagen, just taking the mound is good enough.