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
It feels nice to get zeros and get a win. You go out there to execute pitches and give your team a chance to win and I was able to do it all day.
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.
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 had command of my sinker, command of my cutter, command of my breaking ball, and I was able to throw it where I wanted to throw it, ... I kept them off balance all night. We got some nice defensive plays, a couple nice defensive plays. It was a well-played game all around.
I thought early on I got away with a couple pitches, but we made some nice defensive plays.
It was a strange night. I put good swings on two balls and hit them hard. It was nice, but it would have been nice to win.
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.
It is an honor. It's an honor to be a part of this group. This season was an incredible season. Personally it was good, but team-wise we didn't get to where we wanted to get. I'm looking forward to 2006 and hopefully having the opportunity to do it again.
I saw his dedication and his work and what he took to the mound, and I didn't know how to apply it. This year I've been able to apply a lot of the things I saw.
I sat there watching him pitch those two years in Toronto (in 1997 and '98) and it was amazing,
I sat here and told my wife I didn't want to do it anymore, ... I didn't think I could go through the (shoulder) surgery.
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.
I sure do have my work cut out for me. Hopefully my tools are still dry. Once the city gets power, it's on.
I thought I kept the ball down in the strike zone,