NewsRight place, time for Pudge's moment
On verge of milestone in Arlington, catcher proving longevity
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
06/15/09 3:33 PM ET
In the middle of his 2,225th game behind the plate, Ivan Rodriguez defined himself. That's a little late in a life spent behind the mask for a revelation. Yet a career perhaps misunderstood, and certainly underappreciated, suddenly came into focus. |
With an 0-and-2 count on Arizona's Felipe Lopez in the fifth inning on Sunday, Houston right-hander Brian Moehler snapped off a breaking pitch that bounced in front of the plate and short-hopped under Rodriguez's spread legs.
Rodriguez immediately doubled over in agony, maintaining that position for several minutes as each replay of the errant pitch on the giant video board elicited groans from the fans in Chase Field -- especially the male fans. It would have taken typical men the rest of the weekend to recover from that ding. Within moments, Rodriguez was back in his catcher's crouch. And then he called for the same pitch again. Seeing Moehler's offering again tumble into the dirt and bounce between his legs, most men would've simply passed out. Rodriguez calmly short-hopped the ball with his mitt -- after Lopez had missed it for strike three -- and started to whip it around the infield. There it was: The reason Pudge is one of the most brilliant and competitive catchers in baseball's long history, and also the reason he has survived to soon catch more Major League games than anyone else. Lopez was set up for that sinking breaking ball, so bring it on. As for relenting to injury ... Rodriguez has been facing it for 17 years, and hasn't yet blinked.Tools of endurance | ||
| Below is a list of the players who have caught the most games in Major League history. | ||
Rank | Games | Player |
| 1 | 2,226 | Carlton Fisk |
| 2 | 2,225 | Ivan Rodriguez |
| 3 | 2,225 | Bob Boone |
| 4 | 2,056 | Gary Carter |
| 5 | 1,950 | Tony Pena |
| 6 | 1,927 | Jim Sundberg |
| 7 | 1,918 | Al Lopez |
| 8 | 1,917 | Benito Santiago |
| 9 | 1,898 | Brad Ausmus |
| 10 | 1,829 | Jason Kendall |
| Credit: Elias Sports Bureau | ||
"I'm proud of everything I've been able to accomplish in this game, but especially to be able to play with very little injuries," Rodriguez said on his way out of Phoenix and to Arlington and a date with history.
"I've always worked hard. I'm still working hard. I'm very pleased with my career." The pride was a virtual ember in his eyes as Pudge added: "A lot of people know the name 'Pudge Rodriguez.' Pretty much everyone knows me. I'm a player who has proven to be ready and play the game hard. I've earned a lot of respect from teammates and coaches and fans. "I have no complaints." And now he is about to receive confirmation. In Tuesday's opener of an Interleague Series against the Texas Rangers, he will catch for the 2,226th time, tying Carlton Fisk's all-time record at the position. The next day, he will break the record that helped usher the original Pudge into the Hall of Fame. "I congratulate the other Pudge on achieving this amazing milestone, as I know the endurance and strength it takes to get there," said Fisk. "Congrats!""To be able to get to that level is a great accomplishment," said Pudge II. "I've always taken care of myself, do everything needed to keep doing things in this game and to be able to reach that record. It's an honor."
And to have it happen in Arlington is poetic. That is where Rodriguez played the first 12 of his 19 seasons, beginning as an 18-year-old in 1991. That is where he earned the first 10 of his 14 All-Star laurels, the first 10 of his 13 Gold Glove Awards. Where he chalked up the majority of the imminent record, catching 1,426 games as a a member of the Rangers. "Being able to do that will be nice," Rodriguez said. "It will be nice for my family, my friends and the fans. They're great fans, and I think they look forward to it, too." So does Omar Vizquel, who these days plays a little infield for the Rangers and does a lot of sitting: on the bench, and on his laurels, having last season set the Major League record for most games played at shortstop, which now stands at 2,669. Having the record-holders at two of the six positions on the field (lumping the three outfield spots together) in the same house, even if only briefly, will be quite remarkable. "Catching is probably the toughest position in the game," Vizquel said. "[Rodriguez is] still looking pretty agile and seems excited to be a part of that. It's not easy to be behind the plate that long. No doubt he's one of the best catchers in the history of the game." Rodriguez will soon own the Major League record for catching the most games, but he does not hold the Rangers' record. That belongs to his predecessor, Jim Sundberg, who caught 1,439 games for them from 1974-83 and 1988-89 and now is the club's senior executive vice president. "I think it's huge," Sundberg said over the weekend in anticipation of Rodriguez's record-setting arrival. "It demonstrates perseverance and toughness and longevity and all those things that make up what teammates look for, and say that person is somebody we can count on. "It's a difficult position to have that kind of longevity," added Sundberg, who caught a total of 1,927 games. "There are only a handful who have caught loosely 2,000 games. It demonstrates value as much as a Gold Glove or any award." "Longevity" and durability have always been associated with Rodriguez. He has played 123-plus games 11 times at the toughest, most physically demanding, most debilitating position on the diamond. "Value," however, has not, unfairly. He has been a free agent multiple times, without being coveted. He signed on the eve of Spring Trainings in 2003 with the Marlins and in 2004 with the Tigers -- and wound up leading both teams into World Series. Most recently, Rodriguez went unsigned until March 20, after catching the Astros' eyes with his sprite performance in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico. Lack of respect? "Trust me," Rodriguez said, "I never pay attention to that sort of thing. There are things you can't control. The way I am ... I'm a very positive person. "Now I'm with the Astros, still playing, still enjoying the game." Still looking forward ... "I love playing this game," he said, "and want to keep playing it. I have a lot of playing time left. As long as I'm in good shape, there's a lot of baseball left in me." And when too much of the baseball gets on him, such as in the fifth inning on Sunday in Phoenix, well, a few minutes' pause and he's ready to go again. Wednesday night in The Ballpark, Rodriguez will pause a little longer for reflection. "It will be a great thing to do," he summed up. "And it will be a good day."Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
