NewsMcKeon experienced in short-rest debate
Former Marlins skipper went with Beckett back in '03 Series
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
11/04/09 9:57 AM EST
MIAMI -- Before signing off on pitching Game 6 of the 2003 World Series on short rest, Josh Beckett asked if he could test his arm.
After throwing off the mound, Beckett walked into manager Jack McKeon's office and said: "I'm ready."
Beckett's complete-game, World Series close-out performance in Game 6 is one of the most memorable moments in Marlins history. On three days' rest, the then-23-year-old right-hander defied the odds by blanking the Yankees, 2-0, in what ended up being the final World Series game at the old Yankee Stadium.
Baseball is so grounded in routine, and whenever a player is asked to vary, it becomes a big issue. For about the past three decades, starting pitchers have thrown every fifth day, after four days of rest.
Yet, in the 2009 World Series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi has gone with three starters -- CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte -- against the Phillies. All have pitched on short rest.
McKeon, now a Marlins special assistant, decided to pitch Beckett in Game 6 once Gonzalez's home run in Game 4 evened the series at 2-2. Knowing the Marlins would be headed back to New York, McKeon went with Beckett and he was ready to bring back Carl Pavano on short rest had there been a Game 7.
"I made up my mind that I was going to start Beckett," McKeon said. "Then I just gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked him what his thoughts were to start on three days' rest. What do you think about that?
"His reply was, 'Let me go out and throw a bullpen.' I knew that he was going to come back and say, 'I'm ready.'"
Long odds on short rest
| Year | GS | W-L | IP | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 | 1-1 | 16 2/3 | 5.40 |
| 2008 | 3 | 1-1 | 15 | 6.00 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0-2 | 4 1/3 | 20.77 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0-0 | 6 | 1.50 |
| 2005 | 3 | 1-0 | 18 2/3 | 2.89 |
| 2004 | 7 | 2-2 | 31 1/3 | 5.46 |
| 2003 | 10 | 3-5 | 57 2/3 | 3.43 |
| 2002 | 7 | 2-5 | 33 | 5.73 |
| 2001 | 9 | 1-5 | 53 | 3.23 |
| 2000 | 4 | 0-2 | 17 2/3 | 10.70 |
| 1999 | 8 | 1-3 | 26 2/3 | 11.81 |
| 1998 | 5 | 2-2 | 33 2/3 | 1.60 |
| 1997 | 7 | 2-2 | 46 | 3.33 |
| 1996 | 10 | 2-3 | 62 2/3 | 3.30 |
| 1995 | 9 | 3-2 | 52 2/3 | 4.61 |
| Totals | 88 | 21-35 | 475 | 4.68 |
"I knew, any competitor like Penny or Beckett or Willis, they would have all come in and said, 'Hey, give me the ball,' " McKeon said. "Look at Pavano and how he pitched. He was almost in every game. When it came for him to start, he was superb."
Now, in the 2009 World Series, Pettitte is trying to close out the Phillies on three days' rest. Pettitte was the losing pitcher to Beckett in Game 6 in '03. However, in Game 2 of that World Series, the veteran left-hander beat the Marlins while pitching on short rest.
"Here's Pettitte, in the second game of the World Series, he beats us on three days' rest," McKeon said. "The second time out, he gets his normal rest, and we win. So, who knows?"
The Phillies won Game 5, 8-6, on Monday night when A.J. Burnett suffered the loss, going on three days' rest.
"They blamed Girardi when Burnett didn't get by," McKeon said. "It wasn't because he pitched on three days' rest. He just couldn't get the ball over like he did the other game."
In Game 2, Burnett was on the mark, and he silenced the Phillies with a splendid performance in the Yankees' 3-1 victory.
"That happens. You make a couple of mistakes, and you're in trouble," McKeon said. "It's not because of pitching on three days' rest."
McKeon is an advocate for pitchers throwing more, not less. But the game has changed, and teams are grooming their pitchers more carefully than in past decades.
McKeon remembers hearing the critics complaining when he went with Beckett in 2003.
"Everybody else in baseball, all the front-office guys, they said, 'You'll ruin the guy,' " McKeon said. "None of those guys got hurt. They all pitched better. The more they pitched, the better they pitched.
"I get on that soapbox all the time, but you've got a new trend today. The industry is different."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
