From the Sunday Newsletter
July 25, 2004
Interview with Cardinals Reliever Ray King
By Brian Walton
Left handed reliever Ray King joined the St. Louis Cardinals in the big December, 2003 trade with the Atlanta Braves. The five-man deal centered around J.D. Drew, Jason Marquis and mega prospect Adam Wainwright. King, viewed by some as a throw-in, has proven to be far from it.
The most effective Cardinal reliever in 2004 in terms of ERA (1.22) and second best in opponent batting average (.192) received National League All-Star Team consideration. In fact, King would have been just as deserving a selection as was Tom Gordon in the American League.
I caught up with the 30-year-old Chicago native this weekend as his first-place Cardinals prepared to meet the San Francisco Giants.
Your results this season are even better than in the past. What are you doing differently in 2004?
RK - I don’t think I am really doing anything different. I just think it is a situation where the starters have been going seven or eight innings and Tony (La Russa) has been matching them up pretty good. One thing I worked on in Spring Training was using my fastball on both sides of the plate, which a lot of people think is a splitty. Since it is looking like a splitty, that gives you another pitch. I think the key right there is throwing strikes.
How are you feeling at this point of the season?
RK- Like I said, Tony’s been matching Steve and myself up, where I’ll play for a couple of days and have a day off and pitch a couple more to where this time of year, I am just strong. In the past, there’s some days you’ll have fatigue days and that’s where you get into trouble. But, this year, I haven’t had those fatigue days. I’ve just been able to come after the hitters.
How does the Cardinal defense affect your game?
RK - Anytime you have Gold Glovers on the corners and up the middle and behind the plate, you can begin to trust your stuff a little more. You can throw your ball in the dirt to get the ground ball knowing that your defense, Rolen or Renteria, are going to get there. It’s the key to success for everybody. And, when you’re playing on a team as good as this, you don’t want to be the scapegoat.
You’ve already appeared in 51 of the Cardinals’ 96 games this season. Do you really want to pitch every day?
Yes, I come to the ballpark every day expecting to pitch. And if I don’t pitch, I’m upset. I’m not upset at Tony. I am not upset that we won or lost. I’m just upset, because that is the mentality I have, where I come to the ballpark expecting to pitch. So, when I do pitch, it’s no surprise.
How do you know ahead of time if you or Steve Kline will be the first lefty called into the game?
RK- Well, you really don’t know. Coming into a series, we’ll look at past results; what I have done to them in the past, what Steve did to them. And when we get to that point in the game, Tony’s going to match them up with whichever one of us has been the hottest. That is who he is going with. But, you never know when or what inning so you just stay prepared mentally and be ready to come in.
In the past, you’ve been with two other Central Division teams, Milwaukee and Chicago. How does playing in St. Louis compare?
RK - Well, it’s just the best city in baseball right now. Every time you come out, there’s 35,000 to 45,000 people in the stands every night and even on the road, you get a lot of support. It just makes it comfortable for a player to come out and pay in front of a crowd like this.
Are you hoping to stay with St. Louis here after this season?
RK - I am hopeful that we’ll get something done as soon as possible; a contract extension. I hope to stay here a long time and finish my career here.
