Red Sox Flashback: Catching up with former pitcher Bret Saberhagen
Former Red Sox pitcher Bret Saberhagen talks to BoSox Injection about his time in Boston and reinventing himself for the final stage of his career.
Bret Saberhagen was an accomplished pitcher long before he came to the Boston Red Sox. He was a three-time All-Star, two-time Cy Young winner and a World Series MVP. His greatest highlights were from his earlier years with the Kansas City Royals yet Saberhagen still has fond memories of his time in Boston.
The year that stands out most from Saberhagen’s time with the Red Sox was 1999. Boston hosted the All-Star Game that year, bringing a lot of buzz to the city. The team made a memorable postseason run that came up short in the ALCS against a Yankees team in the midst of a dynasty.
1999 was also Saberhagen’s best statistical season of his four in Boston. He went 10-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 22 starts. He struck out 81 batters and only walked 11 for a stellar 7.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
That roster was loaded with teammates that Saberhagen says he loved playing with, including Nomar Garciaparra, John Valentine, and Trot Nixon. He raves about Jason Varitek as being one of his favorite catchers that he’s ever thrown to. Yet no teammate stood out more that year than Pedro Martinez.
Martinez captured his second career Cy Young in 1999, winning 23 games with a 2.07 ERA while setting the franchise single-season record with 313 strikeouts. Even a pitcher as accomplished as Saberhagen was impressed by Pedro.
“I’ve seen a lot of great pitchers but by far he is the best I ever saw,” said Saberhagen. “I feel very fortunate to have been a teammate with him.”
Saberhagen had the opportunity to play with many outstanding players over the course of his career, including Bo Jackson during his time in Kansas City. He admits to being a bit disappointed when Roger Clemens left town at the same time Saberhagen arrived in Boston. He was looking forward to pitching alongside The Rocket. As great as Clemens was during his time with the Red Sox, he never had a season quite like Pedro in ’99.
No pitcher in this era has had a season quite like what Martinez produced that year but Saberhagen came close a decade earlier. While Saberhagen couldn’t match Pedro’s staggering strikeouts totals, his 23 wins and 2.16 ERA en route to winning his second Cy Young put him in that same territory.
By the time Saberhagen came to the Red Sox he wasn’t the same dominant pitcher he was in his heyday. The veteran signed with Boston following a season lost to injury. Saberhagen underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in October, 1995. It was decided that he would need reconstructive surgery on that shoulder when he still experienced soreness the following spring, sidelining him for the entire 1996 season.
Saberhagen’s Red Sox debut would come as part of a six-game stint at the end of the 1997 season as he worked his way back from the surgeries. His career got back on track the following year when he won 15 games and was named as the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year.
The shoulder injuries sapped some of the arm strength that once allowed him to mow down opposing lineups. Saberhagen had to adapt for the final stage of his career. He credits Joe Kerrigan, who he calls one of the best pitching coaches he ever worked with, for helping him through those adjustments.
“At that time, after having a couple of surgeries, I needed to become more of a pitcher than a guy who goes out there with great stuff and knocking ’em dead.”
One adjustment that Kerrigan stressed to Saberhagen was the importance of throwing first-pitch strikes. Pitchers working with diminished velocity later in their career can’t afford to fall behind in the count. If you do fall behind, use the big part of the ballpark to your advantage.
Saberhagen also talked about how improvements to scouting reports and the new wave of analytics led to further adjustments late in his career.
“Back when I was younger and before I was hurt, I always felt that my best stuff was going to beat their best stuff because the scouting reports weren’t all that great. Then the Inside Edge came around and had tons of at-bats with all kinds of different guys, so the scouting and the information that we were getting was night and day better than when I was with the Royals.”
Saberhagen came the Red Sox armed with World Series experience but postseason baseball in Boston is a different animal. He acknowledged the intensity of the spotlight that comes with pitching in this city but also praised the passion exhibited by Red Sox Nation.
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His past success on the postseason stage helped prepare him for his playoff run with Boston but nothing could have prepared him for the passion shown by a fan base that hadn’t won a championship since long before most of those fans could remember.
He was happy to see the franchise finally win a World Series in 2004, a few short years after he retired. Saberhagen admits to being envious of the players on that team. What that Red Sox team accomplished reversing an 86-year curse will be remembered in this city forever. It’s an experience he wishes he could have been a part of.
The Red Sox have won two more championships since then and appear to be well on their way toward competing for another this year. That success builds an electric atmosphere in this city and the excitement from this fan base is something that Saberhagen clearly admires.
Saberhagen battled more shoulder issues during the 1999 season. While he made it through the playoff run, Saberhagen was pitching through pain and sat out the following year. His comeback attempt in 2001 lasted only three games before he had to hang up his cleats and call it a career.
Following his retirement, Saberhagen spent the next five years coaching High School baseball in California where his kids went to school.
He changed course to try a career as a sports agent, only find out that “slimy business” wasn’t for him. Saberhagen had one agent his entire playing career and the loyalty they had between them was important to him. The game has since changed and he found that same loyalty was no longer as prevalent as it once was.
These days, Saberhagen spends his time doing charity work and some paid appearances. Just last week he participated in the annual American Century Golf Outing, a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
He must never tire of playing golf. When I spoke with him, Saberhagen had just finished up a round of nine holes in Colorado and was preparing to play nine more.
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His playing days are over but it’s clear Saberhagen’s passion for the game of baseball hasn’t faded. His stint is Boston may have come at the tail end of his career yet it’s an experience he’ll surely never forget.