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Mariners vs. Yankees |
Mets vs. Cardinals
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Saturday, October 14
Kile tries to beat three-day odds
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- The numbers say it's an arrangement that doesn't work anymore for the modern pitcher. But Sunday night at Shea Stadium, Darryl Kile
will try to defy those numbers.
Sunday, Kile will attempt to come back on three days' rest and get the St. Louis Cardinals even in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
He probably doesn't want to know this, but seven pitchers have tried this in the last two postseasons. None has won.
Those seven are Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens this year, and Charles Nagy, Bret Saberhagen, Bartolo Colon, Shane Reynolds and Al Leiter last year. They have combined for an 0-3 record, with an 18.80 ERA, allowing 39 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings.
And Kile hasn't exactly been Bob Gibson on three days' rest. Over the last five seasons, Kile has made nine starts on three days' rest. His record in those games: 3-5, with a 5.30 ERA. Two of the losses were to La Russa's Cardinals.
He made no starts this year on three days' rest, on the way to a 20-9 season. But he did come back after a two-inning rain-shortened start in June to beat the Reds on two days' rest, allowing three runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings.
"The only experience we had," La Russa said, "he pitched that game with two days' rest ... and he pitched a great game against Cincinnati. He's been protected all year long so that he'd have that little extra for this time of year. And I think he'll go out there with his normal really good stuff and pitch like he's pitched all year, when he had really good command."
Kile also said he felt like too big a deal was being made of this.
"If you look throughout the course of the season," he said, "there are days where you have good stuff and days where you don't. Your job as a pitcher is to try to find a way to win. No matter if you're coming back early or you have extra rest or whatever, my job is to go out there with whatever hand I've been dealt stuff-wise and try to compete and battle and make as many quality pitches as I can, and give our guys a chance."
If the Cardinals extend the series to seven games, Kile would be asked to come back and pitch on three days' rest a second time. Only twice in the last five years has he done that on back-to-back starts. He's 0-2, with a 6.75 ERA the second time around on short rest.
The complete list of pitchers to start on three days' rest in the last two postseasons:
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More rest required
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Pitcher
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Team
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Series
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IP
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Hits
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ER
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Dec.
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Andy Pettitte
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Yankees
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2000 ALDS
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3.2
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10
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5
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ND
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Roger Clemens
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Yankees
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2000 ALDS
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5
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6
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6
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Loss
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Charles Nagy
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Indians
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1999 ALDS
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3
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6
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7
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Loss
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Bret Saberhagen
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Red Sox
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1999 ALDS
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1
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4
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5
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ND
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Bartolo Colon
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Indians
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1999 ALDS
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1
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6
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7
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Loss
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Shane Reynolds
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Astros
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1999 NLDS
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5
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9
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4
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Loss
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Al Leiter
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Mets
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1999 NLCS
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0
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2
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5
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ND
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