Friday, October 24, 2003
Manager Jack McKeon said his right-hander's success is the result of hard work.
MIAMI (AP) -- Confusion reigns in the Florida Marlins' clubhouse, where reporters sometimes ask each other the names of players they're interviewing.
Despite two rounds of victories during an improbable playoff run, the Marlins remain largely anonymous. But not Josh Beckett.
The postseason has transformed the 23-year-old right-hander and he'll be back in the spotlight tonight.
The Marlins anticipate a strong showing by Beckett.
"Two hits, no walks and 17 strikeouts, and we should be fine," third baseman Mike Lowell said.
Last time out
Lowell exaggerated expectations only slightly, considering Beckett threw a two-hitter in his last start. The Marlins trailed 3-1 in the NL championship series when he saved their season by shutting out the Cubs.
Can he duplicate that performance against New York?
"You always strive for that," Beckett said. "It's not always going to work out like that, but yeah, I feel like I should go out there and do that again."
Beckett pitched well but lost in Game 1 of the division series against San Francisco, and after blanking the Cubs, he came back on two days' rest to pitch four innings of relief and help Florida win Game 7 of the NLCS.
"He looked like he had been out there for 10 years," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He has really caught everybody's attention, not only with his stuff, but what he does with it."
The Marlins have been expecting big things from Beckett ever since they took him with the second pick in the 1999 draft and signed him to a $7 million deal.
Has arsenal of pitches
Armed with a fastball that reaches the upper 90s, along with a swooping curve and a changeup that leaves batters lunging, the 6-foot-5 Texan broke into the majors in September 2001. Recurring blisters on the middle finger of his pitching hand last season sent him to the disabled list three times.
He experimented with such treatments as pickle brine, uncooked rice and Super Glue. An antibiotic cream finally solved the problem, but this year he was back on the DL for nearly two months with a sprained elbow.
Healthy since July 1, Beckett had a 2.16 ERA in his final six regular season starts to help Florida win the wild card race. On a staff full of hard-throwing youngsters, Beckett is now the ace.
McKeon the difference
He blossomed in part because of manager Jack McKeon, who came to the Marlins in May with a reputation for handling young players well.
"The light has flashed on where he realizes, 'I have a chance to be something special, but I have to work at it,' " McKeon said.
"I don't want anybody to think he was a goofball, but young guys take awhile. You have to prod them a little bit.
"All I've done is try to encourage him to seek that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."