43
Tribe’s Kipnis couldn’t wait to leave awful 2014 behind
Photo
The Indians’ Jason Kipnis bunts against the Tampa Bay Rays during a game last season in Cleveland, After a string of bad luck that included surgery and a case of debilitating food poisioning, Kipnis is ready for vindication in 2015.
By Zack Meisel
Northeast Ohio Media Group
GOODYEAR, Ariz.
Every day, Jason Kipnis arrived at the ballpark and told himself it was the day his fortune would change. Every day, Kipnis left the ballpark feeling defeated.
Kipnis wanted nothing more than to turn the page after a trying season. Once October rolled around, all he could do was fantasize about 2015 and a new season, an unblemished stat line and a fresh start.
So, he hit the weight room. Then he dropped a 45-pound weight on his left ring finger, a mishap that eventually required surgery.
So, Kipnis and his girlfriend ventured to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to escape reality. Then hours before departing their resort, Kipnis was stricken with a debilitating case of food poisoning.
So, he flew back to Chicago, vomit bag in hand, hoping to rest up. Then he was summoned for jury duty.
Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract extension early last April. The months that followed made him miserable.
For Kipnis, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
“I had an awesome 2014,” Kipnis said, with just a hint of sarcasm. “I wish there were 18 months in that year. That was a fun year for me.”
It’s over, though. The string of bad luck is in the past. Kipnis is ready for vindication.
“I’m excited,” Kipnis said. “Any time someone has a bad year, they’re immediately looking for their first chance that they can redeem themselves. I’ve been looking toward this year for a while.”
It started on the penultimate day of April. Kipnis injured his right oblique muscle in a game in Anaheim. He projected that he would return by Memorial Day. He was right. He would have been better off being wrong.
Kipnis hobbled his way through the rest of the season. He couldn’t produce any power at the plate and fell into bad swinging habits. He finished with a .240/.310/.330 slash line, six home runs and 41 RBIs.
“I did a good job of starting every day as a new page and saying, ‘This is going to be the day I turn it around,’” Kipnis said. “It didn’t happen too often, but I still like to think I had the right mindset going into it, trying to battle it.”
His manager maintained confidence that he would eventually reverse course. Terry Francona continued to slot Kipnis in the No. 5 hole in his batting order, despite the second baseman’s struggles at the plate.
“It helps when your manager has confidence in you,” Kipnis said. “There are always going to be some disgruntled fans who think they have the answer to the best batting order. We’re not oblivious. Even as teammates, we know when some guys should be moved up or down. We know when Tito is showing faith in them. It’s just a matter of competing every day and when your manager has your back like that, it’s a nice boost of confidence.”
Kipnis limped to the finish line and then shifted his focus to next season. Of course, the year of rotten luck was far from over.
On Dec. 17, Kipnis underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left ring finger. The operation left a scar on the digit.
Less than three weeks later, a midnight snack of sushi quickly made its presence felt. The meal cost Kipnis sleep that night. He flew to Charlotte and then back to Chicago the next afternoon. He vomited in his room all night, on the way to the airport and at the airport. He had paper bags ready to go on the planes.
“I warned all of the stewardesses,” Kipnis said. “We were in first class. I said, ‘If you see me sprinting up at you toward the cockpit, I’m not trying to take over the plane. I’m just going for the bathroom. Don’t worry.”
After eight hours at the courthouse, he was released. He had to travel to Cleveland later in the week for a check-up on his finger, so he was excused from overseeing the trial.
All of that is now behind him. The finger has healed. The vomiting has ceased. The jury has been assembled. The forgettable 2014 showing has been placed in the rear view.
“I think he was in a hurry to put last year behind him and I think the best way he knows how to put it behind him is to come out and play well this year,” Francona said. “I think he realized last year how much he enjoyed being a good player. He had that nice contract and everything and he was still miserable, because he wasn’t playing up to his standards. And there are reasons that was happening. But, still, he was miserable.”
Miserable, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad -- the adjectives all describe Kipnis’ recent stretch. They also have him set up for a new season.
“I like being in this position with something to prove again,” Kipnis said. “I think that works best for me.”