By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
CLEVELAND – This time Freddy Garcia didn’t stare down the umpire when a strike was called a ball, didn’t lose his composure when one bad pitch became a home run, didn’t lose a game when the Seattle Mariners could afford nothing less than a victory.
This time Garcia pitched with nerves of steel and beat the Cleveland Indians.
He limited the Indians to four hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings of Sunday’s 6-2 victory in Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Jacobs Field.
“If he has ever been susceptible, it’s when he loses control of his emotions and tries to do too much,” pitching coach Bryan Price said. “Today he was in complete control.”
He was in control even after Juan Gonzalez yanked a long home run with nobody out in the second inning to give the Indians a 1-0 lead, a margin that looked safe with a strong Bartolo Colon on the mound for the Indians.
In the past, a younger and more immature Garcia might have fallen apart.
“He came right after the next hitter,” Price said. “He showed no emotion, he wasn’t upset when he came back to the dugout because he knew it is a nine-inning ballgame.”
Garcia simply shrugged it off as a mistake and retired 15 of the next 17 hitters.
“I threw a breaking pitch in the middle, I was trying to pitch it away, and he hit it pretty good,” Garcia said. “I was feeling good. You know, 1-0, it isn’t over yet.”
Price said he was as proud of his 25-year-old’s composure as he was of his victory.
“I think anybody associated with the Mariners would be proud of Freddy not just because he won, but because he handled a very dire situation with great professionalism and tremendous focus,” Price said. “What makes me so proud, win or lose, is that he maintained his composure.”
For a few brief moments last Tuesday, that composure failed Garcia.
He had sailed through three innings with one hit and a walk to the Indians, then gave up a couple of hits in the fourth and walked Jim Thome on a few pitches he thought should have been strikes.
Garcia showed his anger by glaring at plate umpire Steve Rippley. Big mistake.
“You’re not going to turn around ball and strike calls,” Price said. “If you show your frustration outwardly with an umpire, typically he’s going to make it more difficult for you to throw strikes.”
In other words, Garcia was squeezed. The Indians scored three runs in that inning, on their way to a 5-0 victory.
Garcia learned from that experience and seemed determined not to let it happen on Sunday.
“I think today his demeanor and his poise were very good,” catcher Dan Wilson said. “He didn’t seem to let anything bother him. I thought from the beginning of the game he was pretty much up for the challenge.
“I could tell pretty much in the first inning, the crispness of his fastball, the location of his breaking ball and his changeup, that he was in for a big ballgame today. He’s not afraid to go after anybody. When you’ve got that kind of mentality on the mound with his stuff, you’ve got something special.”
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