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| SportsTuesday, October 23, 2007 9:14 PM CDT |
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ISU grad, Matt Herges, taking part in history with Rockies
Matt Herges is grateful there are 30 teams in Major League Baseball. That’s because 29 of them had no interest in hiring him after the 2006 season. “This winter I couldn’t find a job. Twenty-nine teams said no,” said Herges, a former Illinois State pitcher. “Some of them said some hurtful type things like ‘We don’t think you’ve got it anymore.’ ” Through a past association with Colorado assistant general manager Bill Geivett, Herges was given a spring training invitation by the Rockies. Overcoming early season adversity, Herges will be wearing that same Rockies’ uniform today for the first game of the World Series at Fenway Park in Boston. “Bill Geivett was a friend from my Dodger days. On his recommendation to (Colorado general manager) Dan O’Dowd, they brought me to camp,” Herges said. “They said there were no guarantees.” Herges discovered that to be true when he opened the season in Triple-A Colorado Springs. He was called up to the Rockies in April but went back down after allowing three earned runs over three innings in two appearances. “I didn’t pitch very well, and they sent me back. I got back up in July and the rest is history,” said Herges. “I could have been bitter when I got sent down, but God said ‘Be patient, I’ve got something big for you.’ I never dreamed it would be the World Series. I’m humbled by it.” Wearing his eighth major league uniform, the 37-year-old Herges has been a key part of the Rockies’ bullpen during an improbable rise from the middle of the National League Western Division in mid-September to baseball’s biggest stage. “I come back and Clint (manager Clint Hurdle) gives me the ball as much as he possibly can,” said Herges, who ended his ISU career in 1992. “And things took off.” Herges is 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA with Colorado, a level of success he credits to toiling in Colorado Springs. “That’s the highest elevation of any park in America (6,008 feet). That equates to no breaking ball and no sinker. The ball feels like an ice cube in your hands,” Herges said. “It made me pitch down in the zone to survive. You have to aggressively finish pitches. That’s one thing I learned down there. “At 37 years old, it made me a better pitcher. When you come back (closer) to sea level (5,260 feet), it changes your curve. It’s got a sharper break and a later break.” Herges turned in four scoreless outings covering six innings from Sept. 21 to Sept. 29 as Colorado charged back to tie San Diego for the NL wild card. Herges then pitched three scoreless innings in an Oct. 1 tiebreaker game with the Padres as the Rockies rallied in extra innings against closer Trevor Hoffman for a dramatic 9-8 win. “We knew we had to win 15 of 16 to do it and we did it. It was unbelievable,” said Herges. “And to beat Hoffy down two runs defies the laws of baseball. Our pitching staff has been incredible, and we’ve got the best fielding percentage in history. That’s how we’ve done it, pitching and defense.” Herges played for the Padres in 2003 and became friends with Hoffman. Herges’ respect for Hoffman, however, rose to another level after the Rockies’ tiebreaker triumph. “After that game, imagine the devastation on the Padres’ part,” Herges said. “He (Hoffman) left me a message on my cell phone. He said, ‘It was an honor to compete against you guys’ and he said some nice things about my outing. I saved it and I listen to it every day. My teammates still come up to me and want to listen to it. That game will stick out in my mind forever.” The postseason has done nothing to slow the Rockies. Sweeps of Philadelphia in the Division Series and Arizona in the Championship Series mean Colorado has won 21 of its last 22 games. Herges has appeared in four postseason games, allowing one hit and no runs in three innings. “There is a significant amount of extra (adrenaline) going on. But it locks you in more,” said Herges, who appeared in the 2003 NLDS while with San Francisco. “You could say ‘Holy cow, I can’t believe I’m here. I’m scared.’ Or you can say ‘this is the best opportunity of my life and I want to get it done for my team.’ ” It has been particularly enjoyable for Herges to watch the joyous reaction of veteran Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. “Todd Helton is a phenomenal human being,” said Herges, a Champaign native. “He’s not an emotional guy, but to see him like that makes you want to cry. I’m elated for him.” Herges, an undrafted free agent out of ISU, was part of the Dodgers’ organization until 2001 before playing for Montreal, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Arizona and Florida. He believes the Rockies are well prepared for the World Series despite the eight-day layoff since disposing of the Diamondbacks. “How we got here was a lot more stressful than being here. We had to scratch and claw to even get a chance,” he said. “We had a four-day layoff between Philadelphia and Arizona and it didn’t affect us at all. We will all be fresh and we still have an incredible amount of momentum. I don’t think it will affect us.” Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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Denver wrote on Oct 24, 2007 2:20 PM:
Red Sox? wrote on Oct 24, 2007 1:05 PM:
Good thing wrote on Oct 24, 2007 10:44 AM:
Sorry fellas wrote on Oct 24, 2007 10:35 AM:
Good for IL wrote on Oct 24, 2007 9:15 AM:
Thanks Matt wrote on Oct 23, 2007 11:19 PM:
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