Dennis Eckersley
I always had the attitude that I wanted to throw a no-hitter every game.Collection: Attitude
You aren't going to stick around long with just two pitches.
The thing that got me over the hump was accepting that I had to do whatever I could to stay in the game.
I had never been to the playoffs, and it was exciting. The fans went through the roof. They were excited about the whole team. It was great to be traded to a city like Chicago, which was a lot like Boston.
When I started finishing games and coming off the field shaking hands, it was a beautiful thing. I mean, you start seeing that you're an important part of the team.
When I first came up, the bullpen was pretty much where they put the guys who couldn't start.
Tony knew me both as an athlete and as a person. He cared for me like a father.
They developed a platform for me to put up another 12 years, and that was my ticket to Cooperstown. Those were the best years of my life. It was like magic.
Then you figure out that if you don't throw it as hard as you can, you can put it where you want. It's more important where you put it.
That first year in Chicago was one of the most memorable in my career. Getting traded rejuvenated me, and I had something to prove. I wanted to show them what I could do.
Sooner or later you learn that you belong in the big leagues, and that makes you calm down.
Pitching... sometimes I did so poorly, it brought me to tears.
My career spanned the era when relievers started to become more important.
Later, I could take something off my slider and I could make my fastball sink, so I really had four pitches.
It took me a few years to realize that throwing harder wasn't always better.
I'm proud of the fact that I pitched almost 3,300 innings.
I was in good control of my body, and I kept my head still.
I was a starter and did some good things there, and then I got a chance to prove myself as a closer. Because of that opportunity, I was blessed with the honor of being elected to the Hall of Fame.
I think today the players are too nice to one another, but that might change with the unbalanced schedule, with teams playing each other more and more. When you face each other that much, with that much at stake, something's bound to happen.
I can't recall too much about pitching, but I do remember that I was anxious to get it over with. I just wanted to get that first game over with and go from there.
I also think that I had great mechanics.
But through experience I learned to control my body and locate the ball.
But more important than personal awards is winning the World Series. That's the max that anyone could ask for. Let alone to have the ball in your in your glove for the final out of the World Series. That was the ultimate.
The thing that got me over the hump was accepting that I had to do whatever I could to stay in the gameCollection: Games
It took a great deal of acceptance to come to terms with being an alcoholic, but the acceptance was key to my sobriety. If I had not gained acceptance at that time in my life, I would not be standing here today.Collection: Acceptance
People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work. The fun is afterwards, when you shake hands.Collection: Baseball
Sooner or later you learn that you belong in the big leagues, and that makes you calm downCollection: League
Then you figure out that if you don't throw it as hard as you can, you can put it where you want. It's more important where you put itCollection: Sports
That first year in Chicago was one of the most memorable in my career. Getting traded rejuvenated me, and I had something to prove. I wanted to show them what I could doCollection: Sports
You aren't going to stick around long with just two pitchesCollection: Two
My career spanned the era when relievers started to become more importantCollection: Careers
Pitching... sometimes I did so poorly, it brought me to tearsCollection: Sports