Eastern League Extra:
What would you say is your best moment in baseball?
Ray Searage:
Pitching against Tom Seaver when he was with the Cincinnati
Reds at Shea Stadium
ELX: That was your big league debut - June 11,
1981...
Searage: And we went on strike on June 12, 1981 at
midnight. It was really nice, because they had like 44,000
people at Shea Stadium and I'm making my debut. My gosh, I'm
pitching against one of my boyhood idols, Tom Seaver. After
I got done warming up, I looked up at the top rafters, and
there were people up there. And I'm going wow, this is
different than it was at Tidewater.
ELX: You faced some pretty big name guys in that
first inning; George Foster, Ken Griffey, Dave Concepcion...what
was that first inning like for you?
Searage: When I was in college, I saw these guys in
the World Series with Johnny Bench and all them, and here I
am pitching against them. So it was just one moment after
another, and you just get filled with emotion.
ELX: Shea Stadium is a pretty big ballpark, certainly
a pitchers park. You got to call that place home for one
year, tell me about what it was like pitching there...
Searage: You stick to your plan, you stay with what
got you to the big leagues. You don't make any big
adjustments at that point in time. The only thing that might
change is the varied sequences that you might approach a
hitter with because now you have a better idea of what they
can hit; what their strengths are, what their weaknesses
are. I basically knew that, but I put my fate in the
catchers hands.
ELX: OK, so we talked about your best moment...how
about your worst?
Searage: I think that was with Milwaukee. I went to
throw a pitch, and when I covered home plate, I sprained my
ankle. I was in a groove at that time, and I could never get
back in a groove at that time.
ELX: Who's the most talented player you've ever
played with?
Searage: I'd have to say Wally Joyner, because he was
a tough out at the plate and he was good defensively at
first base. I liked the way he went about his business on
and off the field. He was also very tough against
lefthanders.
ELX: You played with Rollie Fingers when you were
with Milwaukee in '84 and '85. As a reliever, what are you
able to learn from a guy like that?
Searage: Rollie Fingers, he was above the rest. He
threw a split, and he was able to make it act like a slider
or act like a screwball. The thing that he taught me was to
throw the first pitch right down the plate if you're a
reliever and you'll see how many first pitch outs you get.
Don't try to get cute, because then you fall behind 2-0 and
then they're sitting on your fastball and you have to use
more of the plate at that point. So he basically said to get
ahead and then your options open up.
ELX: Another one of your more famous teammates was
Carlton Fisk. A lot of people remember his offensive
moments, obviously the home run in the '75 World Series
comes to mind. But he was also a Hall of Fame catcher, so
what kind of game did he call behind the plate?
Searage: Pudge, the original Pudge, Carlton Fisk was
a big guy. He set up very good, had very good control and
had a good presence behind home plate. He knew the hitters
inside and out. He would come out and in a gentle voice,
say, 'OK, just get this ball inside right now. I want it,
you get it there and we'll get this guy out.'
And sure enough, we did it, and we got the guy out.
ELX: After your playing career was over, you went
into coaching. What factored into that decision?
Searage: I love the game. When your playing days are
over, it's basically what I've known all my life. Once I got
into being a pitching coach and once my little expertise was
able to make kids get better, it just kind of snowballed, I
started getting hungrier for it and I'm going yeah, this is
what I wanna do the rest of my life. I enjoy it, and I have
a passion for it and I enjoy having the opportunity to make
someone a better pitcher and give them the chance to make
the big leagues.
ELX: So do you like it better working at this level
so you can work with the younger guys, or is the goal to
eventually make it back up to the big leagues as a coach?
Searage: Oh yeah, my dream is definitely to become a
big league pitching coach, but I know I have to go up the
ladder to do so. If anybody says they know everything, they
don't. You never get to know everything, and still have to
learn at every level, even in the big leagues.
