The Cardinal Years
Pat arrives at Dunedin early for Spring training
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- October 28, 2000
The Cardinals decline their option on Hentgen!! To free up payroll, they will not pick up
the $6.5 million option on the righthander who won 15 games this season.
Hentgen made 33 starts for St. Louis in 2000 and posted a 15-12 record with a 4.72 ERA in his first season in the
National League. The 31-year-old righthander reached the 15-win plateau for the fourth time in his
career and finished second on the Cardinals' staff in starts and third in innings pitched (194.1).
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- October 11, 2000
The Jays fire Fregosi!! The Toronto Sun published an article Wed. about the Jay's players
being in and out of Fregosi's doghouse. While Pat didn't say much, his words said it all. Here
is a few lines from the article by M. Ganter and M. Rutsey ....
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Pat Hentgen, now with the St. Louis Cardinals, was one Blue Jay who was never able to crawl out of
the Fregosi doghouse in 1999.
Said Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny, who was a teammate of Hentgen with the Jays in 1999: "(Fregosi)
wasn't verbally harsh or confrontational with me. (But) he was sometimes verbally harsh with
some of our pitchers. I know Pat (Hentgen) had difficulties like that and I didn't think that
was deserved. That was hard to swallow for me."
Hentgen, who was traded after last season to St. Louis, did not want to be dragged into any more
discussion about Fregosi.
"That's ancient history now," he said yesterday in St. Louis, where the Cardinals open the National
League championship series tonight.
However, Hentgen did admit that Fregosi did not think much of him.
"I don't know why," Hentgen said. "I didn't do anything different that year than any year I pitched
there. I don't have any idea. It didn't hurt me but I don't understand why.
"Let me just say this.
I'm a Cardinal now because of Jim Fregosi."
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The Toronto Sun 10/11/2000:
Players knew change was in the air
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- September 20, 2000
Pat celebrates!!! with teammates Darryl Kile, Rick Ankiel and Garrett Stephenson and in
the Card's locker room after clinching the N.L. Central championship with an 11-6 victory over
the Houston Astros.
Pat's been waiting quite a while to be able to savour these moments again!
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"After the disappointments of the last couple of seasons, we really felt an obligation
to the fans of this city to be competitive this year, offseason additions such as Darryl Kile,
Pat Hentgen, Dave Veres and Fernando Vina energized a roster that finished 75-86 in 1999."
-- Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty
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- Septmber 14, 2000
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Pat gets win #15! in a 4-0 shutout victory versus the Chicago Cubs at Busch.
Hentgen held the Cubs to three hits and struck out a season-high nine batters as he notched his first
complete game of the season and his first shutout since June 20, 1997, when he pitched for the
Toronto Blue Jays.
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"The difference was that he kept the ball down and got ahead in the count,
I was really excited about how he used all his pitches and used both sides of the plate."
-- Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny
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"What you saw tonight was a guy who's pitched on championship teams
and has that feeling of winning the championship. He was totally locked in. "
-- Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan
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St. Louis Post Dispatch 09/15/2000:
Hengten blanks the Cubs as Cards close in on title
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St. Louis Post Dispatch 09/14/2000:
Mike Eisenbath's Redbirds Recap
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- August 2, 2000
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Pat gets win #10! in a 10-7 victory over the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.
The win gives Pat his 8th straight 10-win season which ranks
Hentgen 3rd among active pitchers behind Greg Maddux (13-straight 10-win seasons) and
Tom Glavine (12) while tying both Pedro Martinez (8) & Mike Mussina (8).
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Pat said he hadn't thought about his string of 10-win seasons until he recently saw mention of it
on television.
"It listed five or six pitchers and I was in that group, and I thought, 'That's kind of nice
company to be in.' But in this game, it's 'What have you done lately?'"
-- Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen
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Pat also becomes the fourth Cardinal's pitcher to reach double-digits in wins this season.
Hentgen joins Kile [13], Stepehenson [11] and Andy Benes [10] in the 10 wins plus club. This
marks the the first time the Cards have had a quartet of ten game winners since 1996 when they
had 5 pitchers reach the mark. The Cardinals are currnetly the onlt team in the majors with
four 10 game winners.
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- June 16, 2000
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Great at the plate! Pat's single in the fourth off Orel Hershiser, against the Dodgers on June 16th, made him
8-for-26 at the plate which leads rookie Rick Ankiel for the most hits among St. Louis pitchers.
For a guy who's been in the American league his whole career ....
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- June 16, 2000
Ugly rumour in the New York Post By JOEL SHERMAN Cardinals Shopping Hentgen - Overjoyed with
the work the surgically repaired Matt Morris has done in the bullpen, St. Louis has made
starter Pat Hentgen available.
We certainly hope not!
- April 18, 2000
Boomer right on about Hentgen. Jim Hunt of the Toronto Sun makes this observation in his column today,
reminding us of David Well's spring training comments on Pat's trade.
At the same time the Jays were struggling because their pitchers couldn't do the job, Pat Hentgen was winning
his third game of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals. As I recall, David Wells arrived in spring training
and criticized the deal that sent Hentgen to the Cardinals. Wells was taken into the woodshed by Jays
president manager Gord Ash and told to keep his opinions to himself. It looks like Boomer was dead on.
Boomer was only verbalizing what all of us Hentgen fans already knew.
- April 16, 2000
Pat gets his first hit as a national leaguer!. Pat knocked a single to left center field
in the sixth inning off the Rockies Gabe White. This is the second hit of his career.
- April 10, 2000
Pat gets his 1000th career strikeout!. In the fifth inning against the Houston Astros, Hentgen K'ed
his mound opponent, Jose Lima for his 1000th career strikeout.
- April 5, 2000
Pat gets his first National League victory. Hentgen was a little shakey in the early innings of his
first National League start, mostly likely due to a few butterflies, but then Pat settled down to hold the
Cubs scoreless for three consecutive innings retiring 11 in a row at one point.
| The Line: |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Hentgen: |
5 2/3 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
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"I had some adrenaline going, pitching for the first time with this organization. What a big thrill.
I feel honored to pitch on this team and this staff."
-- Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen
"By the third inning, (Hentgen) settled in and made a bunch of good pitches. He was understandably
excited. But you know when you send him out there that he's a warrior."
-- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa
- March 31, 2000
Pat had his worst outing of the spring. In his last spring training start Hentgen gave up seven
runs on ten Texas hits while walking two. Pat allowed for straight singles to start the game, but a
great throw from center fielder Jim Edmonds and a double play held the Rangers to a single run. In the second
Hentgen walked Luis Alicea, the number hitter with the bases loaded and none out. Pat gave up three hits and
a sacrifice fly to start the third and allowed solo homers to Rodriguez and Alicea in the fourth.
This forgettable game brought Pat's spring training record to 1-2 with three no-decisions. Pat regular
season debut is scheduled for the second game in the series against the Cubs on the 5th of April.
| The Line: |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Hentgen: |
4 |
10 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
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"I pitched a bad game, I just made bad pitches, and they didn't miss them. It was a horsefeathers game."
"Something I learned in this game is that you've got to have a good memory and a bad memory, You've got to
try to forget the bad ones and remember the good ones. And not to get too high on the good ones and too
low on the bad ones."
"A lot of cliches. Get used to that, I'm a master of them."
-- Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen
- March 26, 2000
Pat's settling in. Spring training got off to a slow start, but that's not out of the ordinary
for Hentgen. Using spring training to refine his pitches, Pat typically takes a few appearances to get
his 'game' cranked up. Hentgen has been coming on stronger in his last three outtings, going eight scoreless
innings until facing the Indians today. Hentgen hurled 4 1/3 innings against a familiar Indians line up,
giving up three runs.
| The Line: |
Vs. |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| March 26 |
 |
4 1/3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
1 |
| March 20 |
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5 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| March 15 |
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3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
| March 10 |
 |
2 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
| March 6 |
 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
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Always honest and his own toughest critic, Pat had this
to say about his performance against the Expos after giving up six hits and five runs in two innings
of a 5-3 exhibition loss.
"There's not a whole lot to say other than I was horsefeathers, basically. I've got to improve, When
you pitch lousy, you give up line drives, and line drives fall in. That's what happened today."
-- Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen
St. Louis Post Dispatch 03/11/2000: Hentgen hurls "two really bad innings"
- March 6, 2000
Pat makes his National League Debut. Pat made his first spring training start in a uniform
other than the Toronto Blue Jays. Hentgen pitched two innings against the Houston Astros
in Kissimmee. While Pat impressed his new manager, he was less than satisfied with his performance,
but then Pat was already his hardest critic.
| The Line: |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
| Hentgen: |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
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"I'm a little disappointed with my control. It was frustrating, I pride myself on throwing strikes."
-- Cardinals pitcher Pat Hentgen
St. Louis Post Dispatch 03/06/2000: Hentgen rates his debut as "frustrating"
- March 1, 2000
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Sooner or later someone had to ask. Now that Pat is pitching in the National League after spending
his entire career in the American League it was only a matter of time before someone asked him which league
he preferred. He might not have pitched yet, but Pat's already got an opinion. Here's a little article
by Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun who found out that Pat was quick to convert!
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DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Often before games, pitcher Pat Hentgen would sit in the Blue Jays clubhouse arguing
with whomever on which was the better way to play the game: The American League with its designated
hitter, or the National League.
Past friendly debates were conducted with former NLers Charlie O'Brien, Darrin Fletcher and reporters.
The other day in Jupiter, Fla., on the way to see Hentgen, now with the St. Louis Cardinals, I asked
O'Brien, trying to catch on with the Montreal Expos, how long it would take before Hentgen came to
favour the NL game.
Knowing Hentgen would convert, as others before him, I wanted to bet a can of Diet Coke that three weeks
into the season, he would switch to the NL. O'Brien said if the Cards opened at home, to drop it to two
weeks.
Hentgen wouldn't take the bet.
"I've already made up my mind," Hentgen said. "Here you're part of the team, you get to hit and don't have
to face the darn DH. I spent 45 minutes in the cage with (senior field co-ordinator) George Kissell, in
his 60th spring, teaching me how to bunt and slash bunt if the infielders charge."
"I already like the NL better and we haven't played a game."
Fletcher said he wasn't surprised of the change of heart.
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- Feb 25, 2000
Pat's started working out in Jupiter with his new Cardinal team mates.
Now that the Card's training
camp has officially begun, Pat's getting in shape in preparation for an incredible 2000 season. This is
his first full spring training since his shoulder problems a couple of years ago. Pat came into spring
training in great shape, having worked out over the winter. Last season Pat entered the Blue Jays camp
having not thrown a pitch all winter (on doctor's advise) and played 'catch up', taking well into the season
to approach his dominating form. Pat should be ready from opening day to take on the National League.
Hopefully Pat can pick up where he left off.
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- Feb 17, 2000
Pat arrives in Jupiter for spring training. Pat had been working out in Dunedin with his old mates
prior to heading to the Cardinals training camp on Friday.
St. Louis Post Dispatch 02/20/2000:
Hentgen relishes the transition to a new league
Palm Beach Post, Feb 2000:
Hentgen helps complete Cards
Earlier in the week Pat's former teammate made his views on the off season trade known.
The outspoken David Wells blasted the trades that sent Shawn Green to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pat
Hentgen and Paul Spoljaric to the St. Louis Cardinals.
"We got crap in both trades," Wells said.
Pat's been quite up until now, not saying much about the Jay's brass, his former manager or the trade.
Borrowing a page from Boomer's book, Pat's speaks up.
"Jim [Fregosi] and I didn't get along. Whether it was my salary, performance, tenure or a personality
conflict, I'm here and I don't know why. I missed like two starts my entire career in Toronto. But
I go .500 over two years and I'm out the door."
National Post 02/20/2000: Hentgen hurls some mean heat toward Fregosi
"I think he's why I'm wearing red this morning," Hentgen said of Fregosi, the Toronto Blue Jays' manager.
"There was definitely a problem."
Globe & Mail 02/19/2000: Hentgen fingers Fregosi as instigator of trade
"I love the guy, he's one of the best we've ever had wear the uniform," Ash said. "But you get yourself in
trouble if you let your emotions for a player dictate your moves."
Toronto Sun 02/21/2000: Hentgen trade still haunts the Blue Jays
"Yet, how can they not expect us to have close relationships with coaches when we're with them eight hours a
day for 180 games, including spring training?"
Toronto Sun 02/24/2000: '99 Jays coaches double-crossed Fregosi
"There's a lot of people who go to work every day from 9 to 5 and don't get along with their bosses,"
Hentgen said.
Toronto Star 02/25/2000: Hentgen no fan of Fregosi
- Jan 4, 2000
Pat's starting to workout! While Pat is officially a Cardinal, he has made a detour through the Jays
Dunedin practice facility to begin getting ready for the 2000 season. This National Post article by the
The Canadian Press gets some of Pat's comments on changing nests.
DUNEDIN, Fla. - Pitcher Pat Hentgen was back in the Blue Jays' nest yesterday, but he's getting accustomed
to being a Cardinal.
"It has sunk in," Hentgen said of the November trade that sent him from Toronto to St. Louis after 13
years as a Blue Jay. "Change is good sometimes and I think in my case it's going to be good. I am
looking forward to going to the [National League] and seeing all the new stadiums."
Hentgen, who joined the Blue Jays as a fifth-round pick in the June 1986 draft, is working out at his former
team's spring training facility until he reports to the Cardinals' spring home in Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 17.
The 31-year-old right-hander has a large lakefront home on nearby Lake Tarpon.
"It's a little different but, for the most part, I am excited about going to St. Louis," said Hentgen. "From
everything I have heard from my National League buddies, it's a great place to play and playing with Big
Mac [Mark McGwire] is going to be exciting."
Hentgen, 11-12 in 1999 with a 4.79 ERA, was sent to the Cardinals along with lefty Paul Spoljaric of Kelowna,
B.C., for left-handed pitcher Lance Painter, catcher Alberto Castillo and minor-league pitcher Matt DeWitt.
He finished his Blue Jays career with 105 wins, fourth on Toronto's all-time list.
"I have a lot of good friends in the Blue Jays organization and we will cross paths again," he said. "The Blue
Jays were good to me and I am thankful for what they did for me and my family, but it's time to move on."
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