Carpenter Already Making Impact with Chicago Cubs
6/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
When Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Chris Carpenter recorded his first career strikeout on June 18, he didn't celebrate.
He didn't pump his fist in the air or point to the sky.
Carpenter held back his excitement, caught the ball from his catcher and continued to pitch.
For Kent State pitching coach Mike Birkbeck, Carpenter's sudden ascension to the big leagues is no surprise.
He watched for four years as Carpenter battled through injuries and ended his career in 2008 as the MAC Pitcher of the Year after being a leader for the Golden Flashes.
"In addition to just having tremendous stuff, he had a tremendous work ethic," Birkbeck said. "When you combine those two things you have a chance to be a pretty special guy. He's turned out to be that."
Carpenter's first two major league outings went well. He allowed two hits and struck out two batters.
On June 18, Carpenter faced his biggest challenge yet. He was called-in to pitch against the New York Yankees to face the team's two most dynamic hitters— first baseman Mark Teixeira and shortstop Alex Rodriguez.
Carpenter took on two of the best hitters in Major League Baseball today and didn't disappoint.
He got Teixeira to fly out and Rodriguez to ground out to short.
"He's going to give them quality innings," Birkbeck said. "You know he's going to be out there competing. As long as he throws strikes, I think with his stuff he has a chance to get a lot of guys out for a long time at that level."
Carpenter's last outing was not picturesque. Â
Cubs manager Mike Quade chose to bring Carpenter into the game in the eighth inning with Nick Swisher coming to the plate and two runners on.
Swisher sent the third pitch Carpenter threw into the right field stands to give the Yankees a three-run lead.
While Quade's decision to bring in the rookie right-hander back fired, the manager was quick to defend the Kent State graduate following the loss.
"Carpenter is going to be a good reliever," Quade said. "I told him he's going to be on this mound celebrating some day, and I believe that.
Carpenter's 3.38 earned run average is likely to earn him an extended stay with the Cubs, and Birkbeck said it's great for Kent State baseball.
While the right-handed pitcher was a Golden Flash, Birkbeck said he was a model of work ethic for his teammates. While most players stuck to the mandatory workouts, Carpenter would expand his sessions to improve his throwing.
"It's really good for the program and it's very good for the current guys we have," Birkbeck said. "You can point to him and explain where he started from when he got here and what he did while he was here. And how that's probably helped him to get to where he is right now."
Carpenter was projected to be a possible first round pick in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft, but questions about an elbow injury postponed his selection until the third round. He missed 18 months after Tommy John surgery and then a follow up procedure to clear out the joint of his elbow.
Carpenter won the MAC Pitcher of the Year award in 2008 after recording a 6-2 record with a 3.81 ERA and 88 strikeouts.
The Bryan, Ohio native was promoted to the big leagues after posting a 3-2 mark with a 5.36 ERA in the minors in 2011 while spending parts of the season with both Triple-A Iowa and Double-A Tennessee.
