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Tuesday, September 30, 1997

Astros ace Kile ready to show his stuff in playoffs

By JORGE VALENCIA

Riverside Press-Enterprise

Before his superb season was slowed by a three-game losing streak, Houston Astros ace Darryl Kile, was a leading candidate to win the National League Cy Young award.

He was 17-3 with a 2.27 earned-run average in late August after reeling off 10 straight victories, and was among the league leaders in almost every pitching category.

Still, Kile, a right-hander with perhaps the best curveball in baseball, has put together a career year and keyed the Astros' drive to the NL Central title. He is 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA and 205 strikeouts.

"There is no way we'd be sitting here in first place without Darryl," Astros manager Larry Dierker said recently. "Especially after Shane (Reynolds) had knee surgery. We were counting on Shane to win 14 or 15 games, but that wasn't possible after he got hurt.

"Darryl came up big when we needed him, and I don't know where we'd be if he hadn't."

Kile, 28, established himself as an All-Star pitcher in 1993 when he went 15-8 and threw a no-hitter. His next three seasons, however, he went 9-6, 4-12 and 12-11.

Things got so bad for Kile in 1995 that he was demoted to the minors near the end of the season.

But he has re-established himself as a premier pitcher and credits Dierker, a former major league pitcher-turned-broadcaster-turned-manager, for much of the turnaround.

"Without a doubt he's made a difference," said Kile, in his seventh major league season. "He laid a foundation for me early in the year by showing confidence in me and letting me pitch through some jams.

"That is paying off now, because if he hadn't allowed me to get a tough out early, I wouldn't be doing it now."

Kile was elated when he was told before the season that Dierker was selected to replace the fired Terry Collins as Houston's manager. Kile reasoned that Dierker would understand a pitcher's mentality and perhaps offer some helpful tips. Dierker pitched for parts of 15 seasons in the majors, 13 with the Astros, before moving to the broadcast booth.

But Kile admits he was somewhat baffled with the first piece of advice his new manager gave him. Dierker, believing much of Kile's problems were caused by lack of concentration, told the pitcher to play golf.

"He knows that golf takes huge concentration," Kile said. "And he figured it would help my focus on the mound."

Soon, Kile was so focused that he was seeing nothing but victories. He won seven of his first nine decisions, going 6-0 in May. Then, after losing to the Minnesota Twins June 14 in a game in which he allowed only two earned runs, Kile really got locked in.

He won a career-high 10 straight decisions, posting a 2.48 ERA during the streak. The key?

Consistency and his ability to set up his trademark curve by throwing strikes with his fastball.

"This is the most consistent season of my career," he said. "When I was young, I'd have a great game and then a horrible game, a great game and another horrible game.

"Part of that is that I didn't know how to control my mechanics so that I could make quality pitches over and over again. But as I've gotten older, I've learned."

His fastball, considered slightly above average by major league standards, is what has made his curve more effective.

"Everyone knows that curve is paralyzing," Dierker said. "And if you're a hitter, you don't want to try and hit it with two strikes on you.

"So, when he throws strikes with his fastball early in the count, guys are going to swing at it. And if he spots it on the corner or close to the corner, they usually are going to foul it off or miss it. If they don't, he can come in with the curve."

As good as Kile has become, Dierker believes his pitcher can get better.

Kile, 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, throws three pitches - the curve and two variations of his fastball - and is working on a fourth.

"He has a split-finger pitch that at times can be devastating," Dierker said. "When he throws it in the bullpen, he can control it pretty well. But he hasn't really done that in a game. He'll throw it for a couple innings here and there, but he can't count on it yet.

"But when he does, he'll be even tougher."

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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