There are no certainties in baseball, but sometimes one can't help be sure that a win is in the books before the game begins. When Eastern League Pitcher of the Year Kyle Drabek took the ball for the Fisher Cats in Game 1 of the ELDS against the Trenton Thunder, he had a perfect 5-0 record against them. The Fisher Cats were confident and the Thunder recognized Drabek's success when facing them.
But all certainty was erased when the Thunder offense managed two runs off the Cats to win Game 1.
Here are the highlights of my interview with Drabek before Game 2 Thursday.
Of the Game 1 loss: "We had our game and I think we executed it pretty well. We've faced them so much this year that we know their hitters. [Trystan] Magnuson came in and threw one mistake. After that he was flawless, then [Danny] Farquhar came in and did great. As for the hitters I thought they did well. It's really hard to shut this team out. We have so many weapons that their pitchers had to do something special.
On whether fatigued had set in for him: No. We have a really great strength and conditioning coach that have helped me stay healthy. (Drabek pitched a career high 162 innings in 2010. He finished 14-9 with a 2.94 ERA and 132 strikeouts]
Looking ahead to the off-season: This past off-season I worked a lot with my dad [former Major League pitcher Doug]. He helped me get ready for this season and I'm probably going to do that again.
On Dad's advice: It's pretty much just like a pitching coach. He talks about what he used to do. When he'd start to throw, when he'd start to long toss, when he'd start off the mound, and I was able to throw with him everyday. He'd catch my bullpen which was great, because he'd be able to see what I was doing from a hitter's perspective. That got my prepared in a lot of ways for spring training.