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Age Not A Touchy Subject For Moyer

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 25, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - Jamie Moyer has thick skin to go with the gray streaks in his hair. He needs it.

"Hey Moyer, how'd you pitch to Babe Ruth?"

"Where's your AARP card?"

"Moyer, I'll bet your other car's a wheelchair."

The ribbing is relentless, but it's to be expected. A month shy of 46, Moyer is the oldest player in the major leagues.

When he takes the mound for Philadelphia in Game 3 of the World Series tonight or Sunday, depending on the weather, he'll be the second-oldest player to appear in the Fall Classic.

Moyer generally takes all the flak in good humor and sometimes plays along.

When Phillies manager Charlie Manuel referred to 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers star Gil Hodges a few weeks ago during a news conference, Moyer joked that he faced him.

"I hear all kind of stuff from the fans," Moyer said. "But as far as teammates go, it's usually done in good taste."

Some of those teammates are afraid to say anything.

"I've never mentioned anything to him about his age," 28-year-old relief pitcher Ryan Madson said. "I learned the hard way. I made a comment to Tim Worrell and Rheal Cormier a couple of years ago, and I didn't have any clothes left in my locker."

Moyer is, by all accounts, a good guy. Even diehard Rays fan Dick Vitale is pulling for him. Moyer conveys a deep appreciation for still being a major-league pitcher after two decades.

This is a guy who broke into the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 1986, played at Texas when Nolan Ryan pitched a no-hitter and pitched for Baltimore during part of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record streak of 2,632 games played.

Moyer spent 10 seasons with Seattle, many of them not so good, before the Phillies traded for him in 2006.

Now, after all of that, he'll get to pitch in the World Series against Matt Garza, the Rays' 24-year-old ALCS MVP.

"It's great for Jamie, especially as long as he's been around and as much as he's done throughout his career," said Matt Stairs, Moyer's teammate and semi-contemporary at age 40. "Just having the chance to start at his age - which, I'm not saying he's old ... well, yeah, I am - is great."

Manuel easily could skip Moyer in the rotation. The lefty has had a rough go of it in the postseason so far, losing both of his starts and giving up eight runs in 51/3 innings (13.50 ERA).

In his lone NLCS start, Moyer gave up five runs in the first inning to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-2 loss.

Manuel, known for his loyalty to his players, wasn't going to deny Moyer this chance.

"I think Jamie Moyer, after all these years, has earned the right to start a game in the World Series," he said. "I think he's one of the big reasons we're here today. He won 16 games this year and at one time was our most consistent pitcher, whether you believe it or not."

Manuel isn't doing charity work here. Moyer has won 30 games over the last two seasons and was 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA this year. Moreover, he has career record of 8-4 with 2.85 ERA against the Rays.

Moyer is a cagey pitcher whose fastball rarely gets above the low 80s. When he's on, he's trouble.

"Last year and this year, he's won some really big games for us down the stretch," catcher Chris Coste said. "Believe me, nobody wants to prove himself more than Jamie. We know what he's capable of. He has a way of frustrating the other team, and hopefully he can do it again."

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