St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 24, 2002

Morris' Skills Were Refined in Caldron of Playoffs

Key efforts in Arizona help him to "elite" status

By Joe Strauss

JUPITER, Fla. -- The image from last Oct. 9 remains seared in Tony LaRussa's memory. The first inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks threatened to consume Matt Morris in his first postseason start.

A leadoff walk to Tony Womack and Steve Finley's chopped double over first base allowed two runners into scoring position before Morris could get an out. Laboring before a purple-clas crowd of 42,252, Morris couldn't help but notice the volume rising.

In the visitor's dugout, LaRussa hoped Morris somehow could manage the damage. "They've got two points on the board" forced its way into the manager's head.

But perhaps in the most revealing moment of his breakout season, Morris struct out Luis Gonzalez, induced a foul pop from Reggie Sanders, then got Mark Grace to ground to first base. Rather than celebrate a thrill-ride escape, Morris walked puposefully to the dugout, barely acknowledging the swirl or exhilaration around him.

"He walked off with the eye of the tiger. He wasn't overly excited because he knew he had to pitch the second inning. I'll never forget the look on his face," recalled LaRussa. "That's cool, because I've seen the opposite."

"Being in that situation, it seems like I gained another year of experience in two games," Morris remembered Saturday.

Six years after signing after his year at Seton Hall and two years after missing the 1999 season following ligament replacement surgery, things finally have come quickly to Morris.

He won 22 games last season while trusting only a fastball, a curve and a rarely-seen change-up that he has been struggling with "forever."

He signed a three-year, $27 million contract in December without benefit of an agent.

And in October, his postseason performance placed him on a higher plane after only his second full major-league season. An "elite," his general manager calls him.

"I think we'd have all lost a lot of money if you'd said he would pitch 15 innings, give up two runs in those two games...you would think we'd have won one of them," said LaRussa.

Last season's No. 3 starter, Morris, 27, returns as the Cardinals' presumptive opening day pitcher while carrying the highest average salary ever given one of the franchise's arms. He is offering no predictions about wins this season; nor does he ask to be called an ace. The expectations for himself are the same, though Morris believes a vocal leadership role is best left to more veteran arms.

"If people think they can learn or take something from watching me pitch, that's fine. But as far as in the clubhouse, [Andy] Benes, [Darryl] Kile and Woody Williams are the guys with experience. Kile's been to a bunch of All-Star Games. If they have something to say, great."

To Morris and the Cardinals, everything crystallized during that Division Series. Morris pitched 15 innings in two starts, 1-0 and 2-1 Cardinal losses in Game 1 and Game 5. However, Morris' performance--two earned runs and 12 strikeouts when paired against 22-game winner Curt Schilling--convinced the Cardinals his success was underscored by more than talent.

"That's when he developed a sense that he had arrived and should be considered among the elite...He's at an age now where he should start doing that. Obviously, he hasn't had the longevity. This should be starting his era right now," said general manager Walt Jocketty.

Morris arrived in camp last February more than two years removed from his last major-league start. He left the regular season with the most wins by a Cardinals pitcher since 1970, a 15-2 record and 1.62 ERA at Busch Stadium and confidence enough to retain his focus on a national stage.

"I think it magnified the feelings. That's what the whole season prepared me for: those starts and that atmosphere," said Morris.

"The things I did during the season were the same in the playoffs. I think sometimes you get out there and think because it's the playoffs you have to do something different. But you've got to take that same curve you threw two weeks before up in Milwaukee. It doesn't have to be any better in the playoffs."

Now when you make the NL All-Star team, go 6-0 in August and carry a no-hitter for nearly seven innings in Wrigley Field.

"If you do it right, you can put 100 percent pressure on yourself when you pitch in spring training. You can literally set it up that you're maxing the pressure out. If you do that all season long, what are you going to do in the playoffs? Say now I'm trying harder? We play rubber games in April like they're must-win. You've got to get ready to taking at-bats and making pitches," says LaRussa.

"Sometimes the extra stakes in the postseason distract guys. But he had put himself under enough pressure during the season that he felt good about handling it."

Morris felt good enough about his situation to sign a three-year deal rather than wait for free agency after the upcoming season. He broke with his agent and needed to exchange only three phone calls with Jocketty before committing himself to a place he has never considered leaving.

"I'm a simple guy. I'm loyal. I felt the Cardinals were loyal. It's not like I'm being loyal to a club that doesn't have a chance to win. They do everything they can. The fans are great," said Morris, before adding for perspective, "It is baseball."

Morris said he felt pressure from the players association to rethink what he was doing. The accelerated pace of negotiations gave him pause.

"The more I began to watch ESPN and hear about other contracts getting done, I started questioning myself and what I felt. The Cardinals offered me more than I thought from the get-go. That's why it was so easy. If they were going to come in and lowball me, I would have had to go get an agent to dig up information...although I did win 22 games."