ON THE FIELD
"When we lost, I couldn't sleep at night. When we win, I can't sleep at night. But, when you win, you wake up feeling better."
(Joe Torre, catcher and manager)
"Bob Gibson's the luckiest pitcher I've ever seen. . . .He always picks the night to pitch when the other team doesn't score
any runs."
(Tim McCarver, catcher)
"God was never a catcher because, if He was, there would never have been a knuckle ball pitcher."
(Contributed by
Captain Jack Kirby, U.S. Navy Dental Corps)
Mike Macfarlane, Kansas City Royals catcher, after K.C. beat the Oakland A's 3-1 on only one hit:
That was a maximization of a minimization of hits. April 27, 1992
Junior Ortiz, Cleveland Indians catcher, after going 0 for 3 while playing with his left contact lens in his right eye and his right lens in his left eye:
When the pitcher threw a fastball low and outside, it looked like a fastball high and inside. June 8, 1992
Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan, who had been hit 20 times by pitched balls that season:
They ought to stop it before somebody gets hurt. Sep 2, 1968
Bob Uecker, Milwaukee Braves rookie, who had hit one homer and was rooming with Eddie Mathews:
Between me and my roommate, we've hit 400 major league home runs. March 18, 1963
Johnny Bench, Hall of Famer, when asked how he felt about Carlton Fisk's breaking his career record for home runs by a catcher:
I was thinking about making a comeback, until I pulled a muscle vacuuming. Sep 10, 1990
One thing you learn as a Cub fan: when you bought your ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth inning.
(Joe Garagiola, former catcher and announcer)
This is a tough yard for a hitter when the air conditioning is blowing in.
(Bob Boone, Philadelphia Phillies catcher, on the Astrodome, 1976)
There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.
(Buck Martinez, Toronto Blue Jays catcher, 1985)
We play like King Kong one day and like Fay Wray the next.
(Terry Kennedy, San Diego Padres catcher, 1983)
You can't win them all.
(Connie Mack, former catcher and Philadelphia A's manager after losing 117 games, 1916)
We catchers don't want the credit and we don't want the blame. I've never called for a hanging curveball in my life." (David Ross, Cincinnati Reds catcher, 2007)
IN GENERAL
"Baseball is like church -- many attend, but few understand." (Wes Westrum, catcher)
Tim McCarver, the Philadelphia Phillie who caught all of Steve Carlton's games:
When Steve and I die, we are going to be buried in the same cemetery, 60' 6" apart. June 6, 1977
Actually, the best thing about playing at home is that you are not on the road.
(Darrell Porter, St. Louis Cardinals catcher)
Being a winner as a player is getting the most from your ability. Being a winner as a manager is not getting fired.
(Joe Torre, Former catcher and New York Mets manager, 1978)
Most people don't understand catchers. For example, Jerry Grote is a catcher who hits. Johnny Bench is a hitter who catches. There is a big difference.
(Joe Torre, catcher)