Article published September 06, 2009
Ketchner aims to stay healthy
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Most pitchers called up to Toledo from Single-A might be intimidated by a promotion to Triple-A.
But left-hander Ryan Ketchner isn't most pitchers.
"I kind of knew [a promotion] was coming," Ketchner said. "I knew a lot of guys get called up at this time of year."
Yes, Ketchner has already spent time in Triple-A before this season. But Ketchner has bigger goals than just advancing to Triple-A.
Ketchner is striving to become the first deaf player in the major leagues since former Hen Curtis Pride, an outfielder. If Ketchner reaches his goal, he'll be the first deaf pitcher in the big leagues since Luther Taylor, who last pitched for the New York Giants in 1908.
Ketchner said his focus isn't on earning a call-up to Detroit."My goal is to stay healthy," Ketchner said. "If I stay healthy, I know I can pitch well enough to earn an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues."
Ketchner originally was drafted by Seattle in the 10th round of the 2000 draft. He made one start for Triple-A Tacoma but otherwise did not push past Single-A with the Mariners, who traded him to Los Angeles in spring training of 2004.
The southpaw made one start for the Dodgers' Triple-A team in Las Vegas in both '04 and '05 before signing with San Diego before the 2007 season.
He spent that year with Triple-A Portland, posting a 1-11 record and 5.62 ERA in 19 starts.
The next year he re-signed with Seattle and pitched for Double-A West Tennessee in the Southern League, going 7-6 with a 4.75 ERA.
After shoulder surgery last October, he signed with Detroit in July and was sent to Single-A Lakeland. He was 1-4 with a 4.66 ERA in 10 appearances for the Flying Tigers.
Ketchner said the reason he signed with Detroit was simple.
"They had a spot available for me," he said. "The money wasn't important to me. I knew I would get an opportunity, and I would get a chance to move up [the organization]."
Pitching coach A.J. Sager said it hasn't been hard to work with Ketchner.
"You have to make eye contact with him, because he reads lips," Sager said of the southpaw, who will start in Columbus tomorrow. "He has a good understanding of pitching, so you don't have to explain a lot.
"He's low maintenance, and he has a sense of humor. He's been great to work with."
NEW NAMES: Over the last month, a majority of the Mud Hens have found new nameplates on the top of their lockers.
The new nameplate for Mike Hessman says simply, "The King," presumably because he is Toledo's all-time leader in home runs.
Nate Bump's is "Billy Chapel," the name of the pitcher played by Kevin Costner in the movie, "For the Love of the Game."
And Don Kelly's nameplate says, "Alter [sic] Boy," presumably a homage to his Christian beliefs.
HOME SWEET HOME: Think it's glamorous to be a Triple-A manager?
Hens manager Larry Parrish has "lived" in his office over the past few days.
With the team on the road most of September, Parrish put an air mattress in his office when the team returned home from Indianapolis Wednesday.
Instead of paying for three days of an apartment, Parrish slept in his office that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Parrish reported that the biggest problem was the light in his office, which uses a motion sensor. Any time he moved in his new "bed," the light was activated.
He "fixed" that problem by taping a soup bowl around the sensor and reported three good nights of sleep.
ATTENDANCE TOTAL: Friday night's crowd of 10,700 was the Mud Hens' 26th sellout this season and the 237th in the eight-year history of Fifth Third Field.
It pushed the Hens' season attendance total to 559,037. That's the fourth-highest single-season total in franchise history.
Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6481
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