Published: October 19, 2009 11:55 pm      

Thatcher entertains in Q&A session

Joe Thatcher has stood atop the mound at Chavez Ravine in Elysian Park in Los Angeles, looking out at the hills and mountains. He’s pitched from the same vantage point as Sandy Koufax. In the last three years, he’s faced sure-fire hall of famers in front of tens of thousands of people.

In that same time, the Kokomo native lived out of a suitcase. He’s shown up at minor-league parks at 4:30 a.m. to ride the bus to the airport and fly the red-eye to Triple-A cities.

Thatcher’s mid 20s were eventful, to say the least. After wrapping up his third season with the San Diego Padres (and their Triple A club Portland Beavers), the 28-year-old Thatcher has access to a world most see only on television.

The Tribune caught up to Thatcher recently after he wrapped up a solid run with the Padres. He finished the season with an ERA of 2.80 in 52 appearances. Here’s a few slices of life in the bigs with questions and responses with the southpaw hurler:

Who is your toughest out?

“Definitely Todd Helton with Colorado,” Thatcher said. “If you look at his numbers, he’s one of the best hitters of all time. Being left-handed, they bring me in to face him quite a bit. He’s such a tough out. Basically, you hope to make a good pitch, and hope he hits it at somebody.

On the other side, he’s had success against Philadelphia star Ryan Howard. That’s given him a boost in confidence.

“He hit a home run off me last year,” Thatcher said. “I faced him three times this year and struck him out three times.

“If I can get Ryan Howard out, I can get anybody in the world out.”

Have you had any “wow” moments where you realized that you were pitching to that guy?

“Every time you face [St. Louis’ Albert] Pujols,” Thatcher said. “He’s just a monster in the box. He’s just so big physically. He might be the best hitter of all time. I faced him in St. Louis this year. I threw some of the best pitches I’ve ever thrown at him. He kept fighting them off, barely getting a piece of them, laying off balls that were out of the zone. I think on the eighth or ninth pitch he got a single up the middle.

“After the game, even Buddy Black, our manager, came up and said ‘you threw some great pitches there, he’s just that good that you’re not going to get him out most of the time.’”

Pujols is a legend in his prime. Thatcher noted another highlight was facing a legend in the final stretch of his career, Ken Griffey Jr.

“I faced him twice in my career,” Thatcher said. “He got a hit off me once, and I got him out once. In the mid 1990s there, when I was really getting into baseball, started taking it serious, he was the man. Playing against him, he’s another guy like Pujols — you’re going to remember your at-bats against him.”

The Thatcher family used to take mini-vacations to Chicago where he’d take in a White Sox game and a Cubs game in one weekend. He came to root for both and was a big fan of shortstop Ozzie Guillen. He’s never pitched in Wrigley Field, but has had a taste of several gems. Los Angeles is his favorite road stadium.

“Obviously, our ballpark in San Diego is probably my favorite ballpark to play in,” Thatcher said. “It’s a beautiful place. [Also], I love playing in Dodger Stadium because it’s old. You can look around and think Sandy Kofax and guys like that were on this same mound. All the history that goes with Dodger Stadium is really neat.”

Behind the scenes, players are treated very well on the road. Which team has the best facilities?

“Probably Washington. They’ve got a new ballpark. Their visiting clubhouse was pretty amazing,” Thatcher said, noting a helpful staff and a nice spread of food. “Everywhere we go, we get treated phenomenally.”

The conveniences and amenities for players are considerably better once you reach the majors. The biggest difference of all?

“Definitely the travel,” Thatcher said. “Even Triple A, we fly commercially. A lot of times, the bus will pick us up in the stadium at 4:30 in the morning.”

He said there are days in the minors that start before dawn and players never stop moving. The teams “fly in the morning, get to wherever we are around 2ish [in the afternoon], and pretty much go straight to the ballpark and have a game that night. The food, the meals, you get 20 dollars a day to eat on. That travel’s not much fun.

“Then you get to the big leagues, we’ve got our own charter jet, first-class seats, free food and drinks on the plane, stay in the best hotels.

“That grind [in the minors] is pretty tough. Once you get to the big leagues, everything, outside of playing itself, gets easier.”

So when he looks at the travel schedule, what’s his favorite city to visit?

“I like coming back to the Midwest,” Thatcher said. “Obviously, that way family and friends can hop in the car and come see me. St. Louis is amazing. Their fans are awesome.

“The one place I’ve missed, I’ve never played, is Wrigley Field. I’ve missed that three years in a row.”

Bullpen guys frequently get an earful on the road. Who has the rowdiest fans?

“Dodger fans. No doubt about it,” Thatcher said.

“St. Louis fans are passionate … but L.A. fans, they’re not afraid to talk about your mom. They’ll get on you pretty hard.

“It’s pretty entertaining.”

The Padres and Dodgers have a simmering rivalry as the cities are just a couple hours away along Interstate-5. Thatcher said fights in the stands are common.

“You look around and see how much the fans hate each other,” he said.

So where’s the best food on the road?

“Philly. Philly cheese steaks. They have a place in the clubhouse. They bring in guys who make Philly cheese steaks. That’s amazing. They keep track of how many cheese steaks each team eats,” Thatcher said, noting the chart leads players to try to out-eat rival squads.

How do the bullpen guys kill time until they’re needed?

“A lot of chit chat,” Thatcher said. “First couple innings, everybody just kind of messes around, scans the crowd, takes it all in. We act like little kids for four or five innings. Once it gets later in the game, the first time that phone rings, everybody just kind of focuses in. Everybody’s demeanor changes after that and it’s all business.”

Most exciting game this season?

“There were two,” Thatcher said. “One was when Everth Cabrera hit a walk-off grand slam off Francisco Rodriguez for the Mets [Aug. 7]. Another was when Kyle Blanks hit a walk-off home run against Kevin Gregg against the Cubs [Aug. 18].”

And the biggest thrill for Thatcher in a game he pitched this season?

“Probably for me [that] came in Atlanta. I came in with bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the 10th to face Garret Anderson, whose a great hitter in his own right. I came in and struck him out on three or four pitches,” Thatcher said of the Aug. 25 game. He ended up pitching the 11th and earned the win when the Padres won in the 12th.

“I remember last year I lost a game in extra innings in Atlanta, got hit around pretty good. That was kind of the start of my downfall. It felt good to get there this year, same place, same situation. To strike somebody out like Garret Anderson was a big boost for me.”