Immature in age only

Tuesday's shutout has powerhouse Mariners marveling at 22-year-old Joe Kennedy's maturity.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published May 23, 2002

SEATTLE -- There still is plenty of little boy in Joe Kennedy, as evidenced by the remnants of the blackened right eye he refused to explain. But on the mound, Kennedy, who turns 23 Friday, has grown up considerably.

"How old was that guy?" Seattle's Jamie Moyer asked after Kennedy's 1-0 complete-game victory Tuesday. "I know it's only one game, but I thought he was quite impressive. I'll tell you what; he showed great mental presence. In my opinion, he did some veteran-looking things.

"He looks like he has a good idea how to pitch."

Kennedy showed plenty of poise, maturity and determination in shutting down and shutting out the Mariners, snapping the Rays' major-league record streak of incomplete games at 194.

A fastball that was clocked as high as 96 mph in the ninth inning didn't hurt, either.

"He showed us what he's capable of doing," manager Hal McRae said Wednesday.

The Mariners were impressed with what Kennedy did, relying on the fastball and mixing in just enough changeups and curveballs to prevent them from getting comfortable as he struck out seven and allowed four singles.

"He threw the ball well to both sides of the plate and had good velocity late into the game," Seattle catcher Dan Wilson said. "He hardly made any mistakes on the middle of the plate."

The Rays were more impressed with how he did it, the way he attacked the hitters, managed his pitch count (112 for the night) and focused on finishing the game.

"He's maturing, realizing that you face a lineup three or four times and he's showing different looks every time a batter comes to the plate," Rays catcher John Flaherty said. "It's all part of the learning curve."

"We tried to protect him last year, but now the gloves are off," McRae said. "He's shown he's capable of finishing ballgames. ... He's a gamer. He showed me that he wanted it. Every time he threw a fastball, I knew he wanted it."

Kennedy, who had not pitched into the ninth during his first 28 big-league starts, said he wanted nothing more than the chance to finish the game, the second 1-0 win of his brief career.

"I want to be the guy to go out there and complete every game, but it's not my decision," Kennedy said. "It's something Hal and (general manager) Chuck LaMar decided how to take care of me, and it's a decision I feel good about. (Tuesday) night he had confidence in me to go out and complete that game.

"It's something you have to prove to them. That's not something that's given to you. It's something that you deserve throughout your career. It's something that you earn."