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North County Times - San Diego Padres - Farmhand Ketchner follows the lead of baseball's most prominent deaf player
Padres pitcher Ryan Ketchner and Angels outfielder Curtis Pride have met on many occasions, but never on a professional baseball field.
The two have a chance to become a part of modern-day baseball history when the Padres play the Angels in Tempe on Thursday with the act of a simple handshake.
Even if a simple greeting is all that occurs, the event will turn an ordinary exhibition game into an extraordinary display ---- a day of athletic accomplishment for the hearing-impaired community.
Ketchner and Pride are both deaf.
The last time two deaf players appeared in the same game was May 16, 1902.
And Ketchner, a 24-year-old left-hander, knows his opportunity might not have arrived without the efforts of the 38-year-old Pride.
"(Curtis) is important to me," said Ketchner, who pitched a scoreless inning in Sunday's 4-3 loss to Oakland. "He's always told me I could do it if I wanted to."
Pride, who has played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues, met Ketchner in spring training during Pride's minor-league days with the New York Mets early in his career. Ketchner recalls Pride wishing him "good luck." But their relationship didn't end there.
A friend later told Pride, who first appeared in the majors with the Montreal Expos in 1993, about Ketchner's rising stardom at John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres, Fla., and he decided to pay Ketchner a visit.
From there, a friendship developed as the two spoke on several occasions and often exchanged e-mails. Each time, Pride hammered home the same message.
"I'm always pushing him," Pride said. "It's nice to know I have inspired him. He told me he looked up to me as his role model because of my being able to overcome and being able to accomplish my dream of playing major league baseball. ... But I tell him to believe in himself. That he has the ability to pitch in the big leagues. He really does.
"He's got a lot of talent that he's been blessed with."
According to his teammates, Ketchner is a strong communicator despite having only 10 percent hearing.
He is a strong lip reader ---- a byproduct he said of taking speech classes from age 4 through his senior year of high school. Ketchner said he also is a text-messaging pro.
Even with a significant hearing loss, to the players in the Padres' clubhouse, Ketchner's just another ballplayer.
Justin Hampson, Ketchner's throwing partner, said the pair have communicated well since camp opened.
"I don't think there's a communication barrier," Hampson said. "I talk to him, and he talks right back. I think it's very easy communicating with each other. It's not something I think about. He's just Ryan, a guy that I play ball with.
"We have fun on the field and we joke around."
Outfielder Paul McAnulty found Ketchner to be a guy with whom he could finally put his sign-language skills to use. McAnulty said he took sign-language courses during his senior year of high school and freshman year of college, but he hasn't had much use for them until now.
"I only remember some of it now," McAnulty said. "I mess it up and I don't know a lot, but I know how to have a conversation. He's a pretty good dude. He's no different than anyone in here. The only thing he can't do is have a decent conversation."
He can pitch, however.
In 127 minor-league appearances, including 65 starts, Ketchner has a 31-27 record and a 3.03 ERA. He also has 499 minor-league strikeouts in 504 1/3 innings pitched. And he's slowly regaining his form after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2005. He missed the entire 2005 season after the surgery and pitched just 26 2/3 innings at three different levels in 2006 with the Dodgers' organization.
But the Padres thought enough of Ketchner to sign him to a free-agent contract on Nov. 10 and place him on the 40-man roster.
"He's got a good, solid delivery," Padres manager Bud Black said, "a nice mix of pitches and solid command of the ball. He's worked his way up and is knocking on the door of the big leagues."
General manager Kevin Towers said he sees Ketchner as a prospect with options.
And, Towers said, he's projected as a middle-of-the rotation pitcher.
And that's fine with Ketchner, who said he's about 90 percent recovered from his surgery.
"I missed all of the 2005 season," said Ketchner, who likely will start the season at Double-A Mobile or Triple-A Portland. "So whatever the Padres want me to do, I'll be happy to do."
If that includes facing Pride, so be it. Though both players would prefer that the focus is not on them, they say the accomplishment wouldn't go unnoticed.
After all, it's a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the early 20th century when deaf players had to contend with politically incorrect nicknames. It was in 1902 that the Reds' William "Dummy" Hoy faced New York Giants pitcher Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor.
"I've always wanted to face Curtis," Ketchner said. "That would be great."
Said Pride: "I might (think about it) after it happened. For us, it wouldn't be a big deal because it's just like facing one of the guys. But it'd be a cool thing, especially for a lot of people. You rarely ever see it happen. Hopefully we won't be the last ones.
"Hopefully we'll pave the way for more players who aspire to be major leaguers."
Padres pitcher Ryan Ketchner and Angels outfielder Curtis Pride have met on many occasions, but never on a professional baseball field.
The two have a chance to become a part of modern-day baseball history when the Padres play the Angels in Tempe on Thursday with the act of a simple handshake.
Even if a simple greeting is all that occurs, the event will turn an ordinary exhibition game into an extraordinary display ---- a day of athletic accomplishment for the hearing-impaired community.
Ketchner and Pride are both deaf.
The last time two deaf players appeared in the same game was May 16, 1902.
And Ketchner, a 24-year-old left-hander, knows his opportunity might not have arrived without the efforts of the 38-year-old Pride.
"(Curtis) is important to me," said Ketchner, who pitched a scoreless inning in Sunday's 4-3 loss to Oakland. "He's always told me I could do it if I wanted to."
Pride, who has played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues, met Ketchner in spring training during Pride's minor-league days with the New York Mets early in his career. Ketchner recalls Pride wishing him "good luck." But their relationship didn't end there.
A friend later told Pride, who first appeared in the majors with the Montreal Expos in 1993, about Ketchner's rising stardom at John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres, Fla., and he decided to pay Ketchner a visit.
From there, a friendship developed as the two spoke on several occasions and often exchanged e-mails. Each time, Pride hammered home the same message.
"I'm always pushing him," Pride said. "It's nice to know I have inspired him. He told me he looked up to me as his role model because of my being able to overcome and being able to accomplish my dream of playing major league baseball. ... But I tell him to believe in himself. That he has the ability to pitch in the big leagues. He really does.
"He's got a lot of talent that he's been blessed with."
According to his teammates, Ketchner is a strong communicator despite having only 10 percent hearing.
He is a strong lip reader ---- a byproduct he said of taking speech classes from age 4 through his senior year of high school. Ketchner said he also is a text-messaging pro.
Even with a significant hearing loss, to the players in the Padres' clubhouse, Ketchner's just another ballplayer.
Justin Hampson, Ketchner's throwing partner, said the pair have communicated well since camp opened.
"I don't think there's a communication barrier," Hampson said. "I talk to him, and he talks right back. I think it's very easy communicating with each other. It's not something I think about. He's just Ryan, a guy that I play ball with.
"We have fun on the field and we joke around."
Outfielder Paul McAnulty found Ketchner to be a guy with whom he could finally put his sign-language skills to use. McAnulty said he took sign-language courses during his senior year of high school and freshman year of college, but he hasn't had much use for them until now.
"I only remember some of it now," McAnulty said. "I mess it up and I don't know a lot, but I know how to have a conversation. He's a pretty good dude. He's no different than anyone in here. The only thing he can't do is have a decent conversation."
He can pitch, however.
In 127 minor-league appearances, including 65 starts, Ketchner has a 31-27 record and a 3.03 ERA. He also has 499 minor-league strikeouts in 504 1/3 innings pitched. And he's slowly regaining his form after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2005. He missed the entire 2005 season after the surgery and pitched just 26 2/3 innings at three different levels in 2006 with the Dodgers' organization.
But the Padres thought enough of Ketchner to sign him to a free-agent contract on Nov. 10 and place him on the 40-man roster.
"He's got a good, solid delivery," Padres manager Bud Black said, "a nice mix of pitches and solid command of the ball. He's worked his way up and is knocking on the door of the big leagues."
General manager Kevin Towers said he sees Ketchner as a prospect with options.
And, Towers said, he's projected as a middle-of-the rotation pitcher.
And that's fine with Ketchner, who said he's about 90 percent recovered from his surgery.
"I missed all of the 2005 season," said Ketchner, who likely will start the season at Double-A Mobile or Triple-A Portland. "So whatever the Padres want me to do, I'll be happy to do."
If that includes facing Pride, so be it. Though both players would prefer that the focus is not on them, they say the accomplishment wouldn't go unnoticed.
After all, it's a feat that hasn't been accomplished since the early 20th century when deaf players had to contend with politically incorrect nicknames. It was in 1902 that the Reds' William "Dummy" Hoy faced New York Giants pitcher Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor.
"I've always wanted to face Curtis," Ketchner said. "That would be great."
Said Pride: "I might (think about it) after it happened. For us, it wouldn't be a big deal because it's just like facing one of the guys. But it'd be a cool thing, especially for a lot of people. You rarely ever see it happen. Hopefully we won't be the last ones.
"Hopefully we'll pave the way for more players who aspire to be major leaguers."