Derek Lowe

DEREK LOWE - BOSTON RED SOX

Starting Pitcher
Age: 29 (June 1, 1973)
Height: 6-6 Weight: 214
Throws: Right Bats: Right



History

Derek Lowe has pitched only 6 seasons, but he has already enjoyed success in three different roles on the Red Sox pitching staff. That is a testament to his athleticism and good-natured attitude.

Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Lowe became a four-sport star at Edsel Ford High School in his hometown. He was a First Team All-State selection in basketball, which nearly became his sport of choice. He was also recognized for his efforts in soccer, golf, and, of course, baseball. The Seattle Mariners selected Lowe in the 8th round in the 1993 Amateur Draft, so Lowe followed that road.

He scuffled through the Mariners’ system and eventually ended up at their AAA affiliate in Tacoma. In 1997, the Red Sox acquired Lowe in one of the most one-sided deals in team history. Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek were traded to Boston for pitcher Heathcliff Slocumb on July 31, 1997. Little did they know they would be battery mates in a no-hitter roughly five years later.

Experience

Lowe actually began his career as a starter with generally poor results. During the 1997 season with Seattle and the 1998 season with Boston, he was given a chance to prove himself in a rotation. At that time, he just wasn’t ready. In 19 starts, he was 2-7 with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The Red Sox noticed how effective Lowe was as a reliever, though. In the same time period, Lowe appeared in relief 64 times. He compiled a 3-5 record to go with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. It was during the end of 1998 where Derek entered into his first successful endeavor in the big leagues, the role of set-up man.

Eventually, word spread around baseball that the Red Sox had a great 8th inning option with a tough sinker. Lowe would enjoy his status one of the best set-up men in the game until the middle of 1999. That season, closer Tom Gordon went down with an arm injury that ended his season. The Sox held a closer by committee for a short while; that is, until Lowe proved he was the answer. Derek tabbed 15 saves along with a 2.63 ERA. He also pitched well in the heat of the playoffs, going 1-1 with a 3.10 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Boston had found their new closer.

The next year, Lowe was selected to his first All-Star team and finished with 42 saves, tied for the most in the American League. Lowe was seemingly on the verge of super-stardom until 2001, when the wheels came off and Lowe had no answers. He suffered many blown saves and the fans reaction turned hostile. Lowe finished April with four losses and two blown saves in nine games, including a pivotal game against New York in which he gave up back-to-back 10th-inning home runs to Paul O'Neill and David Justice.

Lowe showed some resiliency, closing eight consecutive saves in June, but he fell apart in July. "It got so bad, I was hoping I didn't have to pitch, and you don't want that. It was unbelievable how I lost confidence. I thought I was facing Babe Ruth every time a batter came to the plate."

It was so bad, in fact, Lowe had to walk to the bullpen an hour before the game, just as the fans were arriving at Fenway Park. He wore a jacket to hide the No. 37 on his uniform, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.

"They were yelling, cussing and screaming, and people were so angry, veins were popping out of their heads," Lowe says. "People take the game seriously in Boston. Fans don't come to Fenway Park to chitchat with each other. They come to analyze, critique, cheer and boo whenever we are bad. And I deserved to get booed."

In late August, Lowe had enough of trying to close. Joe Kerrigan, the Sox manager at the time, agreed. "It gave me a new challenge," Lowe said. It ended up rejuvenating his career once again. Like a cat with nine lives, Lowe enjoyed success as a starter. Despite his team falling down around him, Lowe managed a 1-0 record in three starts with a 1.12 ERA and a 0.88 ERA. He also struck out 15 and walked just two hitters. This performance offered a glimpse of what was to come this year.

2002 Campaign

After the disappointing 2001 season, Lowe had found a place on the team. He was slated to become the team’s #2 starter, but key additions had pushed him back to #4 in the rotation. This ultimately helped Lowe as there was less pressure placed on him. He worked on his arsenal, which features a sinker, a four-seam fastball, a cut fastball, changeup, and curveball. His sinker is his trademark pitch as evidenced by his 3.5 groundout to flyout ratio this season.

His newest pitch is the cut fastball, developed to use against lefties, who hit .317 off him last season. "Lefties hit me religiously last year," Lowe says. "But I'm still not completely confident with the pitch." Lowe's cut fastball is the same type of pitch that Yankees closer Mariano Rivera throws at 93-95 mph, about 10 mph faster than Lowe. He started to tinker with a cut fastball after taking advice from Kerrigan and Red Sox pitchers Frank Castillo and David Cone last season.

In the off-season, Lowe also started a weight program. He lifted weights four days a week and gained 25 pounds. When he reported to spring training, he was strong enough to pitch in a regular-season game and go the distance. His increased stamina may be the key to his success thus far.

Lowe began 2002 by throwing a one hitter against Baltimore, going seven innings and picking up the win. His next start, a loss to Kansas City, was also solid. He then reeled off six wins with a no-decision mixed in. Lowe’s masterpiece came April 27 at home vs. Tampa Bay. Lowe faced only one batter above the minimum and threw the first no hitter at Fenway Park in nearly 50 years. It was this game that finally put him on the map.

"Derek is only going to get better," says Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. "With Derek, the at-bats are over quickly, and the next thing you know, it is the seventh inning."

"It seems like every pitch you take is a strike and every pitch you swing at is a ball," says Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko.



Tampa Bay’s Steve Cox says, "Derek is a different pitcher now as a starter. He mixes it up more and throws a lot more changeups. He pitches now, instead of going in there for just that one inning and trying to get you out."

The Future

Perhaps the driving force behind Lowe’s season isn’t the off-season conditioning program or the addition of a new pitch. It seems that the difference is the adversity Lowe had to face last year. "Booing sticks in your head more than cheers,” says Lowe. “My failures drive me. I don't want Red Sox fans to see me and say, 'Oh, no.' I know what it is like to struggle. I don't ever want to go back there."

Lowe is averaging nearly seven innings per start and throws an average of 95 pitches a game. Stamina is no longer a question for the emerging pitcher. He was recently named to the American League All-Star team and is the favorite to start that game. "Not too many people lose their job and get a better one," Lowe says. "If you had told me before the season this was going to happen, I would have said you're crazy.”

Projection

Derek Lowe has become at least the co-ace of the Red Sox this season. The team, and more specifically Pedro Martinez, has needed to find a true number two starter. Lowe entered the season as an unlikely candidate to fill that role. But he has, and he has filled it well.

A sinkerball pitcher is ideal, as everything being hit is usually on the ground. A sinkerballer at Fenway is even better with the odd angles around the outfield and short porch in left. He has lost his last two starts, one a 2-1 duel with Atlanta’s Kevin Millwood. He should bounce back from that and expect him to continue his solid pitching with the Red Sox in the hunt for the American League East crown.

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Mike Timberlake