Varitek catches first gold glove

November 1, 2005 | MLB.com | By Ian Browne

 

BOSTON -- For years now, the defense of Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek has been equally marveled at by teammates, opponents, fans and media members. Finally, Varitek has a Gold Glove to go along with all the accolades.

 

When this year's Rawlings Gold Glove winners were unveiled on Tuesday, Varitek was named the top defensive catcher in the American League.

 

Not only was it a personal milestone for Varitek, it marked the first time that the Red Sox have had a Gold Glove winner since 1991, when Tony Peña -- also a catcher -- received the award.

 

In typical Varitek fashion, he was honored, but not boastful over an individual accomplishment.

 

"Personal achievement-wise, it's a great honor," said Varitek. "I'm just fortunate to have the right recognition to be honored with that."

 

"There is nothing cooler than seeing someone that's more than deserving, winning this award," Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling wrote in an e-mail early Wednesday morning. "Tek was phenomenal this year and incredibly deserving, the best part of this whole thing is how hard he works at this aspect of the game and sometimes how overlooked it can be."

 

Varitek was also selected the catcher of the American League's Silver Slugger team on Monday. He took more satisfaction from the Gold Glove because, in his view, it was more vital to the success of his team.

 

"The Gold Glove, that's more important to me, to help out this team and organization to do what we did a year ago, but [now] try to do it again," said Varitek. "That's the most important job that I have, to work with the pitchers and help them be the best they can be."

 

Varitek's defense is unique in that his success does not hinge entirely on his glovework or his throwing arm.

 

Instead, Varitek has long been lauded for the way he calls a game. He also puts in countless hours of preparation with his pitchers, and by himself, scouring through the scouting reports for every hitter on the opposing team.

 

Of course, Varitek's signature move behind the plate is the way he masterfully blocks the dish. It seems there are countless times during the course of a season when there is a base hit and it is all but certain that a run will score, but Varitek finds a way to stop that baserunner in his tracks.

 

The runner will often beat the throw but be unable to touch home plate, and Varitek swiftly moves in for the tag.

 

Who can forget Eric Byrnes with the A's in Game 3 of the 2003 Division Series? Byrnes, who tweaked his leg in that ill-fated pursuit of scoring, was so annoyed that he shoved Varitek instead of touching home plate. Instead of retaliating, Varitek raced to the backstop, tracked down the errant throw and tagged out a positively perplexed Byrnes.

 

It was a key play in Boston's comeback from a 2-0 series deficit.

 

As much as Varitek looks like a natural behind the plate, he was quick to point out how much work he's had to put into it.

 

He remembers the days when Derek Lowe's filthy sinker used to leave him perplexed during their days together in the Mariners' farm system.

 

"D-Lowe used to throw a sinker that used to hit me before it hit my glove," Varitek said. "I've come a long way."

 

Varitek made it a point to thank all of those who have helped him with his defense along the way, from his high school and college coaches, to Minor League instructors and Major League pitching coaches, to former manager Jimy Williams, who first gave him a chance to be an everyday player, and all down the line.

 

Then, of course, there are the pitchers. Varitek has always claimed to be nothing more than an aid to the mound men. He says he's gained as much from them as vice versa.

 

"The experience of learning from veteran pitchers, like a [Bret] Saberhagen on down to Pedro [Martinez], I can't explain how much on-field [they've] taught me," said Varitek. "You just got to keep learning and keep getting better and keep your ears open."

 

Aside from what Varitek does by himself, perhaps even more important is the way he elevates the performance of his pitchers.

 

"He doesn't let you slack off your game," Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin said during Spring Training. "He knows what you can do. He's seen you. If he's not played with you, he's played against you. He's played against you at your peak. He remembers your game. He remembers your 'A' game.

 

"When you go out on the field, he doesn't give his 'B' game out there, so he expects you to do the same. What he expects from himself, he expects from you. If you don't, he'll come over and say something to you. And that's what makes him a good leader. He leads by example, but he also leads by helping others."

 

In short, Varitek is a manager's dream, which Williams, Joe Kerrigan, Grady Little and Terry Francona, the team's current skipper, all expressed at one time or another.

 

"I think you like to get to the point where you view your catcher as almost being indispensable," said Francona. "He's everything you want in your catcher, whether it's Game 7 of the playoffs or Field 4 in Spring Training. He goes about everything just like you're supposed to. I could talk about 'Tek for as long as you want and it would all be positive things, and that's the way we view him."

 

Barring an injury, during the 2006 season, Varitek will break the all-time Red Sox record for most games caught in a career. He is currently third, with 918 games, trailing only Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk (990) and Sammy White (967).

 

Varitek, the captain of the Red Sox, is never one to talk much about his own success. Now he can let his Gold Glove speak for itself.