Radke Retires As A Winner
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by user Leslie Monteiro
One-time Twins ace Brad Radke officially retired on Tuesday afternoon. He is retiring in his prime. He has decided to retire at the age of 34 because of his chronic back and neck injuries. There was an idea that he may be hungry to get one more shot of a championship, but he decided that he had enough. Good for him. He did so many great things in his career. He should have zero regrets.
He will be remembered fondly by the organization and the Twins fans. He was a guy that represented the Twins during the rough times. He was a guy that won big games during the Twins rebirth of excellence. He could have moved on to a big market team that was going to go out and win, but he was very loyal to the team that has drafted him. He was a guy that would help mentor young pitchers or young position players in playing the game right. He was a man of character. There was never a time when he embarrassed himself or the organization.
Radke came in the scene in 1995. He made his major league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on April 29, 1995. He never looked back. He was very successful from the year he started to the year he finished. Every time he took the ball, he gave the team everything. He gave them innings. He gave them a chance to win the ballgame by shutting down the other team. He never imploded when he was in jams. This was refreshing because the Twins have had too many starters that failed in these situations throughout his stellar career.
His best year ever was in 1997. He won 20 games that year. That performance got him third place in the AL Cy Young. If his team was as good as the teams that he was in his final stage of his career, he may have won it. He did not because that team was so hideous.
He was probably the bright spot for that franchise not only for that year, but for the most of the mid-to-late nineties when they were hideous with horrible pitchers, hitters, and fielders. He was a guy that ended losing streaks during those years. He made former manager Tom Kelly look smart. T.K. would have meetings with his team with the idea that it would do the trick with his best starter on the mound.
The Twins finally showed signs of promise in the 2000 season. Players such as Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, A.J. Pierzynski, Jacque Jones, Cristian Guzman, Matt Lawton, Luis Rivas, Joe Mays, and Eric Milton were growing into productive players. The ballclub had a breakthrough season in 2001 where they won 85 games. Radke had to feel good about his chances of pitching in the playoffs. He finally got his opportunity in 2002. His team made the playoffs for the first time since 1991. He made the most of it by pitching very well Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland. He set the tone for the Twins to advance to the American League Championship Series against the Anaheim Angels. This was by far the defining moment of his career. It was even better than the season he had in 1997.
He was able to pitch in playoff games for the rest of his career after that. He did a good job in those games overall. He put his team in a position to be in these games by stepping up in the second half of the regular season. He was definitely a huge part of this team’s success.
He took respectability to another notch in his final two seasons with the club. He was pitching with pain in his back and his neck which drove him to retirement. It was clear that he was not right whatsoever. He was giving up homeruns at a high rate. He could not go deep into the games like he used to. He always got off to a bad start. He would recover nicely in the middle of the game after that. It was finally revealed that he was pitching in pain in mid-season. He took cortisone shots on his back after each start. He did well when he took the shots, but even then it was too much for him. He spent some time in the disabled list last year and in the final few weeks of the summer. He tried to give it a go for one start in September against the Royals. He did a good job which put him in the starting rotation in the playoffs. He pitched his final game in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. He started off well, but then he unraveled by giving up homeruns. It was hard to blame him anyway since he did not get any run support like his fellow starters in the playoffs.
It is so sad that he will never pitch again for the Minnesota Twins. It will not be the same. He can still pitch for the next five or six years. He is that good. It is unfortunate the wear and tear of his body caused him to retire at the age of 34. It is too bad that he will not have a championship. He certainly pitched for a team that had a chance to get it. It has not worked out, but that is sports. There has to be a lot of luck to win championships in sports. The fact that he was able to be in a position to get it is a compliment to him. This is all a competitor can ask for. He should feel good about himself. He did everything that he asked for. He stayed for one team which is unheard of in sports.
He gave the organization and the fans twelve great years. There is nothing left to do but thank Brad for the great memories and wish him the best of luck in new chapter of his life.
