And, yet, Jose Chavez still has a changeup that can tie guys into knots, and the usual fastball/slider combo that offsets that change. And then there’s the knuckle curve. So, yes, at age 36, Dogface Chavez can still pitch a little.
What’s more impressive is that at age 36, with skills on the decline, Jose Chavez still wants to play. It’s not the money—or at least it’s not totally the money. By the end of this year, Jose Chavez will have made $153M playing baseball, not counting bonuses—of which there have been many. It’s not the chase for victory #200, which he’s pretty much given up on even though the projectors still suggest he’s got something around a 50% chance at. “I don’t see it,” he says with that grin of his and pointing to his elbow. “I don’t thing the projectors are taking into account all these scars.” Now, what keeps Jose Chavez throwing that aging repertoire of his is something more simple, something more pure.
“I just like to win,” he said. “I like to compete, and as long as the team thinks I can make a difference, I’ll keep on keeping on. It’s something I want my kids to see, you know? How to go about being a success.”
If that’s the case, Chavez is teaching some pretty big lessons.
These days, with that fastball at 92 rather than 101, the man has totally revamped his entire game. He’s accepted a role that’s half starter, half bullpen ace. He’s gutted out a 4.88 ERA as a starter, and been a hard-to-hit 2.66 as a reliver. He’s thrown 150 innings, registered a 10-10 record, and three saves. And, of course, the season isn’t over. Chavez has another start to throw, which as luck or manager intervention has it, will be the last home game of the regular season.
“It only seemed right to have Jose out there for the last game here,” Bill Inkster said.
It adds up to more uncertainty about what the team expects to do with Chavez next year. HE’s due to make $11.5M, which is a little pricey for a swingman, even one with the aura of Joe Chavez. There were rumors of his demise even last year, and with kids coming up the chain, one assumes those rumors will rumble even more in the off-season to come.
But Dogface doesn’t want to talk about that.
“The future is what the future is,” he said. “One day at a time, you know? We’ve got a playoff season to look at, and before that I’ve got a chance to go out there and look for #11,” he added. “Number 11 is the only one that matters right now.”
Yes, indeed, lucky #11.