(Updated Oct. 26, 2024)
The Cardinals thought they were getting a short-inning reliever when they signed free agent Kent Bottenfield. Instead, they got a pitcher who transformed into a starter and eventually became a big winner for them.
On Jan. 6, 1998, Bottenfield joined the Cardinals after two seasons as a reliever for the Cubs. A right-hander, Bottenfield, 29, received a one-year contract with a club option for 1999.
The Cardinals figured Bottenfield would set up closer Jeff Brantley by pitching the seventh or eighth inning of games, but two months into the season, with their rotation decimated by injuries and ineffectiveness, the Cardinals in desperation gave Bottenfield the chance to start.
A year later, Bottenfield became the Cardinals’ most effective starting pitcher and a National League all-star.
Comeback trail
Utilized as both a starter and a reliever, Bottenfield pitched for three teams _ Expos (1992-1993), Rockies (1993-1994) and Giants (1994) _ in his first three seasons in the major leagues.
He was released by the Giants after the 1994 season and was signed by the Tigers, who sent him to their Class AAA affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens. Bottenfield spent the 1995 season with Toledo and was 5-11 with a 4.54 ERA.
With his career at a crossroads, Bottenfield, a free agent, was picked up by the Cubs, who placed him with their Class AAA club in Iowa. Bottenfield revived his career, posting a 2.19 ERA in 28 relief appearances for Iowa. The Cubs called up Bottenfield in June 1996 and he pitched well (2.63 ERA) and often (48 games) for them the remainder of the season.
In 1997, Bottenfield made 64 relief appearances for the Cubs and had a 3.86 ERA.
He became a free agent again and received interest from the Cardinals and Astros. When Bottenfield chose St. Louis, Walt Jocketty, the Cardinals’ general manager, declared, “We won the lottery.”
Solid journeyman
Bottenfield appealed to the Cardinals because their veteran right-handed setup man, Mark Petkovsek, had struggled in 1997, posting a 4.78 ERA in 53 relief appearances. Right-handed batters hit .314 against Petkovsek.
Bottenfield had a good spring training for the 1998 Cardinals. “Perhaps this will be one former Cub who actually helps a team win rather than drag it down,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted.
With Brantley on the disabled list for the first week of the regular season, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa turned to Bottenfield to fill in as closer.
On April 4, Bottenfield earned a save with two scoreless innings against the Padres. Boxscore Three days later, on April 7, he got another save against the Rockies, preserving the first big-league win for starter Cliff Politte. Boxscore
“He’s a solid, journeyman reliever,” Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said of Bottenfield. “Most of the time, he’ll do a good job for us.”
Brantley returned from the disabled list on April 9 and Bottenfield went back to a setup role.
Transformer man
A few weeks later, with the Cardinals in need of starting pitching, they turned to Bottenfield, because of his experience in the role, but he was unenthused.
“The first time the Cardinals asked me to start, I said no,” Bottenfield recalled to Stan McNeal of Cardinals Magazine. “I had revitalized my career as a reliever and that was my preference. The next week, they came back and said too bad, they needed a starter.”
On June 4, after Bottenfield made a team-leading 26 relief appearances, he joined the rotation and become the Cardinals’ 12th starting pitcher of the season. Bottenfield hadn’t started a major-league game in four years. His big-league record as a starter was 6-11 with a 5.04 ERA.
“I’m going to have to use all my pitches and mix them up a little better,” Bottenfield said.
In his first Cardinals start, June 5 versus the Giants, Bottenfield lasted three innings and yielded three runs. In his next start, June 10, against the White Sox, Bottenfield pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit. Boxscore
“That Kent Bottenfield … would throw one-hit shutout ball for five innings was at least a surprise, if not a shock,” declared the Post-Dispatch.
Bottenfield said to Cardinals Magazine, “Because of Dave (Duncan) and what he taught me, I learned to love starting. The process between starts was something I bought into and enjoyed. On days when I didn’t start, I used to stand beside him in the dugout and ask questions. What turned my career around was gaining the ability to assess hitters, and that came from working with Dave. Being able to read hitters and their swings became a specialty of mine. I’d spend upward of 20 hours between starts watching video of hitters I was about to face.”
On June 18, Bottenfield got his first win as a Cardinals starter, beating the Astros. In 10 starts from July 4 through Aug. 24, Bottenfield was 2-0 and lowered his ERA from 5.31 to 4.51.
“Early on, my goal was to keep us in the game,” Bottenfield said of his starting role. “The more I’ve pitched, my goal has changed, not to necessarily dominate but to try to win some games.”
Key contributor
By August, as Bottenfield established credibility, La Russa and Duncan became convinced he should remain a starter beyond 1998.
“He deserves a lot of credit,” La Russa said. “He’s developed into a starter from a short reliever. He’s built his stamina and he’s very competitive. He routinely gets us into the second half of the game with a chance to win.”
Said Duncan: “The situation being what it has been has created the opportunity for Bottenfield to start. We had no intentions of ever doing that when we got him.”
On Sept. 4, Bottenfield injured his left toe and was sidelined for the rest of the season. His 1998 totals: 4-6 record, 4.44 ERA, four saves in 44 games, including 17 starts. Bottenfield was 1-2 with a 5.50 ERA as a reliever; 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA as a starter.
“He’s shown me enough that he’s a strong candidate to do something important for the club next year,” La Russa said.
Bottenfield told Cardinals Magazine, “Everything that went well for me in 1998 would not have happened had I not been with Dave (Duncan) … I had to do the work, but a guy was there who cared about who I was on and off the field, and he put in the time with me.”
In 1999, Bottenfield developed into an ace. He was 18-7 with a 3.97 ERA in 31 starts and was selected to the all-star team. Bottenfield was second in the National League in winning percentage (.720). He led the 1999 Cardinals in wins (18), starts (31) and strikeouts (124).
On March 23, 2000, the Cardinals traded Bottenfield and second baseman Adam Kennedy to the Angels for center fielder Jim Edmonds.
Bottenfield became head baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida in 2012, replacing Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who died in February that year.
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