Lackey a most invaluable pitcher
Game 1 starter made league minimum this year thanks to Theo
ST. LOUIS — OK, “dirt cheap” is a stretch when we’re talking about a half-million dollars, but in terms of baseball salaries, that’s what the Cardinals got right-hander John Lackey for thanks to an injury clause in his contract that was put in by none other than Cubs president Theo Epstein.
Lackey, who will face the Cubs on Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Busch Stadium, made the league minimum $507,500 in 2015 because an injury clause kicked in at the end of a five-year, $82 million contract — negotiated by then-Red Sox general manager Epstein— due to his missing the entire 2012 season with an elbow injury.
With a 13-10 record and 2.77 ERA in 2015, Lackey might be baseball’s value of the year.
At 36, Lackey has been a rotation lifesaver for the Cardinals, who lost Adam Wainwright to an Achilles injury in April (he’s back for the playoffs as a reliever) and Carlos Martinez to a shoulder injury in September. Michael Wacha, whom Cubs Game 1 starter Jon Lester thought he’d be matched up against, probably lost the nod because of his struggles in September (7.08 ERA).
So Lackey will go against his good friend and former Red Sox teammate Lester in his 19th postseason start. He’s 7-5 with a 3.08 ERA in postseason games for the Angels, Red Sox and Cardinals.
“You hear some guys saying it’s just another game,’’ Lackey said of playoff baseball. “It’s not. You gotta accept that you’re going to feel something different. You gotta accept that you’re going to be a little more amped up.’’
After Lackey, the Cardinals will go with Jaime Garcia in Game 2, Wacha in Game 3 and Lance Lynn in a possible Game 4.
Epstein, who added the contract clause when he discovered Lackey’s elbow damage before finalizing that deal, is eager to see the matchup.
“He’sworked hard to come back from Tommy John and has been a really good pitcher after the surgery,’’ Epstein said Thursday. “He deserves a lot of credit.
“He’s a big-time competitor. This is his favorite time of year. It’ll be a heck of a matchup of two guys that know how to pitch in October.’’
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