Back on the Series stage
Rays’ Morton still that ‘easy-going kid’ from Connecticut
The major league scouts weren’t there for Charlie Morton that spring day in 2001 at Brookfield. They were there to watch a young lefty named Tim Rice, who’d go on to pitch at the University of Richmond and in the minors.
“The top half of the first inning, they had the guns on Tim,” Joel Barlow athletic director Mike Santangeli said. “And here comes Charlie for the bottom of the first. You heard Charlie’s fastball. You didn’t see it.”
Two scouts, one from the Pirates, one from the Red Sox, approached after the game and asked to speak to the junior right-hander.
“The next year, everything started to get a little crazy,” said Santangeli, who was Barlow’s varsity assistant coach at the time. “You knew he was getting a lot of attention when there’d be like 30 scouts at all his pitching performances. They were all up the rightfield line at Barlow with their radar guns.
“We knew he’d get drafted, but no one gave us a sense of how high. No one told us. We’re thinking like 10th to 12th round.”
No, it wasn’t seventh overall in the first round like Groton’s Matt Harvey or 11th overall like New Britain’s George Springer, but Morton did go in the third round to the Atlanta Braves, the 95th pick in 2002. Plans to go to college, perhaps Miami, ended with a tidy signing bonus.
“We were in a state of shock he went so early,” Santangeli said. “He was in a state of shock. We were ecstatic for him. He was happy, but it wasn’t like he was all pumped up, pumping his fist, running around. Just a big smirk on his face. He felt good about it.
“Obviously, it was recognized around the school, but he didn’t want a lot of attention drawn on himself. He kind of kept it under the radar. Even in high school, he was this really calm kid. Nothing flustered him. It was to the point, ‘Charlie, nothing gets you riled up?’ He was always this steady, easy-going kid. I’m convinced it’s worked in his favor in his life.”
The numbers are dramatic, irresistible. Morton went 46-71 in the first nine years of his career with the Braves, Pirates and Phillies. In the past four years, he has gone 47-18 in the regular season and 7-1 in the playoffs. He has established himself as king of the winner-take-all games.
“I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable,” Morton said on Zoom after he threw 52⁄
3 innings of two-hit shutout ball in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Astros to push the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series. “But after the
Charlie’s from New Jersey,” he Tampa. He just always has had the postseason. said. “I can’t tell you how upset I the ability to not look at any situaThere were hip surgeries in get about that. C’mon guys, he tion any different than any other 2011 and 2014. There was Tommy basically spent his entire childone. Up by 10 or bases loaded and John surgery in 2012. There was a first couple, when I actually realhood in Connecticut. Not from nobody out, same demeanor alsevere hamstring injury in 2016. ized that I could do it, it became New Jersey!” ways.” More than the injuries, there were something that I kind of look Morton played youth baseball When it rained, Charlie’s partwo major pitching transformaforward to a little bit.” in Trumbull with Cubs director of ents would have the entire Barlow tions. This guy has reinvented
Morton is 4-0 with all the postpitching Craig Breslow and Jamie varsity over to practice in their himself more times than Cher. season money on the table, alD’Antona, who both got to the basement. There was a batting With the Pirates, Morton duplilowing one run in 192⁄ innings, an majors. cage. There were two mounds. cated Roy Halladay’s delivery. He
3 electron-microscopic ERA of “We didn’t know who Charlie “Obviously, they had a very went to 60 percent sinkerballs. 0.46. In 2017 with the Astros, he was at first,” Santangeli said. “I large home,” Santangeli said. “His His became known as “Ground became the only pitcher to win was only in my second year of mom ( Jeanne) would make sandChuck.” When he got to Houston, two Games 7s in one postseason, teaching, the JV coach at that wiches for the kids. We’d socialize healthy, he underwent more beating the Yankees in the ALCS point. I was introduced to Charlie a little. It was kind of the ultimate work. He brought his fastball before pitching the final four at pitcher-catcher week. experience with the Mortons. velocity up 4, 5 mph, an anomaly innings against the Dodgers in “All of a sudden we’re like, ‘Oh, They are great people. The greatat his age. And now this year he is the World Series. my God. This kid has a live est part about Charlie is he never using all four pitches to throw an
Charlie Morton, who signed a arm.’ ” thought he was better than anyungodly amount of first-pitch two-year, $15 million-a-year deal No, Morton didn’t pitch Trumbody. Ultimate teammate.” strikes. with the Rays before the 2019 bull to the Little League World His former Astros teammate “I remember he came to visit season, grew up a Yankees fan. Series title to become the most Lance McCullers, whom Morton two, three years after graduation, Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens famous 13-year-old in state histobeat in Game 7, was saying the he’s bringing us boxes of hand were his guys. ry. And no, Chris Drury never same thing about Morton last warmers and foot warmers,”
“I’m a big Yankees fan, too, and threw a fastball 96 mph like Morweek. His Rays teammate Kevin Santangeli said. “I asked him, we used to talk about it all the ton. Still, there is a good compariKiermaier said he didn’t think it’s ‘How’s it going, Charlie?’ He’s like, time in high school,” Santangeli son to be drawn. possible for anyone to dislike ‘Coach, I hit my spots when I said. “Since then, I’ve been like, Mature, calm, careful in his Morton. throw my bullpens, but when I ‘Why couldn’t you have been like words, driven in clutch situations, “He’s not a guy who looks for get out in the game’ … That’s the Andy Pettitte and done all this for Drury went on to score 17 NHL attention,” Santangeli said. “He way he was in high school, a little the Yankees?’ ” playoff game winners, tied for does his job and he’s doing it at erratic. He had trouble harness
Chip Morton, a former Penn sixth in Stanley Cup history. such a high level now that he’s a ing everything he had.
State basketball player, moved his When the pulse on everyone else top-five pitcher in major league “The Braves broke down his family from Trumbull to Redding raced, the pulse of these two Conbaseball.” mechanics and rebuilt them and before Charlie entered the ninth necticut athletes dropped. Although right-shoulder inhe shot up to the majors. I regrade. Charlie was born in Fle“I think Charlie has been smart flammation curtailed Morton to member the conversation because mington, New Jersey. A point that about where he has chosen to nine starts in the COVID-shorthe sounded kind of desperate, still rankles Santangeli. pitch,” Santangeli said. “It’s not ened season, he finished third in because he knew he had the ability.”“Itdoesn’thelpduringtheNewYorkandL.A.IthinkhetheCyYoungvotingin2019and
broadcast when they always say likes the calmness of a place like he’s returned to that elite status in He did. And now there are kids
who walk around Barlow’s halls with Charlie Morton jerseys. Folks around Redding and Easton and the staff at Barlow like to brag about him. He was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
“He couldn’t make the ceremony; he was in the wedding party of one of his teammates,” Santangeli said. “He always says he’ll come back for the kids when he retires. I’m waiting for that day.”
A reason Morton signed with the Rays is because his home is in nearby Bradenton. The Rays hold an option year on Morton and if they want him, he said he will return. If not, he will sit with his family for a decision on his future. He’ll be 37 in November and it’s incredible that a power pitcher became this terrific at such a late pitching age.
“Here’s a guy smart enough to re-invent himself multiple times to be successful,” Santangeli said. “That’s him. That’s what people have to understand about Charlie. He never believed that he was this unbelievable athlete or person. He is as even-keeled and coachable as you are ever going to find.
“All this couldn’t have happened to a better person. Period. End of story.”