In spring training, Scott Eyre said he wouldn’t put money down on a new house in Sarasota, Fla., until he had established himself as a big-league starter.
Well, Scott, are you there yet? Yes and no.
Yes, Eyre thinks he is a bona-fide big-league pitcher, but, no, the house is not yet under construction. But that’s because of a technicality.
“We just need the money now,” said Eyre, who started Tuesday night’s game for the White Sox against the Mariners. “They took more out in taxes than what we expected.”
Really, Eyre said, it’s nothing more than that. “After I got the first win in Toronto and pitched pretty well on the road at Baltimore, I said, `I can pitch here. I do belong here,’ ” he said. “I’m completely relaxed now.”
If Eyre pitched exclusively at Comiskey Park, he would be adding a second pool by now.
Eyre, 25, is 5-1 lifetime at Comiskey with a 2.70 earned-run average. But on the road, his career mark is 0-6 with a 6.79 earned-run average.
That discrepancy has not been lost on Sox manager Jerry Manuel.
“I see where he hasn’t won on the road,” he said before the game. “Tonight would be a great time for that.”
Eyre struggled Tuesday, allowing four earned runs and five hits in five innings. Seattle showed why it leads the American League in home runs. David Segui took Eyre deep in the second inning, and Alex Rodriguez followed suit in the third. The Mariners added two more homers in the fifth–from Ken Griffey Jr. and Segui.
Luckily for Eyre, all were solo shots, and he managed to escape each inning allowing no more than two runs.
“I’ve had some big innings this year that have killed me,” Eyre said. “I’ve also had way too many walks.”
He issued three free passes Tuesday night, increasing his season total to 21.
