Sitting down w/ Pitching Coach Ray Searage

IndyIndians.com sat down with Ray Searage for a preseason discussion on March 7. The 52-year-old former Major Leaguer is in his 31st season of professional baseball. He comes to the Tribe after spending the 2006 & 2007 campaigns as pitching coach for Double-A Altoona (Pa.).

Q: Talk about your background. Where did you grow up?
A: My hometown is Deer Park, N.Y. Like most kids, I played high school baseball and summer league baseball. Back then, I was fortunate to have some really good coaches who cared about me.

I attended Suffolk Community College in New York my freshman year. It was like 13th grade, and I never really got into a flow. I ended up moving on to West Liberty State College, an NAIA school in West Virginia.

Q: How was your experience at West Liberty?
A: It was great. Jim Watson was my college coach, and he's now the athletic director. Jim was a major influence on me, and really helped develop my pitching.

Q: Were there any baseball players you idolized as a kid?
A: I had Sandy Koufax's baseball card, and always told my mom I was going to be as great as Sandy. The only thing I regret is I took that baseball card, and put it on the spokes of my bicycle with a clothespin. If I could only turn back time, and take care of that card like I should have (laughing).

I had a chance to meet Sandy towards the end of my playing career when we were both with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Sandy is such a mild-mannered guy, and it was a real honor to meet him.

Q: When did you decide that you wanted to coach professional baseball?
A: That's easy. In 1993, I was a carpenter for $10 per hour. When they told me I had to walk the width of cinder blocks on a 10-foot-high wall, I was thinking 'I need to find something else to do.' (laughing)

I was able to hook up with the St. Louis Cardinals organization shortly thereafter. I served as pitching coach for one of their Minor League affiliates in 1994.

Q: Talk about your professional experience before taking this job. The 2008 season will be your 31st in professional baseball and your sixth with the Pirates organization.
A: I see a bright future ahead for this organization. We have so many good players in the farm system, and that's refreshing to know.

There's a real sense of pride in having so many organizational pitchers make it to the Major Leagues. When you look at guys like Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps and many others, you feel good about what's happened in recent years.

By no means do I take credit for the success those guys have had, but it feels good to be one of the many coaches they've worked with over the years. It's all about helping these guys with their player development, and that's what we've tried to do.

Q: Jeff Andrews is someone you've known for a while. Talk about the relationship between you two.
A: I'm so fortunate to be the Triple-A pitching coach in an organization where Jeff Andrews is the Major League pitching coach. I love Jeff, and it's tremendous to work with him. We knew each other during our time with the Florida Marlins organization, and, now, we've both been with the Pittsburgh Pirates for several years.

Jeff and I are very open and honest with each other. There's certainly good communication between our levels. We're not afraid to tell each other what we're thinking.

He can ask me questions like 'do you have any Triple-A guys who can help us in the big leagues?' Or, 'how have your Triple-A pitchers progressed during the season?'

I can respond by saying 'player A is ready for the big leagues, but player B isn't.' Then, you talk about input from Trent (Jewett) and (Hensley) Bam Bam (Meulens), and, between all of us, we find some sort of solution.

Q: At this point, do you know anything about the Indianapolis Indians, Victory Field or the International League?
A: I played in the International League several years ago -- with Norfolk (Va.) and Charleston (W.Va.). I know most of the cities in the IL. Unfortunately, I'm too familiar with 4 a.m. wake-up calls and 6 a.m. flights. It seems like there are three legs on each one of those early-morning flights, and, you normally have one eye open and one eye closed (laughing).

The players who have been in Indianapolis tell me nothing but good things about Victory Field. I understand the facility is right up there with a lot of Major League parks. It's good to appreciate the game, your teammates, your coaches, the city you play in and the ballpark you play at.

Q: You pitched in over 250 big league games from 1981-1990. What kinds of things do you remember from your playing days?
A: It's a cliché, but I usually tell people 'if I knew back then what I know now, I'd be much better off.' I wish I could've lasted longer, but I am still very thankful for the opportunity to play Major League Baseball.

A lot of things from my playing career have become a blur. Unfortunately, when I played, teaching was at a minimum. It was a lot of on-the-job training.

When you take a look at someone like Jeff Andrews, it's nice because he's the big league pitching coach and he knows how to teach the game. That can help you eliminate a lot of mistakes. Don't get me wrong -- I came in contact with a lot of really good people, but you have to be able to teach at the Major League level, too.

Q: You seem to be well-liked and highly-respected in the baseball industry. If you had to characterize yourself, what kinds of things would you say?
A: I think of myself as a high-energy guy. I will always back my pitchers, regardless of what level we're at or what city we're in.

I don't show up my pitchers. If I have something to say, it'll be a whisper, but they'll know the importance of my message based on the tone. If there's anything that needs to be said after that, it'll probably be in my office behind closed doors.

I understand what these guys are going through. When you do PFP's (pitcher's fielding practice) 9,000 times, and, as a coach, you don't change from No. 1 to No. 9,000, it keeps the energy and intensity level up.

You don't always have to be there for 90 minutes to get something done. I'm always more concerned about quality, not quantity.

I've also experienced the in-game emotions of a pitcher. I know what it feels like to give up a solo shot to lose a game. Or, load the bases and not be able to find home plate. Trust me, I've been there.

I have a lot of compassion for the pitchers I work with. We're all in this to get better, and that should be our goal every day. You have to fight through the rough spots, learn from your mistakes and then correct them.

My question is always 'do you have fear of failure? Or, do you have fear of success?' Are you afraid of making a mistake? Or, are you afraid of pitching well, so people will come to expect that every time you're on the mound?

Q: What do you like to do away from work and the ballpark? Do you have any special interests or hobbies?
A: During the season, when I have an off day, I have an off day. I'll stay in the house the entire time. I'll sleep late, try to relax and watch some TV. At the Triple-A level, we play 144 regular-season games in 152 days, so it's really important to make those off days count.

Q: You have a wife and three kids. Talk about your family.
A: This may have been the best off-season I've had in all my years of professional baseball. My wife's name is Vicki, and I have three sons. Ray is 27, Ryan is 25 and Robbie is 19. Ray and Ryan played pro baseball. Robbie played high school ball and is now in college.

Our off-season home is St. Petersburg, Fla., but my wife will be with me in Indianapolis during the upcoming season.