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Lidge's road to redemption has been long

Struggles after Pujols blast were only tip of the iceberg

Image: LidgeAP
Brad Lidge has been perfect in save situations this season.

At one point, he was known inside the organization as a guy with great stuff that would never stay healthy long enough to have a career.

After the 2001 season, he returned home to Denver and prepared to return to school and get his degree.

That's when Tim Purpura, then the Astros farm director, flew to Denver and talked him out of quitting.

He showed him Robby Nen's career notes from the San Francisco Giants' media guide. He showed him that Nen had dealt with some of the same injury issues.

"If he can come back, you can, too," Purpura told him.

He finally stayed healthy in his four pro seasons and flew through the system, starting at Class AA and finishing in the big leagues.

When the Astros went to spring training in 2003, they had no idea if Lidge could succeed in the big leagues. But he was 26 years old, and as then GM Gerry Hunsicker said, "It's time to find out."

He was phenomenal, first as a seventh-inning man for Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel, and later as a closer.

He converted 71-of-79 save chances in the 2004-05 seasons, and until the moment Albert Pujols hit that home run, he seemed headed for the Hall of Fame.

He may get there yet. He has added a curveball to his catalogue of pitches, but his strength is still the fastball-slider combination.

When he underwent spring knee surgery, he focused on mechanics during his methodical recovery.

Now he's back in the World Series and people are rediscovering Brad Lidge. Good for him. He deserves it.

© 2012 Sporting News


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