Many Cincinnati Reds fans didn’t even know who Ricky Karcher was before Monday.
But there he was, becoming the first Reds pitcher since saves became a statistic in 1969 to enter a game and make his Major League Baseball debut in a save situation.
The result: one enormous, gusty scoreless inning in the Reds’ come-from-behind win in Kansas City.
“Oh man, I need a drink,” Bally Sports Ohio color analyst Jeff Brantley said after the final out.
And Karcher did not disappoint the post-game interview Bally Sports Ohio’s Jim Day conducted on the field just after Karcher recorded the game’s final out.
Day’s interview with Karcher:
JD: This scene right now, with the entire team waiting for Ricky Karcher to do this interview. How does this feel right now?
RK: It’s like a movie, bro. It doesn’t even feel real, man. It’s incredible. Holy s—.
JD: Wow. Alright, live TV, we’re good. We’re on cable. How were you able to manage through that?
RK: I don’t know, man. Confidence in my slider, I guess. I uh … (teammates doused Karcher)
JD: Alright, that (bath) had to feel good.
RK: Yeah. Yeah, man.
JD: You mentioned confidence in your slider.
RK: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I just figured it out. I do not know.
JD: You came in now this is your Major League debut. … They are chanting “Ricky” right now. What’s this like?!
RK: It’s incredible, man. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t even – I don’t even know what to say.
JD: When you get the call – I’m sure you didn’t think that this was gonna be the situation for your Major League debut.
RK: I mean, I would have hoped that it was. I mean that’s bottom of the 9th, two outs. 3-2 count, right? It was a 3-2 count? So I mean, yeah that’s – I don’t know. I mean, yeah, I didn’t expect it but it’s incredible.
JD: What was going through your mind? Obviously you were having trouble locating the fastball. You were way out of the zone. … How were you able to pull it in and get those three outs?
RK: I don’t know, man. I just threw my slider and got out of it so.
JD: You came in with a smile. Curt Casali, the veteran, comes to the mound. What was that conversation like?
RK: I mean that was just, you know, he just said we gotta work on the fastball. So I mean that’s all he said. But yeah, it was awesome.
JD: Congratulations! … That was fun to watch.
RK: Yeah, it was fun to do too.
Also, a tweet from Codify that confirmed Karcher’s struggle with fastball location:
From the Reds via Twitter:
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ricky Karcher talks to Jim Day after his save in big-league debut