Steve Sparks

Seven shutout innings to get the win in game six in an elimination game for the Astros as Verlander in the ALCS throwing 16 innings and allowing just one run What a performance for Verlander going 2-0 in the ALCS.

We're joined now in the Astros clubhouse by Steve Sparks.

Celebration hasn't started in the clubhouse yet, but Steve, you're down there and obviously so much excitement for the Astros going to the World Series.

Well, you'd be wrong about excitement in this clubhouse right now, Robert.

Joined by Jake Marisnyk.

And, of course, Marisnyk, he's been out with a thumb injury that he suffered back in mid-September in Anaheim.

Steve Sparks down in the Astros clubhouse now with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom.

Can you hear

... how big a mitt that is.

But, um, now the one that everybody uses is the, uh, the Pro Sparks, named after Steve, Steve Sparks.

Okay.

That is, uh, um, made by Rawlings.

Okay.

And, um, for each year.

So when Ben was going off to, um, to college, the main mentor is a guy named Steven Wright, who, uh, was an all-star for the, uh, Red Sox in, uh, 2013.

And, uh, he got him one.

But anyways, it was all these knuckleballers.

And then so Steve Sparks maybe was the one before Dickie.

And those were the only names I recognized.

And then before them, you have to go all the way back to a bunch of guys who were playing during World War II.

So he retired from baseball for a So anyway, just sort of like a weird snapshot of MLB history and just how unusual it is to be, to kind of reach a full, finally be a full-time starting pitcher so late in life.

But then I also wanted to avoid that phrase late in life because then you're like, I'm talking about a guy who's 35 late in life, not the right word.

I do remember having a Steve Sparks card back in 2002 and looking at it thinking, oh, this guy's pretty good.

But then I think this might be the first time I've heard that name since then.

I've long been obsessed with the knuckleball.

I grew up watching Steve Sparks, who was not in the book.

But, yeah, who but is a, you know, a guy who I love to watch pitch as a kid.

And I think that's really kind of what interested me in the knuckleball my whole life.

So getting to talk to you about this in the pitch and your family's journey is really, really exciting to me.

I think I make a mention of Steve Sparks because, of course, the knuckleball mitt now is named after him, the pro Sparks.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, perfect.

April 5th.

I'm looking at Steve Sparks.

Where have they been? They were in Seattle.

No, where have they been all this time?

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Streaming from West Sacramento, Ace Cast Live continues with Chris Townsend.

Steve Sparks, one of our all-time favorites, former athletic, now longtime broadcaster of the Houston Astros, just showing me pictures.

Daughter getting married in Italy.