He looks like an ace

Sporting News, The, Sept 11, 2000 by S.D.

Darryl Kile walked through the tunnels beneath Busch Stadium after the Cardinals beat the Mets, 2-1, last Saturday, his right arm wrapped shoulder-to-wrist in ice and Ace bandages.

"Nice game, Darryl," a passerby said. Kile just raised his eyebrows and sighed, his lower lip directing air toward his forehead. "Whew," was all he said.

Forgive Kile his speechlessness. Not only had he thrown a complete game against the Mets, he did it in 100 degrees against Mike Hampton, one of the league's best. And not only did Kile win, he firmed up his status--shaky at times--as a legitimate ace.

Kile has had some dud outings for the Cardinals this season, allowing five earned runs or more eight times. But he is the best starter the Cardinals have and, when the playoffs come, he will have to beat an ace, someone such as Hampton, when the Cardinals start a series.

Against the Mets, Kile (16-9) allowed a run in the fourth and then retired the next 18 batters. He threw 94 pitches, keeping the ball up and out of the strike zone, forcing the Mets into harmless fly-ball outs--the Cardinals outfield recorded 13 putouts. It was Kile's third complete game in his last four starts.

Hampton, Kile's former teammate with the Astros before Kile signed a free-agent contract with the Rockies, was impressed.

"He's throwing strikes with his fastball, and he's always had that curveball," Hampton says. "I look at him now, and he's doing the things that made him successful. The one ingredient he has that he lost in Colorado is his confidence."