Joe Nathan seeks another shot

La Velle E. Neal III
Star Tribune

FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Joe Nathan, his face gleaming with sweat, walked into the Twins clubhouse on Sunday after working out in the trainer's room.

"What did you do?" Twins media relations manager Sean Harlin asked. "A sit up?"

Sort of.

Nathan, coming off of 44 saves last year in his first season as a closer, is not satisfied.

It's not that he wants 50 saves. He's joined the group of players who got a small taste of playoff baseball and want more.

Last October, the Twins lost Game 2 of the American League Division Series to the Yankees when Nathan, working his third inning in relief, faltered as the Yankees scored two runs in the 12th inning to win 7-6.

Nathan said Sunday that his fastball began to get away from him that inning, probably from fatigue. So he tried to throw sliders and wound up walking Miguel Cairo and then Derek Jeter to set up the Yankees' rally.

"I felt I had a better chance of throwing a quality slider," Nathan said.

Instead of going up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, the series was tied at 1-1 and the Yankees went on to win the next two games.

"He went above and beyond the call of duty for us there," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said on Nathan in Game 2. "He gave us a heck of a shot to win that game."

Nathan: "That's a game I'll never forget about."

Consequently, his ambition is to do more. More sit ups? Sure. That's the objective this spring as Nathan reported to camp with other pitchers and catchers unwilling to settle for just another division title.

"I don't think it's going to be behind us, and I don't think it should be for this team," Nathan said of last season's finish. "That's going to be something that pushes us and motivates us to come in here and bust our humps and get ready for another spring.

"I think I speak for all of us today that we felt like we had a good shot to win that series."

Nathan arrived in Fort Myers on Friday and was on the field playing catch the next day with righthander Kyle Lohse. He returned to work out again Sunday, the day Twins pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report. The group begins workouts today at the Lee County Sports Complex looking for a fourth consecutive Central Division title. And a longer postseason.

Nathan converted 44 of 47 save opportunities, including a club-record 27 in a row, last season. His fastball hit 98 miles perhour on the radar gun. His hard slider overpowered hitters. And his curveball was more than just a complementary pitch.

No one was sure if Nathan had the makeup to close, but he eased any concerns by midseason. On Sunday, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was much more comfortable about his closer than he was a year ago at this time.

"He had to go through a couple rough spots where he had to figure some things out," Gardenhire said. "We don't have to worry about him this year. He thrived in that role, and we're comfortable with him.

"And we have the arms leading up to him. If he would have any problems at all, we have the arms to come in and pick him up for a day or two."

Nathan will make $2 million this season in the final year of a two-year deal. Another 44-save season could make him too expensive to be brought back in 2006. Someone else from the bullpen might have to pick Nathan up indefinitely after this season.

"That's not worth talking about now," Ryan said. "He's signed for this year."

Nathan is not concerned about what he can achieve with another strong season.

"Individual goals are great," he said, "but my focus is on the team. Other stuff will take care of itself, but I'd love to stay here."

He wants to re-create the scene this year, when he's on the mound in the 12th inning in New York, throwing better pitches to Cairo and Jeter, hopefully getting better results, and helping the Twins go deeper in the postseason. And he doesn't want Gardenhire to spend a week taking abuse for sticking with him for so long.

"That's that spot I want to be in," Nathan said. "If we get in that situation again, I don't want him pulling me out because of what happened in Game 2.

"If I have to do an extra sit up or two here to get through that third inning, I will. I want to be able to pitch into that third inning."