Steven Brault (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: Let me ask you this: What was it like being one of the last good-hitting pitchers in the history of the game?

Steven Brault: Yeah, it was the end of an era. Everybody felt it coming; it was just about when it was gonna happen once baseball decided, “Hey, we want more offense,” which I’d say was a very good choice. It also helps players out, too—it gives you an extra roster spot and gets another hitter up in the big leagues. I think it’s great for everybody involved, and it does improve the product of the game overall. But personally, in my own heart, it made me sad because I liked to hit. It helped me and increased my value because, to be honest, I wasn’t the best pitcher on the planet. Having something else I could do well was really useful.

So it was a bummer for me, but mostly because I thought things were gonna change—I was finally gonna start hitting more after the 2019 season. Then 2020 happened, we had COVID, Clint Hurdle got fired…everything that could have possibly gone wrong for me not to get to hit did happen. Then they brought in the full-time DH. Yes, it was sad, but am I bummed that I don’t have to watch, say, Gerrit Cole go up there and try to hit a homer? No, I’m not sad about it. The baseball product is better with the DH, so I’m very happy with it.

Robby Incmikoski: Cole actually hit a homer—he could hit a little bit, too. Another thing—

Steven Brault: Right, but that’s exactly why I used him as an example. He did have two or three homers, but also remember, he probably hit .130 or something like that. It’s not worth him going up to the plate and striking out most of his at-bats, you know?

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, he was no Iván Nova at the plate. Did you play with Nova?

Steven Brault: I did.

Robby Incmikoski: He was the worst-hitting pitcher I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Hey, so about you—you have one career homer. I’m not even making fun of you, because I was there that night. We were at Coors Field; it landed in the third deck. Of course, Coors Field is a homer-friendly ballpark, but that would’ve been a homer in 50 out of 30 ballparks. There’s no question. What was it like just to be a pitcher putting one in the third deck? What do you remember about making contact, and what do you remember about that night? There’s gonna be a funny anecdote I ask about after, but go ahead.

Steven Brault: Okay, first of all, I think technically it was the second deck. I don’t want to make this bigger than it was, but it was the deck over the main outfield one. Either way, I’d never hit a ball like that in my whole life. I was a good hitter, but I was never a power hitter—I was more of a contact guy, a lot of line drives, a lot of doubles. I had a few homers, but I’d never hit a no-doubt home run in my entire life. That was a really cool feeling because, off the bat, I actually knew, “Boy, I got that, and it’s on the right trajectory.” It was the best I could ever hit a baseball.

So yeah, that was the perfect swing on the perfect pitch—that’s as far as I can hit a baseball. I was a contact hitter my whole life, so when I hit a home run, it was almost a mistake more than anything else. It was a cool feeling, but I never really expected it. It’s like the ball just hits your bat with that buttery, no-vibration feeling, and you think, “Oh my God, let’s go.”

It couldn’t have happened in a better place because I went to college in Denver, and all my college teammates were there—guys who saw me both hit and pitch. For them to be there the day I hit a home run made it even sweeter. That was definitely the best I can do. I went and played independent ball last year and hit a few homers there, but nothing like that.

Robby Incmikoski: I made a mistake earlier—I said you grew up in Colorado, but obviously you grew up in San Diego. Grossmont High with Joe Musgrove, right? How crazy is it that you ended up playing on the same big league team together? Now that your playing career is over, looking back, what was that like?

Steven Brault: I mean, it’s amazing. I like to think I appreciated it while it was happening. Joe is genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met, probably the best competitor I know personally, and from high school on, everybody knew he was going to be something. By my senior year, Joe was a junior, already throwing 95, 96 miles an hour and hitting the ball 400 feet. I was pretty good, but I was definitely the No. 2 pitcher to Joe’s No. 1.

So when we got to play together in the big leagues, it was incredible. But you know, he never hit a homer, so I can hold that over his head forever. He might be making a hundred million in San Diego, but I have the homer, and he doesn’t. We’re super competitive, but it’s in a friendly way. I love Joe; I still talk to him a lot. He’s such a great guy. Him turning into what he is now is the perfect main-character arc of a story.

Robby Incmikoski: Let me ask about playing at Coors Field again. First of all, what was it like in the clubhouse after the game when you hit that home run?

Steven Brault: At that point in my career, a lot of position players were frustrated with me because I’d take batting practice once a week, then go out there and get a hit. So when I hit that home run, I think everyone was genuinely happy for me because they knew how much I liked hitting and that I worked at it. They gave me plenty of ribbing—lots of “Of course it’s Coors Field,” and I’ll hear that for the rest of my life. My response is always, “441 feet—that’s gone anywhere,” so I’m good with it.

Robby Incmikoski: None of this is going in the book or ever being transcribed—actually, it might be—but you said “iffy clubhouse at times.” People have said that 2019 team was bottom five in terms of clubhouse stuff. You could write a book just on that team alone.

Steven Brault: It was a weird dynamic—just a lot of different personalities that didn’t mesh very well. That’s the truth of it. It was probably the most hot-and-cold clubhouse I’ve been a part of. Some days were just not good.

Robby Incmikoski: We’ll go off the record sometime. Anyway, I’ll bounce around a bit. You made your MLB debut in Busch Stadium. I remember it well—Tyler Glasnow debuted the day before. Tell me about making your debut in that baseball town and that ballpark.

Steven Brault: Whenever someone asks me about my debut, there are two main things I remember. One, it was really hot—St. Louis in July can be one of the hottest places on earth. Two, everything was so red: the seats, the fans, the details in the ballpark. It felt like I was trapped in this giant coliseum of red.

When I got out on the mound the first time, I could have thrown the ball into the dugout and not been surprised. I was so nervous. I just wanted to be good. At that point, the guy I was most worried about was Matt Holliday—he came up with a runner on first and hit a ball about 180 miles an hour right to the first baseman for a double play. I remember thinking, “Okay, baseball is still baseball, let’s go.”

Starting in St. Louis was amazing. I had a bunch of my family there, a bunch of friends came out. St. Louis is one of the best cities in baseball, and they’re so knowledgeable. If the opposing team makes a great play, they still clap a little. They appreciate good baseball. That’s the kind of baseball I love—yeah, you can have rivalries, but when it comes down to it, it’s a game.

Robby Incmikoski: You mentioned something interesting about St. Louis—how great a baseball town it is. I know you love baseball; you’ll be involved the rest of your career, maybe as a broadcaster. That place was packed every single night of the week, and the team was competitive every year. Was it intimidating to see that third deck and step in there?

Steven Brault: Especially when you’re just starting. People don’t realize a minor difference unless they experience it: in the minors, college, or high school, you’re used to a certain depth of the stands behind home plate. At Busch Stadium, the seats go way back, up and up, so it almost looks like home plate is 90 feet away. After my first few warmups, I had to convince myself it’s the same distance. It’s just the optics throwing you off.

Robby Incmikoski: Switching to your hometown—what’s it like to be a visiting player pitching where you grew up? What’s it like stepping on the mound at Petco, a place where you went to games as a kid, and what’s the challenge in separating emotions?

Steven Brault: Personally, I don’t think you should try to get rid of those emotions. You should appreciate where you are and what’s going on while it’s happening. It was amazing pitching in San Diego at Petco Park. I don’t think I did amazingly the first time, but it was really cool. I’d watched so many games from the outfield bleachers growing up, and now I got to be on the field playing.

There is stress—you don’t want to look bad in front of friends and family. Plus, everyone wants tickets and wants to see you. You have to balance that because it’s still a job. That part is challenging: telling people you can’t see them or you can’t get them all tickets. But once you’re on the field, it’s the best.

Robby Incmikoski: I remember talking to your parents—they were out in left-center, with that surfboard area and high-top tables.

Steven Brault: Yeah, my parents have always had season tickets in the front row in left field. Even going back to Qualcomm Stadium, it’s been roughly that same spot. I was an annoying kid who would stand up between innings and yell, “Can I get a ball?” It worked, so I don’t blame kids for doing it.

Robby Incmikoski: Did you remember a specific player throwing you a ball back then?

Steven Brault: Eric Owens. He came up with the Padres, and we all thought he was gonna be the next big outfielder. I remember him throwing me a ball. Others did too, but he sticks out in my mind.

Robby Incmikoski: Postgame at Petco, after you first pitched there—did you take pictures on the field?

Steven Brault: We did it before the game. I got my family batting practice passes, and we all took pictures on the field. I still have those pictures—my family on the field before the game.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s a memory no one can take away—there’s no financial value you can put on that. How special is it to have that moment in a baseball stadium?

Steven Brault: It was everything I dreamed of. Like millions of kids, I grew up wanting to be a major leaguer. In high school, I figured it wouldn’t happen—I wasn’t big enough or throwing hard enough. I went to a Division II college, improved, and then pro ball came back on the radar. I always said I’d enjoy every bit of it for as long as it lasted.

When I got to be there, especially as one of four brothers who were always competing, it was so cool to bring them onto a major league field because I was pitching. You just feel that pride—you accomplished your dream. No matter how long it lasts, you made it, and you always have that. Even if I compare my career to others with more or less time, I remind myself that I made it. It justifies the obsession with baseball I’ve had my whole life.

I’m very appreciative of all the opportunities I got. I like to think I got them because of luck and hard work combined. It’s beautiful when it comes together like that.

Robby Incmikoski: Last thing: PNC Park. You’re one of a small handful of people—maybe Matt Capps, Neil Walker, Kevin Young—who both played for the Pirates and then broadcast games there. What were your impressions of PNC Park, seeing it on TV versus being a player and then a broadcaster?

Steven Brault: As a player, I loved pitching at PNC. Great mound, great grass—the grounds crew is amazing. It rains so much in Pittsburgh, but they keep the field immaculate. The Clemente Bridge, the skyline behind it—it’s absolutely beautiful.

But as a broadcaster, you get an even better view. I haven’t called a home game yet, but I’ve been up in that press box a ton. You see the field from that angle, plus downtown and the river—there’s nothing blocking the view. The fans in Pittsburgh want to win, and I never took offense if I got booed. I get it—if I’m terrible, I deserve it.

I love Pittsburgh, and the people here have embraced me. Funny enough, I get recognized way more now as a broadcaster than I did as a player—probably because I’m not wearing a hat and a uniform. Everyone here has been awesome, and I hope to do more in the future. You never know, but I love it here. As a broadcaster, they treat you well.

Robby Incmikoski: Do you have my old cubicle?

Steven Brault: I think I do, or maybe Michael took it. I’m not sure—it might still be open, in memoriam of Robby Incmikoski.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s all I got for him. Kyle, anything?

Kyle Fager: You answered my question—seeing it as a broadcaster versus a player. We’re good. This is great.

Steven Brault: Cool.

Robby Incmikoski: Alright, I got nothing else, brother.

Steven Brault: Hey, I can’t wait to see where this goes. If you get any other stories or anything you wanna share, shoot it my way.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, I will. We’ve had some pretty cool guests so far—wrestlers, ballplayers, all kinds of people. We’re hoping to do about 120 interviews. You’re number 22 so far, and I’ve got five lined up next week. We’ve got Justin Morneau coming on, and Mike Bacsik, who gave up Barry Bonds’ 756th.