close

Krivda’s baseball career was good as gold

9 min read
article image -

Rick Krivda never imagined his baseball journey would take him to Sydney, Australia. But by the age of 30, Krivda was there competing at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Krivda, a California University product, was fighting to return to the big leagues in 2000 with the Baltimore Orioles, posting 11 victories and a 3.12 earned run average for the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings of the International League.

He pitched in parts of four seasons with Baltimore (1995-97) and with Cleveland and Cincinnati (1998). Krivda started 36 games and pitched in 72 during those four seasons.

He spent the 1999 campaign with Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, Neb.

A return to the Orioles’ organization came in 2000.

It was during that summer that Krivda was sitting in the stands in Richmond, Va., with other off-day starting pitchers for Rochester charting pitches and manning the radar gun in a game against the Triple-A Braves.

The late Syd Thrift, then the Orioles’ general manager, also was in the stands and summoned Krivda.

“Syd said he put my name in for the Olympic team,” Krivda recalled, “I didn’t even realize it was an Olympic year. I wasn’t expecting what he said. I was more concerned about getting a call up to Baltimore.

“Syd said he thought the Olympics would be good for me. Being 30, I wasn’t sure. I was having a good year in Triple-A. I was hoping to get called up to the majors.”

What he got were some papers that needed filled out to start the process of him being part of Team USA in the Olympics.

“I started to realize I could not pitch in the big leagues at the same time of the Olympics,” Krivda said. “I was leading the league in ERA and I honestly didn’t think I’d be around for the Olympics.”

Krivda called the initial stages of his Olympic experience a “whirlwind” and one of the best experiences of his life. The 2000 Olympics were the first to allow professionals to play in the baseball competition.

“Watching the Dream Team (U.S. basketball team) walking around and to watch Mia Hamm was surreal. Hearing the National Anthem just sent chills up my spine, every time I heard it,” Krivda said.

“We never got the same fanfare of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. What we did, though, was pretty special. I enjoyed going back to the United States with that gold medal. I found myself going to places and being really proud to have that gold medal around my neck. It was a special experience.”

McKeesport to Cal U.

Krivda built his baseball reputation at McKeesport High School.

He also played basketball for the Tigers but was cut from the team because he missed summer workouts since he was playing baseball.

Getting cut hurt, but Krivda knew that baseball was his ticket to ride.

“Each year, I got a little better,” Krivda said. “I had tryouts with the (Pittsburgh) Pirates and (New York) Mets. I thought I held my own. Playing sports, I just tried to be the best on the team. I also wanted to be a leader. Those guys can kind of be a buffer between the coaches and the players.

“I tried to be that kind of guy. I tended to be a little more heard but in a good way.”

Krivda originally planned to attend Indiana University of Pa. But a conversation with former California coach Chuk Gismondi changed his mind.

Gismondi reminded him of his father, who had great influence with his son.

“Without question, my time at California helped me become the person I am today,” Krivda said. “I give a great deal of thanks to Chuck Gismondi and the other people who taught me. Coach Gismondi was fair and firm and reminded me of my own father. He always kept every promise he ever made to me.”

Don Hartman, the current softball coach at Frazier High School and former baseball coach at California High School, was a teammate of Krivda’s in college.

Hartman was impressed from the outset.

“I met him in the fall of 1987,” Hartman explained. “I was catching him, and I am thinking out loud to Gismondi and asked: ‘How in the world did we get this kid?’ (Gismondi) just smiled and chuckled.

“I’m thinking this guy is special. He’s dynamite. How did he end up here? How did he fall through the cracks? His stuff was electric, the fastball and the forkball that just fell off the table.”

Krivda set a single-season school record for pitching wins at California with eight in 1989. The following year, he set a school record in single-season strikeouts with 104. The 1990 Vulcans made the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Final Four, a feat also achieved by the 1985 squad.

Krivda pitched 90 2/3 innings in 1990, which was a school record.

At the PSAC Final Four, he pitched a six-hit shutout victory over nationally ranked Mansfield. The Vulcans finished second at the 1990 state tournament, Cal’s highest PSAC finish since 1983.

“Mansfield was loaded, and Rick shut them down,” Hartman said. “It was a spectacular performance. It was a defining moment for him. We all knew he was something special. But that was something.”

As a junior, Krivda broke his own single-season strike out record and led NCAA Division II with 106 strikeouts. The three-time, all-conference ace was also selected as a first-team NCAA National All-American. He concluded his exceptional collegiate career with a 22-13 career record and a 2.54 ERA. He struck out 254 batters in 227 innings pitched.

“Rick was always a hard worker and was willing to learn,” said Lou Pasquale, a teammate of Krivda’s at California and the head coach of the California High School baseball team. “Rick was always there rooting for you. He was a pleasure to play with.

“His sophomore year, he really improved. He came in as a freshman as our No. 1 recruit. He’s a likeable guy and we became friends. It was fun following him in his professional career.”

The big leagues

Krivda was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 23rd round of the 1991 free-agent draft. He enjoyed instant success at the professional level.

Krivda was fifth among all Appalachian League pitchers with a 1.88 ERA with seven wins for Baltimore’s 1991 rookie team. He was selected Orioles Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1992 and led all minor league pitchers with 118 strikeouts and 17 wins.

He was named to the Midwest League All-Star Game in 1992 and was the starting pitcher in the 1993 Double-A All-Star Game. He pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in the 1994 Triple-A All-Star Game. Krivda made his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox in July of 1995 and won his first big-league game against Oakland in August. In 1996, Krivda made three pivotal late-season starts that helped the Orioles advance to the American League playoffs as a wild card.

He pitched for Baltimore and Class AAA affiliate Rochester in 1997, compiling a combined 18-4 mark.

“I certainly wish my major league career would have been a little more extensive,” Krivda said. “When I was drafted, I wondered if I had that kind of talent. But after playing in games and having success, I knew I could have success.”

He added that the support he received from his parents, Francis and the late Jeanne Krivda, buoyed him and his career.

“My family always supported me,” Krivda said. “They were a great inspiration and followed me around really anywhere I would pitch. That was nice to have them there and to be part of it.”

Good as gold

These days, Krivda, 49, resides in Nottingham, Md., with his wife, Christine. His son, Zach, is a sophomore at the University of Maryland, and his daughter, Carly, is a high school sophomore.

Krivda sells athletic equipment and uniforms and also does some public relations work for the Orioles.

He gives private pitching lessons, something he relishes.

“I love working with the younger guys and trying to help them along,” Krivda said. “It’s rewarding.”

Coaching is something Krivda would consider. He remains hopeful that some of his former teammates may land a managerial post and perhaps call on him to assist.

“It is something I think about,” he added. “I need a couple of years of service to gain my MLB health benefit package. I wouldn’t mind riding someone’s coattails.”

Krivda witnessed history Sept. 6, 1995, when Cal Ripken set the major league record for consecutive games played at 2,131.

“The crowds and the celebrities around it were amazing,” said Krivda, then in his rookie season.

The gold medal-winning U.S. team in 2000 also had a certain aura and celebrity.

The one thing Krivda has that the majority of athletes do not is that gold medal.

While he was the losing pitcher in the U.S.’s lone loss, Krivda will never forget the accomplishment of that team.

“Tommy Lasorda was the perfect manager for us,” Krivda said. “He didn’t know any of us when it all started. We came together.

“The one thing I do wish was different was that we didn’t get to enjoy the whole Olympic experience. We just couldn’t walk into a game or performance and sit down. You had to have tickets and they were tough on us with time.

“After we won, I was looking forward to enjoying some of the other sports. But we were gone the next morning. We beat Cuba and we weren’t expected to win. We only had a handful of guys who had MLB experience. But we got the gold medal.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today