Dodgers' Sherrill looks back at his long rise

LOS ANGELES - George Sherrill doesn't see himself as a role model for players with long-shot dreams of making the major leagues, yet the Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher would inspire the least likely of prospects.

Sherrill pitched independent-league baseball - for 41/2 years.

Independent baseball is often the last stop until a player has to pursue a career outside the game. The pay is low, the bus rides are long, and the publicity is scant.

Sherrill has gone from pitching in such remote outposts as Evansville, Ind.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Winnipeg to becoming first an American League all-star and now a pivotal figure as the Phillies and Dodgers begin their best-of-seven National League Championship Series rematch tonight at Dodger Stadium.

Sherrill doesn't see himself as a hero - just as a guy trying to win a championship ring.

"I don't know about being a hero, but it's a nice story, and hopefully somebody can get something out of it," Sherrill said on the field before yesterday's workout.

If Sherrill performs well in this series, Phillies super-scout Charley Kerfeld may get some good-natured ribbing from his colleagues.

Kerfeld, a scout in 2003 for the Seattle Mariners, signed Sherrill out of independent baseball.

"Charley is a great guy," the pitcher said.

As Sherrill recalls, he was ready to sign with the New York Yankees, who had promised to move him to their high-single-A franchise in Tampa.

But Kerfeld trumped the deal, offering Sherrill a starting job in double A. Sherrill was pitching for Winnipeg of the independent Northern League at the time, a team managed by former major-league player and manager Hal Lanier.

Kerfeld had played for Lanier in Houston, and it was Lanier who tipped off Kerfeld that Sherrill was pitching well.

It turned out Kerfeld had promised to send Sherrill to double-A San Antonio before telling his bosses in Seattle, but they agreed to the move.

By July 2004, Sherrill was in the big leagues with Seattle. In 2008, he was named to the American League all-star team as the closer in Baltimore.

"It's nice to see," Kerfeld said of Sherrill's rise. "As a guy who managed nine years in independent ball, you get to see some of the struggles these guys face trying to get opportunities. I have a soft spot for those guys."

Kerfeld said the credit goes to the man on the mound.

"All I did was give George an opportunity, and he ran with it," the scout said.

The Dodgers acquired Sherrill in a three-player trade July 30, and he has been lights-out ever since. The Phillies has been interested in him, too.  In 30 regular-season games with the Dodgers, Sherrill was 1-0 with a 0.65 ERA and one save. In those 30 appearances, lefthanders hit 4 for 33 (.121) against him.

"George Sherrill has been unbelievable," said Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa, the former Phillies shortstop and manager. "He sets up, closes, is not afraid, gets righthanders and lefties out, and we probably don't win our division without him."

Sherrill appeared in all three games of the NL division series sweep of St. Louis, going 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA.

The 32-year-old Memphis native said the turning point in his career came during his third season in independent ball, when he went from a starting job to a relief role.

When he impressed Kerfeld, he became a rarity - a coveted independent league player.

"At that time, I didn't know what the big leagues were, and thought of it as something you watch on TV," Sherrill said. "What kept me going was that I loved the game."

And anybody, except maybe Phillies fans during this series, would love a story like that.

Inquirer staff writer Jim Salisbury contributed to this article.