TUCSON — As the Rockies pitcher and catchers reported to spring training today, Matt Herges took another step on his redemption tour.
Facing TV cameras, microphones and tape recorders, the relief pitcher again apologized for taking performance-enhancing drugs, saying he set himself free by coming clean. He also said he’s been overwhelmed by the support given him by teammates. He was greeted in the clubhouse today with hugs from a number of players.
“Not that I deserved it, but people who I care about very deeply — my wife and the Rockies — have extended incredible grace to me,” the 37-year-old Herges said. “I can’t describe what that means to me. I didn’t think it would feel this freeing, but it does.”
Herges also reiterated he never took human growth hormones or steroids while pitching for the Rockies last season. He went 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 35 games after being called up from Triple-A, helping the Rockies in their run to the World Series.
“Last year was clean,” he said. “I think that was important for me to extend to (general manager) Dan O’Dowd, (club president) Keli McGregor and the Monfort brothers (Charlie and Dick).”
The Rockies re-signed Herges as a free agent to a one-year, $2.25 million deal, agreeing in principle to a contract just days before he was named in the Mitchell report.
According to the report, Herges was involved with steroid use in 1999 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate and purchased human growth hormone as late as 2005, when he was an established major-leaguer. Herges said he has never failed an MLB-administered drug test.
He also said today that he didn’t believe the drugs helped him that much, but admitted he knew what he was doing was cheating.
“I chose to do the wrong thing,” he said. “I thought they would make me better, in every way. It’s embarrassing even talking about it.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
