Moyer a pitcher for the ages

At 45, Phillies lefthander is savoring the prospect of his World Series debut

His signing bonus with the Cubs was in the vicinity of $13,000. That's meal money now. But back then, almost a quarter-century ago, it represented a chance for Jamie Moyer, a chance to make it to the big leagues. Drafted in the sixth round, he was in an organization that was light on pitching. He knew he could advance, despite his lack of power and size, and that was what he set out to do.

It's been ages since then, filled with minor league deal after minor league deal before he found a home in Seattle, and still Moyer seems simply glad to be taking up a spot on a roster. A World Series roster.

"It's always come down to just playing the game," he said. "That's why I enjoy this. I did this as a kid. When I was 8 years old, I started playing baseball, and I'm 45 and I'm still playing. It's at a different level, but it's still the same game. That you can never take away. That is never going to leave.

"It's a dream. I'm kind of like waking up with one eye open and one eye closed."

Eventually, he'll be finished in the game, though he wasn't pondering end dates yesterday. He was focused instead on his next start, tonight in Philadelphia, his first in the World Series. Just shy of his 46th birthday (Nov. 18), Moyer will take the mound against a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher almost 21 years his junior. When he does that, he will become the second-oldest player to appear in a Series game, after righthander Jack Quinn of the Philadelphia Athletics, who pitched in 1929 and 1930 at ages 46 and 47.

Unlike his younger opponent, Matt Garza, Moyer has spent quite a bit of time just fighting to make a roster. After being taken by the Cubs in 1984 and reaching the majors two years later (he was teammates with Terry Francona), Moyer spent the next few years bouncing around. From a minor league contract with the Cardinals in 1991 to ones with the Cubs, Tigers, and Orioles, to a real free agent deal with the Red Sox in 1996. He lasted just six months with the Sox before heading to Seattle in a trade for outfielder Darren Bragg. He spent 10 years with the Mariners and twice won at least 20 games.

Then it was on to the Phillies in a 2006 trade.

Philadelphia is close enough to his childhood home in Souderton, Pa., that he decided to, in his words, "bump school" for a day to see the World Series parade in 1980.

That doesn't matter tonight. Tonight it's about facing a dangerous Rays lineup with a survival style of pitching. Garza throws with more than a little zip. For the 6-foot, 170-pound Moyer, it's about placement and soft stuff and fooling batters, which he did this season to the tune of a 16-7 record and a 3.71 ERA.

As Tampa's Cliff Floyd put it, "You have one guy throwing 95-mile-an-hour sinkers, bowling balls at your feet, and another guy just trying to outsmart you.

"You can't underestimate Jamie Moyer," Floyd added. "Not a good competitor, a great competitor. Really, really intelligent. He's not going to overpower you, of course, but he can outsmart you and get you thinking up there. And the one thing we all know is that if you start thinking in this game, you get yourself in a lot of trouble."

Then there's what Moyer has done off the mound. Rays manager Joe Maddon recalled yesterday that Moyer called him when his father was dying in 2002. "I always looked at him differently because of that moment," said Maddon.

Moyer relishes the fact that his teenage sons have accompanied him to Tropicana Field and to Citizens Bank Park, able to watch their father and understand his professional life as they near college ball themselves. So, as Moyer realizes that his oldest son, Dillon, is just six years younger than Evan Longoria, he also works to slow time just enough to appreciate this game and this start.

As he reflects on that parade day in 1980, on hopping a train and joining the celebration of the Phillies' world championship, he knows he needs to step back. In the clubhouse before games, in his car on the way to the ballpark, or lying in bed, he has taken the time to think about where he's come from and where he is.

Before Game 2 at Tropicana Field, Moyer said, "I feel like I'm very fortunate to be in this situation. There's been a great amount of players that have played this game. They were great players and had a big impact on the game [but] have never gotten to where we are standing tonight. I feel very fortunate to be standing here tonight. It's been part of a dream of mine forever. For the next couple days, the next week, the next 10 days, I'm able to live that."

Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.