If Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan has coached his final game, his players will have the satisfaction of knowing he went out on top.
The club announced Thursday evening that the longtime pitching coach was taking a leave of absence to be with wife Jeanine as she continues to recover from surgery to remove a brain tumor.
Duncan missed more than a month down the stretch to be with his wife after she had surgery on Aug. 21. But he returned for the final game of the regular season and remained with the club during their World Series run.
"If he is not able to come back, he goes out on top like Tony (La Russa) and that's an awesome way to go out," said reliever Kyle McClellan. "But obviously you are more concerned with his personal situation and I'm glad that he made the decision that he felt like he needed to be home and spending time there. I'm hoping that everything works out OK."
Duncan has been the Cardinals' pitching coach since the recently retired La Russa arrived in St. Louis in 1996. He previously worked with La Russa as the pitching coach with the Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's from 1983-1995.
The 66-year-old Duncan is regarded as one of the smartest pitching minds in the game and seen by some as a future Hall of Famer for his ability to get the most out of his pitchers.
"He's been extremely influential on my career and I've got a lot of respect and admiration for him because he's done so much for me," said reliever Mitchell Boggs. "Most importantly I just hope that his wife's situation will continue to improve. This just shows that his priorities are in the right place. I know his family is very important to him.
"I just wish nothing but the best for him and his family and that he can take some time to take care of things that they need to take care of because that's really the most important thing."
A release issued by the club said no timetable has been set for Duncan's return. It appears possible he could remain with the club in an advisory role should he not return as pitching coach.
Several pitchers including Woody Williams, Jeff Weaver, Jeff Suppan, Joel Pineiro and current pitcher Kyle Lohse saw dramatic improvements under the tutelage of Duncan in recent years.
Duncan has served more years as a big league pitching coach than any current coach in baseball, becoming a staple in the Cardinals dugout since he arrived prior to the 1996 season.
"We saw how important he is to our club and everything over the stretch when he was gone," McClellan said. "Nothing against (bullpen coach) Derek Lilliquist or anybody that takes his spot, but Dave Duncan is probably one of the best pitching coaches in the game and he's hard to replace.
"It's sad in a way that he's not going to be around. The past four years he's the only pitching coach I've had obviously and he's always been a big supporter of mine and we've worked really well together. It's going to be different having someone else there."
Duncan played a major role in the Cardinals' playoff run, deciding along with La Russa to start Chris Carpenter on three days rest in Game 2 of the Division Series.
While Carpenter didn't pitch well that night, the move allowed him to pitch the deciding Game 5 in which the right-hander used a three-hit shutout to beat Roy Halladay and the Phillies, 1-0.
Duncan also helped formulate the rotation for the rest of the playoffs, which included another three-days rest start for Carpenter in Game 7 of the World Series.
The Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7, giving Duncan his third World Series Championship as a pitching coach and fourth overall.
"Him coming back (for the playoffs) was extremely important to our club," Boggs said. "It meant a lot to everybody because we knew that he was going through a lot and that his family was dealing with a tough situation. For him to come back with us for that last month, that was asking an awful lot and we all appreciated it because we knew how tough it was on him at that time.
"We all take what we do very seriously but at the same time, its baseball, and 'Dunc', his family is obviously the most important to him and that deserves a lot of respect. I wish nothing but the best and hopefully it will work out the way he needs it to work out.
"He will always be a Cardinal and for me, he'll always be a guy that gets the utmost respect from me because he did a lot for me and has helped me tremendously."
The Cardinals confirmed Friday Derek Lilliquist
would step in as pitching coach during Duncan's absence.
