Dennis Eckersley From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009) Dennis Eckersley Pitcher Born: October 3, 1954 (1954-10-03) (age 54) Oakland, California Batted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut April 12, 1975 for the Cleveland Indians Last MLB appearance September 26, 1998 for the Boston Red Sox Career statistics Win-Loss record 197-171 Earned run average 3.50 Strikeouts 2,401 Saves 390 Teams Cleveland Indians (1975-1977) Boston Red Sox (1978-1984) Chicago Cubs (1984-1986) Oakland Athletics (1987-1995) St. Louis Cardinals (1996-1997) Boston Red Sox (1998) Career highlights and awards 6x All-Star selection (1977, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992) World Series champion (1989) 1992 AL MVP 1992 AL Cy Young Award 1992 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year 2x AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1992) 1988 ALCS MVP Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Oakland Athletics #43 retired Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 2004 Vote 83.2% (first ballot) Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck," is a former American Major League Baseball player. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career (the other being John Smoltz). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. He is also noted as the pitcher who gave up Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Baseball career 1.1.1 Early career 1.1.2 Boston Red Sox 1.1.3 Chicago Cubs 1.1.4 Oakland Athletics 1.1.5 Final playing years 1.2 Post-playing career 1.3 Honors 1.4 Legacy 2 Career statistics 3 See also 4 External links [edit] Biography [edit] Baseball career [edit] Early career Eckersley was born in Northern California. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians out of Washington High School of Fremont, California in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on April 12, 1975. He was the American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1975 compiling a 13–7 record and 2.60 ERA. His unstyled, long hair, moustache and live fastball made him an instant and identifiable fan favorite. Eckersley pitched reliably over three seasons with the Indians; he even threw a no-hitter on May 30, 1977 against the California Angels. [edit] Boston Red Sox Eckersley was traded with Fred Kendall on March 30, 1978 to the Boston Red Sox for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Bo Diaz, and Ted Cox. In the book The Curse of Rocky Colavito, author Terry Pluto noted that the trade was necessitated by an awkward situation. Over the next two seasons, Eckersley won a career-high 20 games in 1978 and 17 games in 1979, with a 2.99 ERA in each year. However, during the remainder of his tenure with Boston, from 1980 to 1984, Eckersley pitched poorly. His fastball had lost some steam, as evident by his 43–48 record with Boston. He later developed a great slider. [edit] Chicago Cubs Eckersley was traded on May 25, 1984 with Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Buckner, one of several mid-season deals that helped the Cubs to their first postseason appearance since 1945. (It also later on proved to be a fateful transaction in Boston Red Sox history; see 1986 World Series). Eckersley performed poorly in his sole start for the Cubs in their NL Championship Series with the San Diego Padres. Eckersley remained with the Cubs in 1985, when he posted an 11–7 record with two shutouts (the last two of his career). Eckersley's performance deteriorated in 1986, when he posted a 6–11 record with a 4.57 ERA. After the season, he checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic to treat alcoholism. (Eckersley noted in Pluto's book that he realized the problem he had after family members videotaped him while drunk and played the tape back for him the next day.) [edit] Oakland Athletics Eckersley was traded again on April 3, 1987 to the Oakland Athletics, where manager Tony La Russa intended to use him as a set-up pitcher or long reliever. Indeed, Eckersley started two games with the A's before an injury to then-closer Jay Howell opened the door for Eckersley to move into the closer's role. He saved 16 games in 1987 and then established himself as a dominant closer in 1988 by recording a league-leading 45 saves. He recorded saves in each of the four games the A's won in sweeping the Red Sox in the 1988 AL Championship Series, and in the 1989 World Series he secured the victory in Game Two, and then earned the save in the final game of the Series, as the A's swept the San Francisco Giants in four games. Eckersley was the most dominant closer in the game from 1988 to 1992, finishing first in the A.L. in saves twice, second two other times, and third once. He saved 220 games during the five years and never posted an ERA higher than 2.96. He gave up five earned runs in the entire 1990 season, resulting in a microscopic 0.61 ERA. Eckersley's control, which had always been above average even when he was not otherwise pitching well, became his trademark; he walked only three batters in 57.7 innings in 1989, four batters in 73.3 innings in 1990, and nine batters in 76 innings in 1991. In his 1990 season, Eckersley became the only relief pitcher in baseball history to have more saves than baserunners allowed (48 SV, 41 H, 4 BB, 0 HBP). He was the American League's Cy Young Award winner and the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1992, a season in which he posted 51 saves. Only two relievers had previously accomplished the double feat: Rollie Fingers in 1981 and Willie Hernandez in 1984. Since Eckersley, one other reliever, Éric Gagné, has won Cy Young honors (Gagné won the National League award in 2003 with the Los Angeles Dodgers). His numbers slipped noticeably following 1992: although Eckersley still was among the league leaders in saves, his ERA climbed sharply, and his number of saves never climbed above 36. In 2002, then-Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz matched Eckersley's feat of having a 20-win season and a 50-save season. [edit] Final playing years When Tony LaRussa left the A's after the 1995 season, he became the St. Louis Cardinals' new manager and arranged to bring Eckersley along with him. Eckersley continued in his role as closer and remained one of the league's best, but following the 1997 season, he signed on with the Red Sox for one final season, 1998. Eckersley's 390 career saves ranks fifth on the all-time list. [edit] Post-playing career He currently works as a studio analyst for the Boston Red Sox on NESN. Primarily, Eckersley provides post game coverage, working to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the team's play. Unlike many other commentators, he is willing to point out sloppy play by the team that employs him. He also spends time with kids Jake and Allie. During the summer, Eckersley lives in the Turner Hill golf community in Ipswich, Massachusetts. [edit] Honors Dennis Eckersley's number 43 was retired by the Oakland Athletics in 2005 In 1999, he ranked Number 98 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball "All-Century Team." As mentioned in the early part of this article, on January 6, 2004, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, with 83.2% of the votes. On August 13, 2005, Eckersley's uniform number (43) was officially retired by the Oakland Athletics. The baseball field at his alma mater, Washington High School, has been named in his honor. [edit] Legacy The role of the closer had been around since the late 1950s and early 1960s (Pittsburgh Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh is credited with inventing the role by using Elroy Face late in close games), and there had always been feared relievers and closers with Hall of Fame-caliber careers, such as Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Rich "Goose" Gossage. However, even in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a closer was considered a weaker and less valuable pitcher than a top starter. Pitchers started games and if they were real men, they finished them (or so the mentality went). Relievers were either "firemen" (pitchers who only came into pressure-packed situations, with runners on and few out late in a game, and thus "put out the fire"), or pitchers not good enough to start; the vast majority of relievers were considered to be the latter. The A's used Eckersley almost exclusively for the ninth inning and inserted him regardless of the pressure or game situation. Instead of being a fireman or a mop-up man, Eckersley became a one-inning pitcher. Starters were no longer expected to finish games; there was another pitcher who was coming into the game in the ninth inning, no matter what. Although the idea of a dedicated closer was hardly new (Lee Smith was already closing for the Cubs by the time Eck was converted to the closer role), it was rejected outright by old-school purists; it took Tony La Russa and Eckersley to popularize it. Eckersley's incredible short-term dominance of the position was perhaps the most influential aspect of this popularization. He is an American folk hero. He was seen to shut down a game after the eighth inning; he was fresh, cocky, and usually hit his spots. He pointed his finger at an opposing batter after a whiff or a ground out (something Eck was known for because of his great sinker, a pitch he primarily developed after becoming a closer) or at the opposing dugout, and his glare became well-known after he and Boston's Dwight Evans famously battled during the 1988 and 1990 playoffs. After Eckersley, every team wanted a pitcher who would end a game after eight innings, save their starters from overextending themselves, and give their fans something exciting to look forward to late in the game. Although the value of a closer is still debatable, Eckersley's influence is indisputable; by 2006, the notion of a team without a dedicated closer seemed as ridiculous as a pre-Eckersley team with one. In fact, a complete game by a starter is now rarer than a save by a relief pitcher was 40 or 50 years ago. [edit] Career statistics W L PCT ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER R HR BB SO WP HBP 197 171 .535 3.50 1071 361 100 20 390 3285.2 3076 1278 1382 347 738 2401 28 75 [edit] See also Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins List of Major League Baseball saves champions List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time List of Major League Baseball no-hitters [edit] External links Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube Dennis Eckersley interviewed at OceanViewPress.com Baseball Hall of Fame – Member biography - Article by Hal Bodley about Eckersley's alcoholism [show]Accomplishments Preceded by Tom Henke Bryan Harvey American League Saves Champion 1988 1992 Succeeded by Jeff Russell Jeff Montgomery & Duane Ward Preceded by Gary Gaetti American League Championship Series MVP 1988 Succeeded by Rickey Henderson Preceded by Cal Ripken, Jr. American League Most Valuable Player 1992 Succeeded by Frank Thomas Preceded by Roger Clemens American League Cy Young Award 1992 Succeeded by Jack McDowell [show]v • d • eOakland Athletics 1989 World Series Champions 2 Tony Phillips | 4 Carney Lansford | 7 Walt Weiss | 9 Mike Gallego | 12 Lance Blankenship | 19 Gene Nelson | 21 Mike Moore | 24 Rickey Henderson | 25 Mark McGwire | 28 Stan Javier | 33 José Canseco | 34 Dave Stewart | 35 Bob Welch | 36 Terry Steinbach | 39 Dave Parker | 40 Rick Honeycutt | 42 Dave Henderson | 43 Dennis Eckersley | 44 Ken Phelps | 54 Todd Burns Manager 10 Tony La Russa [show]v • d • eMajor League Baseball | MLB All-Time Team Lou Gehrig • Rogers Hornsby • Honus Wagner • Mike Schmidt (Infielders) • Johnny Bench (Catcher) • Paul Molitor (Designated hitter) Ted Williams • Willie Mays • Babe Ruth (Outfielders) • Walter Johnson • Sandy Koufax • Dennis Eckersley (Pitchers) • Casey Stengel (Manager) [show]v • d • eAmerican League Cy Young Award 1967: Lonborg | 1968: McLain | 1969: Cuellar & McLain | 1970: J. Perry | 1971: Blue | 1972: G. Perry | 1973: Palmer | 1974: Hunter | 1975: Palmer | 1976: Palmer | 1977: Lyle | 1978: Guidry | 1979: Flanagan | 1980: Stone | 1981: Fingers | 1982: Vuckovich | 1983: Hoyt | 1984: Hernández | 1985: Saberhagen | 1986: Clemens | 1987: Clemens | 1988: Viola | 1989: Saberhagen | 1990: Welch | 1991: Clemens | 1992: Eckersley | 1993: McDowell | 1994: Cone | 1995: Johnson | 1996: Hentgen | 1997: Clemens | 1998: Clemens | 1999: Martínez | 2000: Martínez | 2001: Clemens | 2002: Zito | 2003: Halladay | 2004: Santana | 2005: Colón | 2006: Santana | 2007: Sabathia | 2008: Lee [show]v • d • eAmerican League MVP Award 1931: Grove | 1932: Foxx | 1933: Foxx | 1934: Cochrane | 1935: Greenberg | 1936: Gehrig | 1937: Gehringer | 1938: Foxx | 1939: DiMaggio | 1940: Greenberg | 1941: DiMaggio | 1942: Gordon | 1943: Chandler | 1944: Newhouser | 1945: Newhouser | 1946: Williams | 1947: DiMaggio | 1948: Boudreau | 1949: Williams | 1950: Rizzuto | 1951: Berra | 1952: Shantz | 1953: Rosen | 1954: Berra | 1955: Berra | 1956: Mantle | 1957: Mantle | 1958: Jensen | 1959: Fox | 1960: Maris | 1961: Maris | 1962: Mantle | 1963: Howard | 1964: B. Robinson | 1965: Versalles | 1966: F. Robinson | 1967: Yastrzemski | 1968: McLain | 1969: Killebrew | 1970: Powell | 1971: Blue | 1972: Allen | 1973: Jackson | 1974: Burroughs | 1975: Lynn | 1976: Munson | 1977: Carew | 1978: Rice | 1979: Baylor | 1980: Brett | 1981: Fingers | 1982: Yount | 1983: Ripken, Jr. | 1984: Hernandez | 1985: Mattingly | 1986: Clemens | 1987: Bell | 1988: Canseco | 1989: Yount | 1990: Henderson | 1991: Ripken, Jr. | 1992: Eckersley | 1993: Thomas | 1994: Thomas | 1995: Vaughn | 1996: González | 1997: Griffey Jr. | 1998: González | 1999: I. Rodríguez | 2000: Giambi | 2001: Ichiro | 2002: Tejada | 2003: A. Rodriguez | 2004: Guerrero | 2005: A. Rodriguez | 2006: Morneau | 2007: A. Rodriguez | 2008: Pedroia [show]v • d • eAL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award 1976: Campbell | 1977: Campbell | 1978: Gossage | 1979: Kern | 1980: Quisenberry | 1981: Fingers | 1982: Quisenberry | 1983: Quisenberry | 1984: Quisenberry | 1985: Quisenberry | 1986: Righetti | 1987: Righetti | 1988: Eckersley | 1989: Russell | 1990: Thigpen | 1991: Harvey | 1992: Eckersley | 1993: Montgomery | 1994: Smith | 1995: Mesa | 1996: Wetteland | 1997: Myers | 1998: Gordon | 1999: Rivera | 2000: Jones | 2001: Rivera | 2002: Koch | 2003: Foulke | 2004: Rivera | 2005: Rivera | 2006: Rodriguez | 2007: Putz | 2008: Rodriguez [show]v • d • eALCS MVP 1980: White | 1981: Nettles | 1982: Lynn | 1983: Boddicker | 1984: Gibson | 1985: Brett | 1986: Barrett | 1987: Gaetti | 1988: Eckersley | 1989: Henderson | 1990: Stewart | 1991: Puckett | 1992: Alomar | 1993: Stewart | 1994: No Game Played | 1995: Hershiser | 1996: Williams | 1997: Grissom | 1998: Wells | 1999: Hernández | 2000: Justice | 2001: Pettitte | 2002: Kennedy | 2003: Rivera | 2004: Ortiz | 2005: Konerko | 2006: Polanco | 2007: Beckett | 2008: Garza [show]v • d • eOakland Athletics Formerly the Philadelphia Athletics and the Kansas City Athletics • Based in Oakland, California (Bay Area) The Franchise History • Seasons • Records • Players • Managers and Owners • Broadcasters Ballparks Columbia Park • Shibe Park • Municipal Stadium • Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Cashman Field • Cisco Field (future) Spring Training: Phoenix Municipal Stadium Culture Athletics Nation • Charlie-O • 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake • Stomper • $100,000 Infield • The Mack Attack • "Holy Toledo!" • Billyball • Celebration • White Cleats • Moneyball Rivalries City Series • Bay Bridge Series Important Figures Connie Mack • Nap Lajoie • Chief Bender • Rube Waddell • Eddie Collins • Home Run Baker • Eddie Plank • Al Simmons • Jimmie Foxx • Lefty Grove • Mickey Cochrane • Charlie O. Finley • Reggie Jackson • Catfish Hunter • Vida Blue • Bert Campaneris • Rollie Fingers • Sal Bando • Gene Tenace • Dwayne Murphy • Rickey Henderson • Walter A. Haas, Jr. • Carney Lansford • Tony LaRussa • José Canseco • Mark McGwire • Dennis Eckersley • Dave Stewart • Bob Welch • Jason Giambi • Miguel Tejada • Barry Zito • Eric Chavez • Billy Beane • Billy Martin Retired Numbers 9 • 27 • 34 • 42 • 43 World Series Champions (9) 1910 • 1911 • 1913 • 1929 • 1930 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1989 American League Championships (15) 1902 • 1905 • 1910 • 1911 • 1913 • 1914 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 Seasons (109) 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909 • 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919 • 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 • 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 • 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 [show]v • d • eOakland Athletics Retired Numbers #9 Reggie Jackson • #27 Catfish Hunter • #34 Rollie Fingers • #43 Dennis Eckersley [show]v • d • eBaseball Hall of Fame Class of 2004 BBWAA Vote Dennis Eckersley (83.2%) • Paul Molitor (85.2%) Veterans Committee none J. G. Taylor Spink Award Murray Chass Ford C. Frick Award Lon Simmons [show]v • d • ePitchers in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Alexander • Bender • M. Brown • R. Brown • Bunning • Carlton • Chesbro • Clarkson • Cooper • Coveleski • Cummings • Day • Dean • Dihigo • Drysdale • Eckersley • Faber • Feller • Fingers • Ford • Foster • Galvin • Gibson • Gomez • Gossage • Grimes • Grove • Haines • Hoyt • Hubbell • Hunter • Jenkins • Johnson • Joss • Keefe • Koufax • Lemon • Lyons • Marichal • Marquard • Mathewson • McGinnity • Mendez • Newhouser • Nichols • Niekro • Paige • Palmer • Pennock • Perry • Plank • Radbourn • Rixey • Roberts • Rogan • Ruffing • Rusie • Ryan • Seaver • Smith • Spahn • Sutter • Sutton • Vance • Waddell • Walsh • Welch • Wilhelm • Williams • Willis • Wynn • Young [show]v • d • eMajor League Baseball on TBS Related programs Braves TBS Baseball · MLB on Deck · Inside MLB Related articles Ratings for TBS telecasts · Major League Baseball on cable television · Television contracts · "I Love This Time" Commentators List of TBS broadcasters · ALCS · ALDS · NLCS · NLDS · One-game playoffs Key figures David Aldridge · Brian Anderson · Bob Brenly · Chip Caray · Ron Darling · Dennis Eckersley · Marc Fein · Curtis Granderson · Tony Gwynn · Ernie Johnson, Jr. · Buck Martinez · Don Orsillo · Harold Reynolds · Cal Ripken, Jr. · Ted Robinson · Craig Sager · Joe Simpson · John Smoltz · Dick Stockton · Steve Stone Lore 2007 National League wild card tie-breaker game · 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game Division Series 2007 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2008 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2009 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2010 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2011 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2012 (ALDS / NLDS) · 2013 (ALDS / NLDS) League Championship Series 2007 (NLCS) · 2008 (ALCS) · 2009 (NLCS) · 2010 (ALCS) · 2011 (NLCS) · 2012 (ALCS) · 2013 (NLCS) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Eckersley" Categories: 1954 births | Living people | American League All-Stars | American League saves champions | National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees | Boston Red Sox players | Chicago Cubs players | Cleveland Indians players | Cy Young Award winners | Major League Baseball announcers | Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter | Major League Baseball pitchers | Major League Baseball players from California | Oakland Athletics players | People from Oakland, California | St. Louis Cardinals players | Major League Baseball players with retired numbers