Pitcher, Oakland
Athletics
Age: 37
6th season
with Athletics
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 190
Prior to 1992:
A native
Californian, Eckersley starred as a pitcher at Washington High School in
Fremont before signing with the Cleveland Indians, who chose him in the 1972
amateur draft. The 17-year-old was assigned to Reno of the Class A California
League where he started 12 games and went 5-5 with a 4.80 ERA and 56 strikeouts
over 75 innings. Back with Reno in 1973 Eckersley improved to 12-8 with a 3.65
ERA and 218 strikeouts over 202 innings pitched. Advancing to San Antonio of
the Class AA Texas League in 1974, he got off to a fast 8-0 start on his way to
14-3 with a 3.40 ERA and 163 strikeouts. “Eck” made it to the Indians in 1975,
starting the season as a reliever before quickly moving into the starting
rotation. He produced a 13-7 record with a 2.60 ERA and 152 strikeouts while
pitching 186.2 innings. He was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The
Sporting News. With a side-winding delivery and high leg kick, his
repertoire included a fastball, curve, and slider. Overcoming a poor start in
1976 Eckersley ended up at 13-12 with a 3.43 ERA and 200 strikeouts. He was an
All-Star in 1977, a season in which he pitched a no-hitter against the Angels
as part of a 22.1 consecutive innings hitless streak. For the year he posted a
14-13 mark with a 3.53 ERA and 191 strikeouts, but he also gave up 31 home
runs, to the distress of the Cleveland front office. The following spring he
was traded to the Boston Red Sox along with catcher Fred Kendall for RHP Rick
Wise, RHP Mike Paxton, catcher Bo Diaz, and outfielder Ted Cox. With a stronger
club in Boston Eckersley compiled a 20-8 record with a 2.99 ERA and 162
strikeouts. He followed up in 1979 by going 17-10 with a 2.99 ERA and 150
strikeouts although he was bothered by a sore arm after winning eight straight
games that included seven complete games. Back and shoulder injuries hindered
his performance during the remainder of his tenure with the Red Sox. He was
12-14 with a 4.28 ERA in 1980, 9-8 with a 4.27 ERA during the
strike-interrupted 1981 season, 13-13 with a 3.73 ERA in 1982 (a year in which
he was an All-Star thanks to his nine wins in the season’s first half), and
9-13 with a 5.61 ERA in 1983. During the first half of the 1984 season
Eckersley was dealt to the Chicago Cubs for first baseman Bill Buckner. He
contributed a 10-8 record with a 3.03 ERA in 24 starts for the NL East-winning
Cubs. Hindered by shoulder tendinitis in 1985 “Eck” was 11-7 with a 3.08 ERA.
Continuing shoulder soreness caused him to drop to 6-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 1986
and he was dealt to the A’s just prior to the 1987 season, where he was shifted
to the bullpen. Utilized as a setup man and closer, featuring his fastball, slider,
and excellent control, he appeared in 54 games and produced a 6-8 record with
16 saves and a 3.03 ERA. For the pennant winning A’s in 1988 Eckersley topped
the AL with 45 saves and was MVP of the ALCS triumph over Boston as he saved
all four of Oakland’s wins. But in the World Series loss to the Dodgers he gave
up a memorable game-winning home run to pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson in Game One. Despite
a long stretch on the disabled list in 1989, Eckersley saved 33 games and was a
key contributor to bringing a World Series title to Oakland. The A’s won a third
straight AL pennant in 1990 and Eckersley saved 48 games. Clearly established
as one of the best bullpen closers in baseball, he recorded 43 saves in 1991,
although he gave up 11 home runs.
1992 Season Summary
Appeared in 69 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 69 [6]
Games Started –
0
Complete Games
– 0
Wins – 7
Losses – 1
PCT - .875
[Non-qualifying]
Saves – 51 [1]
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 80
Hits – 62
Runs – 17
Earned Runs – 17
Home Runs – 5
Bases on Balls
– 11
Strikeouts – 93
ERA – 1.91
[Non-qualifying]
Hit Batters – 1
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 0
League-leading saves
were +10 ahead of runner-up Rick Aguilera
Midseason
Snapshot: 2-0, ERA - 1.67, G – 37, SV – 30, SO - 50 in 43 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 5 (in 2 IP) vs. California 4/20
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Fielding
Chances – 13
Put Outs – 3
Assists – 10
Errors – 0
DP – 1
Pct. - 1.000
Postseason
Pitching: G – 3 (ALCS vs.
Toronto)
GS – 0, CG – 0,
Record – 0-0, PCT – .000, SV – 1, ShO – 0, IP – 3, H – 8, R – 2, ER – 2, HR –
1, BB – 0, SO – 2, ERA – 6.00, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
AL Cy Young
Award: BBWAA
AL Pitcher of
the Year: Sporting News
AL Rolaids Relief
Pitcher of the Year: MLB
All-Star
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Dennis
Eckersley, Oak.: 306 pts. – 15 of 28 first place votes, 78% share
Kirby Puckett,
Min.: 209 pts. – 3 first place votes, 53% share
Joe Carter, Tor.:
201 pts. – 4 first place votes, 51% share
Mark McGwire,
Oak.: 155 pts. – 1 first place vote, 40% share
Dave Winfield,
Tor.: 141 pts. – 2 first place votes, 36% share
(3 first place
votes for Roberto Alomar, Tor,.who ranked 6th)
AL Cy Young
voting (Top 5):
Dennis
Eckersley, Oak.: 107 pts. – 19 of 28 first place votes, 76% share
Jack McDowell,
ChiWS.: 51 pts. – 2 first place votes, 36% share
Roger Clemens,
Bos.: 48 pts. – 4 first place votes, 34% share
Mike Mussina,
Balt.: 26 pts. – 2 first place votes, 19% share
Jack Morris,
Tor.: 10 pts. – 1 first place vote, 7% share
---
A’s went 96-66
to finish first in the AL Western Division by 6 games over the Minnesota Twins.
The pitching staff led the league in saves (58). The A’s rode a seven-game
August winning streak to take over first place in the AL West and never
relinquished that spot. Lost ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays, 4 games to 2.
Eckersley blew a 6-2 eighth inning lead in Game 4, leading to Toronto winning
in 11 innings, which proved to be the turning point of the series.
Aftermath of ‘92:
Eckersley
endured a more difficult season in 1993 as he blew 10 saves on his way to
recording 36 with a 4.16 ERA. His effectiveness dropped further during the
strike-shortened 1994 season when he became far more hittable and his ERA rose
to 4.26 while his saves fell to 19. Eckersley’s save total rose to 29 in 1995
at age 40, with a 4.83 ERA. In the offseason he was traded to the St. Louis
Cardinals where he was reunited with former Oakland manager Tony LaRussa. The
Cardinals topped the NL Central in 1996 and “Eck” contributed 30 saves despite
missing time with a back injury. He saved three more games in the NLDS triumph
over San Diego and had a win and a save in the NLCS loss to Atlanta. Eckersley
saved 36 games in 1997 before returning to the Red Sox as a free agent in 1998.
He appeared in 50 games in his last season, where he was utilized in a setup
role and finished with a 4-1 record and one save with a 4.76 ERA. Overall for
his major league career, Eckersley pitched in a then-record 1071 games and
posted a 197-171 record with 390 saves, a 3.50 ERA, and 2401 strikeouts over
3285.2 innings pitched. As a starter he pitched 100 complete games that
included 20 shutouts. With the A’s he was 41-31 with 320 saves and a 2.74 ERA
with 658 strikeouts over 637 innings. Appearing in 28 postseason games
Eckersley was 1-3 with 15 saves and a 3.00 ERA. A six-time All-Star (four with Oakland),
the A’s retired his #43 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in
2004.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of
the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to
present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its
inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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