Chuck McElroy

Pitcher Chuck McElroy was drafted out of high school in 1986 at the age of 18 and debuted at 21 for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989. He made 647 relief appearances plus seven starts over 13 major-league seasons for nine teams. He was also picked up by two other teams but was traded or released before making an appearance for them – a true journeyman.

He compiled a 38-30 record and a 3.90 earned run average with 17 saves and 81 holds.1 He had stats that were better than league average in several pitching categories.2 The key to his success, though, was that McElroy was a left-handed relief specialist who could come in to get one out or eat innings when that was needed. He threw a 91-mph fastball, along with several off-speed pitches that he developed to keep batters off-balance.3

Soon after he retired, McElroy used his success and popularity to – as the expression goes – “pay it forward.” He dedicated his post-playing career to coaching youth baseball in his native state of Texas. His two sons, former professional baseball players themselves, joined him as coaches when their playing days ended. Perhaps even more notably, McElroy became involved with Major League Baseball programs such as the Players Alliance designed to help “Black talent” break through the “systemic barriers to equity and inclusion” in baseball.4

Charles Dwayne McElroy (pronounced MACK-uhl-roy) was born on October 1, 1967, in Port Arthur, Texas, on the Louisiana border. He was the middle child born to Herman Charles McElroy (1946-1993), a Vietnam veteran and a self-employed mechanic, and Elizabeth Simmons McElroy, who was a single mother according to the press.5 Kristina was his older sister and Herman his younger brother. After her divorce from McElroy’s father in 1979, Elizabeth was remarried to Port Arthur native Charles R. Mayfield (1948-1992).6

McElroy played baseball in Little League and at Woodrow Wilson Junior High in Port Arthur; however, he credits an aunt as the person who taught him how to play the game. He went to watch her softball tournaments, and she came to his baseball games. “[S]he was like the Hank Aaron of softball,” he said. In the backyard, they played “burnout” – “[We’d take] a baseball and [throw] it as hard as we could to each other,” he explained. “The next thing I knew, I’m eleven or twelve years old, and I’m playing in those tournaments [with her].”7

From 1982 to 1986, McElroy attended Abraham Lincoln High School, a well-regarded, virtually all-Black school in Port Arthur that struggled with integration despite the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the city’s desegregation programs in 1982.8 He played quarterback in football and pitcher and first base in baseball. As a junior, he hit two home runs in one game. One blast reportedly cleared the 430-foot sign in center field.9

In his senior year, McElroy had a 0.77 ERA with two no-hitters and four one-hitters. He was just one out away from another no-hitter in one of those one-hit games.10  He struck out 238 batters, a school record, and batted .452 en route to being named the district’s Player of the Year.11

Cordell Lindsey Jr., Lincoln’s baseball coach, came into McElroy’s life when he picked him to play varsity baseball as a freshman. The coach’s mentorship paid off four years later when the Philadelphia Phillies selected McElroy in the eighth round (pick #192 overall) in the 1986 June amateur draft. Scout Doug Gassaway signed him to a five-figure contract on June 4.12

With his skinny 6-foot, 155-pound build and large-frame eyeglasses, the young prospect was sometimes called “Urkel,” because of his resemblance to the character by that name in the TV sitcom Family Matters. He was first assigned to the Utica (New York) Blue Sox in the New York-Pennsylvania League (Short-Season A). “He does everything well for an 18-year-old,” said his manager, long-time Phillies veteran Tony Taylor.13

In 1987, McElroy was promoted to the Spartanburg (South Carolina) Phillies in the Class A South Atlantic League. He led the team with a 14-4 record, 3.11 ERA, and five complete games, and was named to the All-Star team. The lean lefty then became the workhorse of the Reading (Pennsylvania) Phillies in the Eastern League (Class AA) in 1988. He started 26 times, throwing four complete games with two shutouts, and pitched 160 innings, fifth-most in the league.

In 1989, McElroy was converted into a relief pitcher. While splitting time with Reading and the Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) Red Barons in the International League, he picked up 15 saves that season. His 12 saves at Reading led the team. For the year, he allowed only 19 earned runs in 62 1/3 innings (2.74 ERA). As a result, he earned a trip to “The Show.”

McElroy was promoted to the Phillies when rosters were expanded on September 1; he reported to Philadelphia on Labor Day to join the team as they returned from the West Coast. The Phillies were tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-5, when Mike Maddux allowed a leadoff double in the top of the sixth inning, to put the go-ahead run on second. When McElroy walked to the mound to replace Maddux, the Pirates sent up a pinch-hitter – Barry Bonds.

“I wasn’t nervous during warm-ups,” McElroy said, “[b]ut once Bonds stepped in there, I started shaking. I had to tell myself this was no different than Triple-A, to go right at them.”14 Bonds worked the count full before lining out to the second baseman. “I said thank you,” recalled McElroy.15 Albert Hall lined out to right for the second out, but Jay Bell singled to center to give the Pirates the lead; Gary Redus then doubled Bell home.  McElroy struck out Bobby Bonilla to end the inning and the Pirates held on for the 7-5 victory.

The 22-year-old opened the 1990 season with Philadelphia. After a slow start, he was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he regained his form – 78 strikeouts in 76 innings, and a 2.72 ERA. His offseason back in Texas was eventful. On January 19, 1991, McElroy married Shari Lannette Cooper, a co-ed at Lamar University. Chuck and Shari had met a few years earlier at a Lincoln High School basketball game that she attended with her college girlfriend to watch the friend’s brother.

The new bride had baseball roots. Her uncle – her father’s brother – is Cecil Cooper, a 17-year veteran who last played in the majors three and a half years before Shari’s wedding. He then played in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989.16 Shari’s  father, Sylvester, played with the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns17 and once caught Satchel Paige. In honor of that experience, Shari and Chuck later named their second son Satchel.18

That offseason also featured months-long negotiations between Cubs General Manager Jim Frey and Phillies GM Lee Thomas that began back around the time of McElroy’s wedding, Finally, on April 7, 1991, Opening Day eve, McElroy was traded with Bob Scanlan to the Chicago Cubs for left-handed power pitcher Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams. It was McElroy’s first trade – there would be others.

Chicago turned out to be a good landing place for McElroy. The rookie – by then, a sturdier 180 pounds – became a reliable and durable middle-inning reliever. His first-half performance was strong: 5-0 record with a 1.64 ERA. He was perfect in his first three save opportunities.

At season’s end, McElroy was near the top in the league among non-starters in innings pitched (101 1/3) and strikeouts (92). He led the Cubs with a 1.95 ERA and his 71 appearances set a club record for a rookie, breaking the mark set by Willie Hernández with 67 in 1977.19 He allowed a stingy .210 BAA (batting average against) and .623 OPSA (on-base plus slugging average against), career bests in those categories. And he recorded a 2.4 WAR in 1991, his best tally until he pitched for the Colorado Rockies seven years later. McElroy finished fifth in the 1991 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In the majors, McElroy made only 44 plate appearances but collected nine hits and two sacrifice bunts – his .214 batting average was good for a pitcher. He did not get much chance to relive his glory days with the stick. He was a situational reliever for the most part and spent three-plus seasons in the American League where he did not bat, even after interleague play was introduced in 1997.

His best day with the bat came in his first opportunity of 1992, on April 11. The Cubs led, 2-1, in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals when McElroy relieved Shawn Boskie with a runner on second. He struck out Craig Wilson to get out of the jam and then batted in the bottom of the inning. The left-handed batsman lined a 1-0 pitch into right field for a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly. He singled in the next inning, pushing Joe Girardi to third base, before Doug Dascenzo knocked Girardi home for the final run in a 5-1 victory. McElroy had his best hitting season that year. He collected four hits, including two doubles and the triple, with an RBI and two runs scored, in six at-bats.

From 1991 through 1993, McElroy appeared in 192 games for the Cubs, a total greater than that for any other club for which he played. His 1993 season was interrupted by a blessed event – he flew home for a short visit to see the May 29 arrival of his first son, Chuck Jr. He was back on the mound on Monday, May 31, for a Memorial Day matinee in Chicago.20

On December 10, 1993, McElroy was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitchers Larry Luebbers and Mike Anderson, as well as catcher Darren Cox, none of whom panned out for the Cubs. McElroy, on the other hand, helped the Reds (under new GM, Jim Bowden) finish first in the NL Central in 1994. Manager Davey Johnson spread the closer load among Jeff Brantley (15 saves), Héctor Carrasco (six saves), and McElroy (five saves and 10 holds), who led the team with 52 appearances. However, Cincinnati did not advance to the playoffs that year. No team did, because1994 was the year postseason games were canceled amid the crippling players’ strike.21

As a result of his fine season, McElroy got a new contract: $850,000 for 1995 and $817,000 for 1996.22 During the 1995 season, however, he battled a shoulder injury and lost time with the chicken pox. He never found his groove and his stats slipped in almost every pitching category. The Reds advanced to the NLCS, where they were swept in four games by the Braves. McElroy did not appear in the series. The Reds were a first-place team in 1994 and 1995. The only other teams McElroy played for that finished above third place were the Angels and White Sox in 1997 and the Mets in 1999. Those two AL teams did not make the playoffs; the Mets did – but without McElroy.

McElroy enjoyed his experience with the Cubs, but he cherished his time with the Reds. All during the early years of his career, he got support and camaraderie from the African American coaches and players he played with. “Just like we’re teaching you, you teach the next guy to come up,” they said.23

Of that fellowship, McElroy observed, “The most memorable [team] that I played with was the Reds. Deion Sanders. Barry Larkin. Kevin Mitchell. Lenny Harris. I think that was the most fun we’ve ever been in,” he said. “We played together, and played hard and played together, and everybody was one.”24

While recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during spring training, McElroy missed almost the entire month of April in 1996. On May 27, the Reds traded him to the California Angels for Lee Smith, a future Hall of Famer whom Bowden wanted even though Smith was 38 years old. “I like players with swagger, personality,” Bowden said. “That’s Lee Smith.”25 “I got traded for the all-time saves leader. That’s pretty exciting,” crowed McElroy.26 After the trade, McElroy – “a big-hearted softie,” according to sportswriter Jeff Pearlman – left thank-you phone messages for Cincinnati’s beat writers.27

McElroy quickly earned his keep in Anaheim. From June 8 through 12, he appeared in five consecutive games; in the last three of those, against the Kansas City Royals, he got the win – only the eighth pitcher in history to accomplish the feat.28 “McElroy is doing some kind of job for us – he gives us another go-to guy in the bullpen,” said Angels closer Troy Percival.29

McElroy missed two weeks in August to be home for the delivery of his second son, Satchel, on August 13, and to rest a hand injury.30 When he returned, he was used sparingly – just five times over the rest of the season. But he allowed only one hit and no runs in 4 2/3 innings. He wrapped up his productive season with the Angels at 5-1, with six holds and a 2.95 ERA. (He was 7-1 with a 3.86 ERA for the full season.)

He opened the next season in Anaheim, but GM Bill Bavasi had other ideas. Bavasi traded McElroy and backup catcher Jorge Fábregas to the Chicago White Sox for Tony Phillips and catcher Chad Kreuter in May. Bavasi needed Phillips, a former Angel, to plug two holes: leadoff batter and designated hitter.31 McElroy had a good year on the South Side of Chicago. He chalked up a 2.08 ERA over his first five appearances and allowed only two earned runs in a 21-inning stretch (0.86 ERA) from July 3 through August 10. The 61 appearances he logged for his two teams in 1997 were his highest total since 1992.

After the 1997 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks plucked the steady McElroy near the end of the expansion draft – but promptly traded him to the Colorado Rockies for reserve outfielder Harvey Pulliam. In 1998, the fireman (who had bulked up to 195 pounds) rewarded the Rockies with one of his best seasons ever: 78 appearances (a new club record32), 68 1/3 innings, and a 6-4 record – all six wins came at home in mile-high Coors Field. He had a 2.90 ERA, which was 1.89 as late as September 12, but he tired after that.

In the middle of the 1998 season, Colorado had rewarded McElroy with a three-year, $3.9 million contract extension.33 However, one year later, the Rockies traded him and Darryl Hamilton to the Mets at the deadline, in exchange for struggling Brian McRae, discontented Rigo Beltrán, and a minor-leaguer, Tom Johnson.

On August 8, 1999, McElroy was the center of attention, but it happened when he was not in the center of the diamond. The Mets – who were in first place by a mere half-game – were trailing, 13-3, as the Los Angeles Dodgers came to bat in the top of the ninth. With the game out of reach, his subs already in the lineup, and not wanting to pitch someone who might be needed in the next game, manager Bobby Valentine left pinch-hitter Matt Franco, an infielder, in the game . . . on the mound. Franco had pitched only once before, about a month earlier. Valentine sent McElroy – who had not played outfield since high school – out to left field. With two runners on base, Craig Counsell hit a dying quail to short left-center. McElroy, who was positioned out near the warning track on Valentine’s instruction, raced in and leaned forward to make a stunning backhanded catch at his shoe tops. “I kicked it into gear,” McElroy said about the best defensive play of the game.34

The Mets made it to the postseason as a wild card and defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks (who were in just their second year of existence) in the NLDS before losing to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. However, McElroy did not make the Mets’ postseason roster.

On December 10, 1999, the Baltimore Orioles dealt Jesse Orosco to the Mets straight-up for McElroy (thus avoiding leftover friction between Orosco and Baltimore’s new manager, Mike Hargrove, since their time together in Cleveland). Baltimore hoped McElroy would at least partly fill the void left by departed free agent Arthur Rhodes. With the Orioles, McElroy was usually the first lefty out of the bullpen whenever the starters faltered. On September 12 against the Texas Rangers, he pitched in both ends of a doubleheader. In the first game, he got all five outs in his 1 2/3 innings via strikeouts, and in the nightcap, he pitched two innings without allowing a base runner.

However, when the Orioles got in a pinch the following week, McElroy started the first game of his career after 603 relief appearances, the longest stretch of relief appearances before a first start in major-league history.35 He allowed no runs on three hits over five innings in a 2-0 victory over the AL West’s second-place Oakland A’s. Nine days later, he started again and hurled a career-longest six innings. He allowed the New York Yankees, who were on top of the AL East at the time, only one run on three hits.

McElroy appeared to like the Orioles and was prepared to fill whatever role Hargrove offered him. According to a Baltimore Sun article, several of his teammates cited the “quiet, upbeat” McElroy as the man who might emerge as the clubhouse leader in the absence of  Cal Ripken Jr., who at 40 was considering retirement and Mike Mussina, who was eligible for free agency that off-season.36

But in 2001, McElroy faltered. His success in late 2000, plus the loss of Scott Erickson to elbow surgery, led Hargrove to give McElroy five starts in the first five weeks of the new season. He was 1-1 with three no-decisions – but his ERA was 6.08 and he was hammered for seven home runs in just 23 2/3 innings. In early May, he was sent back to the bullpen.

Things did not go much better for McElroy in his customary role. In his last four outings, he gave up seven earned runs. Baltimore released him at the All-Star break.

On July 23, the 33-year-old veteran agreed to a contract with the San Diego Padres. Among other things, the Padres needed McElroy to mentor their 22-year-old rookie left-hander, José Núñez.37

McElroy had good success over his career against strong left-handed hitters, including All-Stars Luis González, Darren Daulton, and Tino Martinez. He even struck out Tony Gwynn three times. But he saved his best for San Francisco Giants superstar, Barry Bonds. In sports parlance, McElroy “owned” Bonds.38 In his first 32 at-bats against the southpaw, the slugger mustered only two hits (one was a home run) and struck out six times.39 

The final time they faced each other was on September 29, 2001 – the year when no one could keep Bonds in the ballpark unless they walked him – 73 homers, 177 walks, and an .863 slugging percentage, the highest single-season mark ever. Padres manager Bruce Bochy summoned McElroy in the sixth inning of a tied ballgame. Eight days previously, McElroy was inserted in the seventh inning of a tight game and got Bonds, who had 64 homers at the time, to fly out to end the inning. This time, however, Bonds delivered McElroy’s 2-1 fastball an estimated 437 feet into McCovey Cove for his 69th home run of the season. “I’ve challenged him since Day 1,” McElroy said. “Today he got me.”40

In addition to Bonds, Sammy Sosa, David Justice, Marty Cordova (1995 AL Rookie of the Year), and Hall of Famers Fred McGriff and Ken Griffey Jr. each hit two homers off McElroy in their careers. Yet McElroy usually figured out these guys fairly well. Justice faced McElroy 31 times and struck out four times. McGriff had 26 plate appearances with five Ks. Griffey faced McElroy nine times and struck out four of those, including three swinging Ks over a four-game stretch in August 1997 when McElroy was brought in specifically to face him. The surprises, however, were Sosa and Cordova, who saw McElroy only seven and five times, respectively. It’s just an example of what McElroy always told his young charges at the camps and academies where he worked after retiring: Baseball is not easy.41

After the 2001 season, McElroy knew he was nearing the end of his playing days, but he thought he was not done yet. On November 5, the Padres granted McElroy free agency. On February 6, 2002, he went back home – to pitch, not to retire. The Texas native signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, his 11th team, as a non-roster invitee. After three spring training appearances, however, McElroy had an 0-1 record with a 16.88 ERA, and he was released; he hoped he had time before the season began to hook up with another club.42 Nobody called. This time he knew he was done. He was 34 years old.

McElroy never left the game. It was not long before he was back on the field as a coach and instructor for select summer travel teams and in youth camps and academies, from the Port Arthur Little League43 to Kleatz Sports in Houston44 to 3Generation Baseball.45 Many of the athletes in the Houston area whose lives he touched earned scholarships and professional tryouts. One of them, Corey Julks from Clear Brook High School in Friendswood, Texas, made it to the big leagues in 2023. McElroy was dogged in his coaching style. He’d say, “I’m not here to win, I’m not here to lose. I’m here to teach you the game and how to play through failures of this game.”46

McElroy was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame in Port Arthur in 2003.47

McElroy’s eldest son, C.J., a three-sport star at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, was drafted in the third round in 2011 to play outfield in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. A Midwest League All-Star in 2014 (Class A), C.J.  made it as high as Triple-A in 2018 before he retired from baseball in 2020. McElroy’s younger son, Satchel, also a speedy Clear Creek High outfielder, was selected in the 21st round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2015. He played four seasons in Rookie level, 2015-2018.48 Both sons, as of this writing, coached with their father in his instructional camps.

In 2022, the McElroys made the local news when they purchased 10.7 acres of property in Port Arthur as principals of ProVision Developments and in collaboration with a real estate developer, with the goal of building 46 affordable single-story homes.49 “It’s exciting because (Port Arthur’s) home for me, something that I’ve been working on for a lot of years,” said McElroy.50 He intended to honor those who were most influential in his success – his mother, Elizabeth Mayfield (1948-); his grandmother, Mamie Simmons (1922-2007); and his high school baseball coach, Cordell Lindsey Jr. (1930-2024) – by naming the three streets in the development after them. “They are the reason I got to that level,” he said.51 As of this writing, the property had not yet been developed and was listed for sale.52

In July 2025, during All-Star Week in Atlanta, McElroy was the bullpen coach at the third annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Swingman Classic, an all-star game that showcased top HBCU athletes. Plenty of former MLB players were on hand to serve as coaches and to help advocate for African Americans to play baseball, including David Justice, Brian Jordan, Eric Patterson, and Michael Bourn. The Swingman Classic is the brainchild of Ken Griffey Jr., senior advisor to Commissioner Rob Manfred.53

Last revised: January 19, 2026

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Cassidy Lent, manager of reference services at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, for supplying copies of news clippings from the McElroy file.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Bill Lamb and fact-checked by Ray Danner.

Photo credit: Chuck McElroy, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted www.sabr.org, www.baseball-reference.com, www.retrosheet.org, www.baseballcube.com, www.newspapers.com, www.newspaperarchive.com, ancestry.com, www.facebook.com, and www.deanscards.com.

Notes

1 The hold statistic was invented in 1986 as a means to quantify the effectiveness of relievers who are not closers. Holds are not an official MLB statistic. The holds earned by McElroy appear on his game logs pages on the Baseball-Reference.com website.

2 McElroy’s career ERA+ (earned run average adjusted for external factors such as ballparks and opponents) was 112 compared to league average 100; he has .258 BAA (batting average against) compared to the MLB average of .264; .734 OPSA (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage against) compared to .745; 18.7 K% (strikeouts divided by total batters faced) compared to 16.0; and 2.0 HR% (home runs allowed divided by total batters faced) compared to 2.5, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

3 Mike Clark, “McElroy’s Stock Rising with Phillies,” Port Arthur (Texas) News, August 25, 1987: 1B; Tom Halliburton, “McElroy Conquers Jitters,” Port Arthur News, May 17, 1991: 1B-2B.

4 See https://www.playersalliance.org/about; see also https://www.playersalliance.org/news/the-players-alliance-launches-bat-2-school-a-new-initiative-to-infuse-growth-of-baseball-softball-in-under-resourced-communities; Lorenzo Delgado, “McElroy Has Devoted Post Big League Career to Developing Players,” Our Esquina, April 16, 2023. https://ouresquina.com/2023/corey-julks-thanks-chuck-mcelroy-on-jackie-robinson-day. Accessed November 15, 2025.

5 Whether Elizabeth’s role as a single mother was before or after her divorce in 1979 is uncertain.  See Stephen Hemelt, “Chuck McElroy’s Port Arthur Sports-Turned-Investment Story Gets Magazine Spotlight,” Port Arthur News, December 11, 2022. https://panews.com/2022/12/11/stephen-hemelt-chuck-mcelroys-port-arthur-sports-turned-investment-story-gets-magazine-spotlight. Accessed November 15, 2025; Brian McTaggart, “Former Big Leaguer’s Profound Impact on Julks,” MLB.com (excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter), April 26, 2023.  https://www.mlb.com/news/chuck-mcelroy-s-impact-on-astros-corey-julks. Accessed November 15, 2025.

6 Birth, marriage, divorce, and census data were accessed via Ancestry.com; see also Herman C. McElroy, “With the Military,” Port Arthur News, May 7, 1968: 9; Charles R. Mayfield obituary, Orange (Texas) Leader, June 4, 1992: 2B; and Herman C. McElroy obituary, Port Arthur News, July 21, 1993: 6C.

7 Harvey Frommer & Frederic J. Frommer, Growing Up Baseball: An Oral History (Dallas: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2001), 152-153; Harry Meadows, “Mac: Nice Guy Who Doesn’t Finish Last,” Port Arthur News, April 4, 1986: 1B. The name of the aunt to whom McElroy referred is unavailable at this time.

8 Richard Stewart, “Port Arthur Debates Consolidating High Schools,” Houston Chronicle, July 15, 2001.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/port-arthur-debates-consolidating-high-schools-2030221.php. Accessed November 14, 2025; see also “Percentage of Black Enrollment in PAISD,” Port Arthur News, February 11, 1984: 1.

9 “Bees Buzz Past Greenies,” Port Arthur News, April 27, 1985: 2B.

10 Steve Wilson, “Prep Baseball Roundup: Cougars Clip TJ; Jackets Fall to 7-5,” Port Arthur News, April 26, 1986: 2B.

11 “Lincoln’s McElroy Hurls One-Hitter Against Jasper,” Port Arthur News, April 30, 1986: 4C; Harry Meadows, “PA Duo Taken in Baseball Draft,” Port Arthur News, June 4, 1986: 3C.

12 Harry Meadows, “McElroy, Hernandez Fulfill Lifelong Baseball Dreams,” Port Arthur News, June 6, 1986: 1B; Charles McEloy, Weiss Baseball Questionnaire, January 13, 1987.

13 Steve Wilson, “McElroy Impresses Phillies,” Port Arthur News, July 25, 1986: 1B, 2B.

14 Don Bostrom, “Pirates Rally for 7-5 Win Over Philadelphia,” Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call, September 5, 1989: C-1.

15 Bill Shaikin, “Bonds Uses Powers on Tormentor,” Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2001: D8.

16 “Cooper Retires from Senior League Team,” Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat, November 23, 1989: 2D.

17 Eric Aron, “Cecil Cooper,” SABR Baseball Biography Project, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cecil-cooper/#sdendnote2anc, accessed December 23, 2025.

18 Jeff Bersch, “Mustangs’ McElroy Named for Satchel Paige,” Billings (Montana) Gazette, July 31, 2016: B-1.

19 Dave Van Dyck, “Chicago Cubs: Clearing the Bases,” The Sporting News, October 7, 1991: 16.

20 Bill Jauss, “Cubs Notes,” Chicago Tribune, May 30, 1993: Sec.3 (Sports)-5.

21 The Reds were similarly stung in 1981 when, because of the split-season playoff remedy in a strike-shortened season, they did not make the playoffs even though they had the best record in the majors. Enquirer News Services, “Just Like ’81: Reds Lose Again,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 15, 1994: C6.

22 See Bob Nightengale, “Bowden’s Move Makes Division Rivals See Reds,” The Sporting News, June 10, 1996: 12; and Chuck McElroy Overview – Salaries at Baseball–Reference.com.

23 Lavelle Lemonier Sr., “Season 4 – The Celebrity Edition – Episode 6 with Charles McElroy & Family,” The DadCast Podcast (circa 2022). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsvMkfMp2Ho @15:50. Accessed November 3, 2025.

24 Lemonier, Episode 6 with Charles McElroy & Family @16:28.

25 Joe Posnanski, “Smith’s a Gamble for Clubhouse,” Cincinnati Post, May 29, 1996: 1B.

26 Steven Wine, “Lee Smith Traded to Reds,” Anniston (Alabama) Star, May 28, 1996: 3B.

27 Jeff Pearlman, Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero (Kindle version, HarperCollins eBooks, 2006), 241.

28 Mike DiGiovanna, “Once Is Not Enough, So Wallach Hits Two,” Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1996: C1, C6.

29 “Angels on Deck,” Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1996: C6.

30 “Angels: McNamara Awaits Release from Hospital,” Los Angeles Times, August 27, 1996: C10.

31 Associated Press, “Phillips Returns to Angels,” Moline (Illinois) Dispatch, May 19, 1997: D1.

32 Tony DeMarco, “Colorado: Walker and Bichette Want Baylor to Return,” The Sporting News, October 5, 1998: 62.

33 “NL Notes: Colorado,” USA Today, August 13, 1998: 5C.

34 Rachel Cohen, “The Other Franco Gives Comic Relief,” White Plains (New York) Journal News, August 9, 1999: 6C.

35 Rich Dubroff, “McElroy Starts in Relief, Stays Longer,” Carroll County (Maryland) Times, September 21, 2000: B1.

36 Joe Strauss, “Clubhouse Leader Among O’s ’01 Questions,” Baltimore Sun, September 24, 2000: 7D.

37 “San Diego Padres: Team Struggling to Piece Together Bullpen for Remainder of Season,” The Sporting News, August 6, 2001: 47.

38 On the other end, some of the batters who fared well against McElroy were Craig Counsell (7-for-8 with four doubles), Sean Casey (4-for-5 with two doubles and a HR), Félix José (5-for-8 with a double and a triple), Bernard Gilkey (4-for-7 plus six walks), Jay Bell (12-for-19 with a triple and a HR), Ken Caminiti (9-for-15 with two doubles and a HR), and Mark Grace (9-for-17 with three doubles).

39 Among pitchers who faced Bonds more than 30 times, only Mike Bielecki fared better than McElroy against Bonds. When he faced Bielecki, Bonds was 3-for-35 with eight strikeouts and one home run.

40 Josh Suchon, “Bonds on Brink of History,” Oakland Tribune, September 30, 2001: Sports-1, 6.

41 Lemonier, Episode 6 with Charles McElroy & Family (various quotes).

42 “Astros Release McElroy, Acquire Blum for Truby,” Port Arthur News, March 13, 2002: 1C.

43 “Sports Briefs: Chuck McElroy Set for PAALL Camp,” Port Arthur News, January 18, 2008: B2.

44 See https://www.facebook.com/kleatzsports or https://kleatzsports.com.

45 Lemonier, Episode 6 with Charles McElroy & Family @5:32, 22:17.

46 McTaggart, MLB.com.

47 Sebastian Russo, curator of the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, telephone interview with author, November 13, 2025. See also https://www.museumofthegulfcoast.org.

48 Lemonier, Episode 6 with Charles McElroy & Family @6:18.

49 Tiana Johnson (KBMT), Ebonee Coleman, “Former Major League Baseball Player Plans to Bring 46 Affordable Luxury Homes to Port Arthur,” 12 NewsNow.com, November 17, 2022.  https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/former-major-league-baseball-player-planning-to-bring-affordable-luxury-homes-to-port-arthur/502-6b87a13b-af4f-43dd-950b-d57febdc3e28. Accessed November 15, 2025; see also Mary Meaux, “Lincoln Graduate, Former Pro Pitcher Working on New Subdivision in Port Arthur,” Port Arthur News, October 19, 2022. https://panews.com/2022/10/19/lincoln-graduate-former-pro-pitcher-working-on-new-subdivision. Accessed November 15, 2025.

50 Matt Hollinshead, “McElroy Estates to Offer Affordable Luxury Homes in Port Arthur,” Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise, November 3, 2022. https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/article/McElroy-Estates-to-offer-affordable-luxury-homes-17550461.php. Accessed November 15, 2025.

51 Meaux, “Lincoln Graduate,” above.

52 See, e.g., https://www.showcase.com/0-port-arthur-st-port-arthur-tx-77642/31637574, or https://www.land.com/Port-Arthur-TX/all-land/10-20-acres/bounds-29.72549485727142-n94.15704791685376-30.09213585483283-n93.6928755487706/.

53 HBCU Swingman Classic, MLB.com. https://www.mlb.com/all-star/hbcu-swingman-classic; Shari Cooper-McElroy, HBCU Classic! (July 11, 2025). [Facebook page]. Accessed November 15, 2025.