One of the reasons for the Tribe’s success was the unlikely power coming from the bat of Sandy Alomar Jr. The veteran backstop started the season in fine fashion, as he slugged a home run in five consecutive games from April 4-8. His 11 home runs at the break matched his season total of the season before and were just three short of his career-high 14 homers in 1994. “I’m in a zone,” said Alomar. “Everything looks like a beach ball.”1

But it was more than the long ball that Alomar was contributing to the team’s fortunes. He owned the second-longest hitting streak in franchise history, 30 games (from May 25 through July 6). The streak, in which Alomar batted .429, was second only to Nap Lajoie’s 31-game streak in 1906. “It’s been a remarkable run for him,” said the Twins’ Paul Molitor. “To be able to have the mind-set to call a game (as catcher) and still be able to do that. …”2  

For the All-Stars on July 8, pitching was the name of the game. The teams battled to a 1-1 tie through the top of the seventh inning. Each team scored its tally on a home run. Edgar Martinez, who was the first designated hitter elected to the All-Star Game, socked a 2-and-2 offering from Greg Maddux into the left-field plaza in the bottom of the second frame. In the top of the seventh, Braves catcher Javy Lopez led off with a solo shot off the Royals’ Jose Rosado.

Jim Thome led off the bottom of the seventh inning by grounding out. Bernie Williams walked and with two outs took second base on a wild pitch by the Giants’ Shawn Estes. Alomar, who had replaced Ivan Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth inning, stepped to the plate. “When Sandy went to the plate, Paul O’Neill turned to me and said, ‘If all things were fair, Sandy would hit a homer and win the ballgame,’” said Indians manager Mike Hargrove, one of manager Joe Torre’s coaches for the game.3 Sandy sent a 2-and-2 pitch from Estes on a line into the left-field bleachers. “I felt like I was flying,” said Alomar. “I’ve never run the bases so fast on a home run.”4

The 3-1 AL advantage stood up, as the junior circuit snapped a three-game losing streak. The NL was held to three hits. Alomar became the first Indian to homer in the All-Star Game since Rocky Colavito in 1959. Alomar was voted the game’s MVP, the first Indian to be so honored and the first player ever to win the award in his home ballpark. “This is a dream I don’t want to wake up from,” said Alomar. “You probably only get one chance to play an All-Star Game in your home stadium.”5

“It was another of those storybook things,” said Torre. “I had one last fall [the 1996 World Series], and now this. I was happy for Sandy to win it in his own park.”6 

Santos (Velazquez) Alomar was born on June 18, 1966, in Salinas, Puerto Rico. He was the middle child (older sister Sandia, younger brother Roberto) born to Santos and Maria Alomar. Sandy Sr. suited up for six different teams over a 15-year career in the major leagues. He had a career batting average of .245. He was mainly a second baseman, although he also saw time at shortstop. After his playing days, Alomar coached 15 years on the big-league level. In addition to his time in the major leagues, Sandy Sr. also managed the Puerto Rican National Team.

The elder Alomar did not push his sons into baseball. “The only influence is from them seeing me play,” he said.7 The life of a ballplayer means a lot of travel and time away from the family. Sandy Sr. credited his wife, Maria, with raising their three children, saying, “She deserves more credit than me. I was a ballplayer and couldn’t be around that much. She stayed home and raised those kids. That’s why they’re the kind of people they are.”8

Roberto Alomar took to baseball right away. He had the natural ability to play the game and at age 7 he made Sandy’s little league team for 9-to-12-year-olds. But for Sandy, he had other interests to keep him busy. “Sandy left the game at age 12 and got into dirt-bike riding and karate,” said his father. “He was doing dangerous things, more or less. He said the only way he could find excitement in baseball was to become a catcher.”9

Young Sandy took to catching and was signed as an amateur free agent on October 21, 1983, by the San Diego Padres. After graduating from Luis Munoz Rivera High School in Salinas, Alomar began his journey to the major leagues. It was a long climb indeed. At first, the going was rough for the young catcher, who hit a combined .221 through his first three years in the minor leagues. But like most talented players, Alomar put in the work and by 1987 he blossomed into a coveted prospect in the Padres chain. It became a family affair of sorts, as Roberto joined his older brother on multiple minor-league squads. Sandy Sr. joined San Diego manager Steve Boros’ coaching staff in 1986.

In 1988 Alomar was named co-Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News (with Gary Sheffield of Denver). Alomar, who was the catcher for the Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League, batted .297 and had career highs in home runs (16) and RBIs (71). “I didn’t expect to hit like that,” said Alomar. “As the season started, I struggled a little bit, but then I started swinging harder and pulling the ball more and hitting more home runs.”10

It was reported that 22 of the other 25 major-league clubs were interested in acquiring Alomar. The Padres already had their catcher of the future in Benito Santiago. The time looked right to possibly trade their star prospect and get plenty in return. While Santiago was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1987, Roberto was promoted to the Padres in 1988 and became their starting second baseman. Sandy was frustrated, feeling there was nothing more he could do on the minor-league level. Rumors persisted that he would be traded, or that Santiago might be moved. One rumor had Alomar headed to Atlanta for All-Star Dale Murphy. “Every organization in the league would love to have a Sandy Alomar,” said Atlanta general manager Bobby Cox.11

But no deal was ever made and Alomar returned to Las Vegas in 1989. He started the season poorly, batting .242 up to June 5, and then he became a man possessed, batting .351 the rest of the way. For the season, Alomar batted .306, with 13 home runs and 101 RBIs. He showed value behind the plate as well, fielding his position at a .984 clip, and throwing out 34 percent of would-be basestealers (25 of 74). He was once again honored by The Sporting News and Baseball America as the Minor League Player of the Year. “It means a lot to me,” said Alomar of the award. “The way I felt, I was so frustrated. I figured there was no way I’d win it again.”12

When the Cleveland Indians front office offered slugging outfielder Joe Carter a multiyear deal at the end of the 1989 season, Carter said, “No thanks.” He could be a free agent at the end of the 1990 season, and was looking forward to leaving Cleveland, and getting a fresh start – not to mention snagging a boatload of cash. Alomar, who was getting frustrated with his situation in San Diego, was just hoping for a chance to play in the big leagues. After all, he had accomplished all he could in the minors, and it really did not matter to him whose uniform he was wearing. On December 6, 1989, at the annual winter meetings, Cleveland GM Hank Peters and San Diego GM Jack McKeon hammered out a deal that sent Carter to the Padres and Alomar, infielder Carlos Baerga, and outfielder Chris James to Cleveland.

Alomar was penciled in as the starting catcher as soon as the ink was dry on the trade. He did not disappoint. Cleveland manager John McNamara praised his young backstop in all facets of his game. “To me, he’s very, very impressive at blocking balls,” said McNamara. “He does it even when there’s no need, when nobody is on base. Sandy’s been taught well. He’s absorbed the teaching, put it to good use.

“Sandy is hitting for a better average than I expected at this stage of his career. He’s adjusted very well to major-league pitching. I never had any doubt about his catching, but you just never know about his hitting.”13              

McNamara was not the only person to notice the outstanding play of his prized rookie. All of baseball took notice when Alomar was voted the starting catcher for the American League in the All-Star Game. He was the first rookie catcher ever to start in an All-Star Game. The game would be extra-special, as Roberto, then with San Diego, was also named an All-Star and Sandy Sr. would also join his sons as a coach for the NL at Wrigley Field for the midsummer classic.    

Sandy’s season was capped off with his being the unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year. “This award means more to me than the All-Star Game,” said Alomar. “You have a lot of chances to be in the All-Star Game, but you’ve only got one chance to win this award. I was supposed to be Rookie of the Year, and that made it tough. I was traded for Joe Carter, and that made it tough. But the manager and the rest of the guys on the team really helped me.”14 Alomar was the fourth Indian to win the award. He was also awarded a Gold Glove for excellence in fielding his position. He was the first Indian to be so recognized since Rick Manning in 1976.

Alomar was instantly a fan favorite among Indians fans. However, the injuries began to pile up beginning in 1991, his second season. Though Alomar was selected to start the All-Star Game in both 1991 and 1992, he was dealing with myriad setbacks that included back surgery, injuries to his right rotator cuff, his right hip flexor, his right knee (two, caused by sliding), and the webbing between the fingers on his right hand (also twice). The 132 games Alomar played in his rookie year were the most of his career.

The Indians moved across downtown to their new ballpark, Jacobs Field, for the 1994 season. Alomar, despite missing time on the disabled list with the torn webbing on his right hand, was putting together a wonderful season, batting .288 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs, when the players’ strike on August 11 led to the remainder of the season being canceled.

Perhaps because Alomar suffered so many injuries, Cleveland signed Tony Peña before the 1994 season. For the next three seasons, the veteran provided solid leadership and was a reliable substitute for Alomar. It was a great free-agent signing for the Indians, as Alomar was recuperating from knee surgery and did not return to the active roster until June 29, 1995. Still, he batted .300 in 54 starts at catcher that season. The Indians, who sported one of the most potent lineups in baseball, moved Alomar to the bottom of their lineup.  “I think Sandy can still hit 10 to 15 homers this year,” said manager Mike Hargrove. “He has that kind of power. The thing that is really impressive is the way he’s accepted hitting ninth. The number 9 hitter is usually the weakest hitter in the lineup, but that’s not the case with this team.”15

The Indians returned to the postseason for the first time in 41 years, winning their division by 30 games. They marched through the American League playoffs before losing to Atlanta in the World Series.

The Indians won the AL Central from 1995 to 1999. In 1997 they advanced to the World Series again, only to lose to Florida in seven games. Alomar’s power surge in 1997 continued in the postseason, as he hit two home runs in the ALDS, one in the ALCS, and two in the World Series.

In 1999 Alomar was reunited with brother Roberto, who signed a free-agent contract with Cleveland. Together with Omar Vizquel, they formed one of the better middle-infield defenses in the big leagues. But Sandy missed most of the season after surgery on his left knee (he started 35 games), and in 2000 he split time with Einar Diaz at catcher. That season he batted .289 and drove in 42 runs.

But the end of an era was near as Alomar and the Indians were unable to negotiate a contract after the 2000 season. Alomar, ever the classy player, took the “life goes on” route and signed with the Chicago White Sox. He split time with Mark Johnson at catcher.

But the White Sox were just as interested in Alomar’s ability to teach their young receivers and work with their green pitching staff. He was traded to Colorado in 2002, but returned to the South Side for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. “I got kind of teary-eyed when he got traded,” said pitcher Mark Buerhle. “I’m still learning (from him). I’m out there thinking, ‘I’m going to throw this pitch,’ and he puts something else down. I’m not going to shake him off because he’s been around the league a long time.”16 

The White Sox made it clear that they wanted Alomar to work with Miguel Olivo, a catching prospect for whom the front office had high hopes. In 2003 Sandy was reunited again with Roberto, who by this time in his career was serving as a utility player for Chicago.

Alomar spent the remaining years as a backup catcher with Texas (2005), the Los Angeles Dodgers and the White Sox (2006), and the New York Mets (2007). He retired with a .273 batting average in a 20-year career. He hit 112 home runs and 249 doubles, and drove in 588 runs. He threw out just over 30 percent of baserunners, and fielded at a .991 clip at catcher for his career.

Alomar stayed with the Mets as a catching instructor in 2008 and 2009. Manny Acta was hired to replace Eric Wedge as Cleveland’s manager in 2010. Acta offered Alomar a job as his first-base coach. “I jumped at it,” said Alomar. “For me, it was coming home. No place in baseball means as much to me as Cleveland.”17

Acta was fired near the end of the 2012 season. Alomar was named interim manager, and looked to be the favorite until Terry Francona’s name was thrown into the mix of candidates. “I knew they’d hire him if he wanted the job,” said Alomar. “I don’t blame them. I understand. He’s won two World Series. He’s a heck of a guy.”18   

As of 2025, Alomar is still Cleveland’s first-base coach. Francona, who played for the Indians in 1988, was a teammate of Alomar’s in winter ball with Ponce in the Puerto Rico League. When the Indians acquired Alomar in 1989, Francona gushed at the young man’s ability. “He’s the best catcher I’ve ever played with,” said Francona. “He’s better than Gary Carter when Carter was good. Sandy might not drive in 100 runs like Carter did in his prime, but overall he’s a better ballplayer. He’s the best defensive catcher I’ve ever seen. His arm is almost incredible.”19  

When Francona insisted that Sandy Alomar be a part of his staff, he knew exactly what he was getting. Even way back when.     

Last revised: June 1, 2018

This biography appeared in “Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies” (SABR, 2017), edited by Bill Nowlin and Edwin Fernández. It also appeared in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Photo credit

National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Notes                                        

1 Bill Livingston, “Sweet Sandy! AL Triumphs on Alomar Blast,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 9, 1997: 1A. 

2 Mel Antonen, “Sandy Alomar’s Streak Hits 30,” USA Today, July 7, 1997: 1C.

3 Paul Hoynes, “Sandy Steals the Show; Alomar’s Home Run Lifts AL,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 9, 1997: 1D.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

6 “Sweet Sandy.”

7 Chuck Johnson, “Alomar Sons Deepen Roots in Baseball,” USA Today, July 13, 1990: 2C.

8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.

10 “Big League Awards in the Minors,” The Sporting News, December 5, 1988: 46.

11 Barry Bloom, “Alomar Hopes That His ‘First’ Won’t Last,” The Sporting News, December 4, 1989: 52.

12  Ibid.

13 Sheldon Ocker, “Alomar More Than Lives Up to Hype,” The Sporting News, July 2, 1990: 12. 

14 Paul Hoynes, “It’s Unanimous! Indians Catcher Alomar Is Rookie of the Year,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 8, 1990: 1F.

15 Paul Hoynes, “Deep Thunder Alomar Homers Twice at Bottom of Order,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 21, 1995: 1D.

16 Nancy Armour (Associated Press), “Sandy Ready to Teach,” Elyria (Ohio) Chronicle-Telegram, March 3, 2003: C4.

17 Terry Pluto, “Playing, Coaching for Tribe ‘Paradise,’ Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 3, 2013: C3.

18 Ibid.

19 “Alomar Draws Praise From Former Mate,” The Sporting News, March 19, 1990: 30. 

That was Ruben Amaro Jr. in 2011, on being a third-generation Latino baseball man. Yet he has often spoken the same way about his maternal side. Altogether, his background is unique in major-league history: Cuban-Mexican/Jewish-American.

From this start, a unique career path has also unfolded. The switch-hitting outfielder played in the majors from 1991 through 1998, but he had to struggle to stay there. His only full seasons in “The Show” were his last two. After his playing career ended, Amaro stepped directly into the front office. He spent 10 years as assistant general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, and he then served as their GM from November 2008 through early September 2015. After that he made an unusual transition back to the field, joining the Boston Red Sox as a coach in October 2015. Three years later, with the New York Mets, he doubled back to an executive role.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has another distinction. He has been to the World Series as a batboy (with the Phillies in 1980), as a player (with the Cleveland Indians in 1995), and as an executive (with the Phillies in 2008 and 2009).

As an Amaro family motto says, “Baseball is our way of life.”2 It started with Santos Amaro (1908-2001), who had a long and distinguished career in Cuba and Mexico. Except for racial barriers, the Amaros could have been the first family to send three generations of players to the big leagues.3 Ruben Amaro Sr. (1936-2017), a smooth-fielding shortstop, played in the majors from 1958 through 1969. He went on to serve the Phillies and other organizations for decades in many capacities.

Santos Amaro’s father came to Cuba from Portugal and his mother was the child of Abencerraje Moors from Africa. Like many Cubans, Santos was a coffee-colored man. While playing in Mexico in 1929, he met a fair-skinned Mexican woman of Spanish descent named Josefina Mora, who was a baseball player too. They married in 1930, and Ruben Sr. was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico in 1936.

While he was playing with the Phillies, Ruben Sr. met Judith Herman at the gourmet cheese shop that Judy’s mother ran in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market.4 In 2008 Judy also said, “My sister Marlene taught English to Pancho Herrera and Tony Taylor [two other members of the Phillies then]. Ruben would drive them to our house for the lessons.”5

Ruben Sr. and Judy married in December 1961. They had one other child. David Amaro, born in 1962, was drafted in the 24th round by the Chicago Cubs in 1984. He played that summer in short-season Class-A ball and eight games in the Mexican League in 1985, but an injured wrist curtailed his career. Ruben Jr. was born in Philadelphia on February 12, 1965.

Ruben Amaro Sr.’s pro career lasted until 1971, when Ruben Jr. was 6. “I can’t remember seeing my father play,” he said in 1992, “and that’s too bad.”6 However, age 6 did provide his earliest memories of the regal and quiet Santos Amaro. The family took Christmas vacations in Veracruz, Mexico, where Santos and Josefina lived. “Buelo” (short for Abuelo, Spanish for grandfather) was then in his 60s, but he still had the habit of taking 10-mile walks. “As a six-year-old, that was astonishing to me,” said Ruben Jr. in 2013. “I asked my father, ‘What does he do on those walks?’ And my dad said, ‘He thinks.’”7 That influence was deep.

“When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor or veterinarian,” Amaro said in 2010. “Soccer was actually my first love.”8 He was good enough to get an offer to attend high school in Germany for a year and a half, to be assessed as a pro soccer prospect there. However, that nation still held unhappy associations for his Jewish mother, so he did not go.9

On the other side of Amaro’s religious heritage, Ruben Sr. was a devout Catholic. Ruben Jr. said, “We had a very diversified family. We did Passover, Yom Kippur, Chanukah. We were exposed to both faiths pretty equally.” Though he never had a bar mitzvah, he recalled, “I had a lot of friends who were bar mitzvahed and went to a lot of them.”10

Education was extremely important to both Ruben Sr. (something that came from Santos) and Judy Amaro. They sent Ruben Jr. to Frankford Friends, a small private elementary school where his mother later taught Spanish, and then William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, a private academy founded in 1689. A couple of years ahead of him at Penn Charter was pitcher Mark Gubicza, who went on to a 14-year career in the majors.

In 1980 the Phillies became World Series champions. Ruben Sr. was the team’s first-base coach, and Ruben Jr. was one of the batboys. It was an important formative experience. He later said, “Baseball is such an intricate game, a thinking game. I was 15, and I was watching Pete Rose, Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Manny Trillo, Bob Boone. Did I say Mike Schmidt? Most of them are Hall of Famers, or close to it. I learned from all of them.”11

Amaro remained a Phillies batboy through 1983, though he missed the World Series that fall because he had started at Stanford University. After winning All-City honors in both baseball (first-team second baseman) and soccer (second team), and doing well academically, he had offers from other high-quality schools, including Duke, Vanderbilt, and Princeton. He chose Stanford because the school’s respected baseball coach, Mark Marquess, knew the Amaro family history and thought Ruben could help his team, although the young man was still undersized then. Amaro accepted the offer, even though there was neither a scholarship nor guaranteed playing time.12

Amaro became a four-year letter winner with Stanford. Marquess moved him from the infield to the outfield as a sophomore. During his senior year, as the leadoff man, he hit .344 with 38 stolen bases.13 The team also had star pitcher Jack McDowell, another major leaguer to be in Ed Sprague Jr., and future NFL defensive back Toi Cook. Stanford won the College World Series for the first time in its history in June 1987.

Just a few days before, the California Angels had made Amaro their 11th-round pick in the amateur draft. A couple of weeks later, after graduating from college with a degree in human biology, he signed and began his minor-league career. The bonus the Angels offered was small — just $1,500 — and he turned to his father for advice. Ruben Sr. said, “It’s not going to get any better. Sign it, get in your car and start driving.”14

It took Amaro four years to climb the ladder to the majors. He didn’t have power — he never had more than nine home runs in a season at any level — but he did hit for high average in the minors. In 1989, which he spent in Class-A and Double-A ball, he hit .368 overall. He followed that up with a mark of .317 in 1990, earning promotion to Triple-A.

During the winter of 1989-90, Amaro played winter ball for the first time. He went to Venezuela, joining Águilas del Zulia, a team that his father served in various roles for more than 20 years. He went back for six more winter seasons, as late as 1997-98, all but one of them with Zulia. For much of that time, Ruben Sr. was the manager. Overall, in 219 games in the Venezuelan league, Ruben Jr. hit .281 with 5 homers and 83 RBIs.

Amaro also met his first wife, Virginia Machado, in Venezuela. They married on December 6, 1996, and had two daughters, Andrea and Sophia (the union ended in divorce). In another interesting twist, Virginia’s aunt is Lilia Machado, who became Ruben Amaro Sr.’s second wife. The Machado family owns and operates the Zulia club. Ruben Sr. and Lilia’s two sons, Luis Alfredo and Rubén Andrés, also became ballplayers. Luis played short-season Class-A ball for the Phillies in 2011. Before marrying Lilia and after separating from Judy, Ruben Sr. had a daughter named Alayna from a relationship with Mary Beth Allio. Ruben Jr. is close with all three of his half-siblings.

Amaro remained at Edmonton in 1991 and hit .326. He got his first brief call-up to the majors in June 1991, after Junior Felix went on the 15-day disabled list. He made his debut on June 8 at Anaheim Stadium, pinch-running for designated hitter Dave Parker. Amaro represented the tying run with nobody out, but after advancing on a sacrifice, he had to stop at third base after freezing instinctively on a liner back through the box. Tigers closer Mike Henneman then got out of the jam with a double-play ball. A few days later, Amaro was sent back to Edmonton.

The Angels recalled him that September, and he appeared in nine more games, starting three in left field and two at second base. The 1991 season was the only time he ever played the latter position in the majors. Aside from two very brief appearances at first base in 1996 and 1997, he was exclusively an outfielder. (He also got 11 at-bats as a DH during his two years with the Indians.)

On December 8, 1991, California traded pitcher Kyle Abbott and Amaro to the Phillies in return for Von Hayes. The Sporting News called the deal “The Steal of the Winter.” Hayes was washed up — “Wow, I didn’t think we could even get one player for Von,” said Lenny Dykstra15 — and was finished after 1992. However, Abbott, who was viewed as a top pitching prospect, was awful with Philadelphia in 1992. He got back to the majors just briefly in 1995 and 1996. Modest as it was, Amaro’s career lasted the longest of the three players involved.

Amaro was stunned by the news of the trade. He said, “I thought, ‘Wow, some of those fans are difficult.’ But then I realized these are knowledgeable fans. They love players who bust their butts, like Len Dykstra and John Kruk. I’m very competitive. I fit in that mold.”16

As it turned out, though, Dykstra, Kruk, et al. gave the college boy a hard time. “Some of that I brought on myself,” Amaro later admitted. “Just by being an arrogant little toad. Oh yeah. I think I was limited enough talentwise that I had to fake myself into thinking I was better than I was. I kind of rubbed some of the guys the wrong way, but I got straightened out. They made sure of that.”17

Amaro spent most of the 1992 season with the Phillies. In the season’s second game, at Veterans Stadium, he sparked an 11-3 rout of the Chicago Cubs. He was filling in for Dykstra, whose wrist had been broken by a Greg Maddux pitch on Opening Day. The new leadoff man was 3-for-4 with two doubles and his first of 16 home runs in the majors. It drew a standing ovation from the crowd. “In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think of this,” Amaro said. “Not in a million years. One thing just fell in place after the other. I’m in shock.”18

In fact, Amaro went deep three times in just five days from April 8-12. His modest response was, “Mistake pitches. I’ve never tried to hit a home run in my life. I was as surprised as anybody.”19 As the Philadelphia Inquirer later put it, though, that one spectacular week was followed by long periods of frustration.20 He suffered some severe slumps, and in late July — hitting just .199 — he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. “After some early success, I just took myself out of my game,” he said. “I started to try to outthink the pitchers instead of just going up there and swinging the bat. They gave me five or six opportunities to earn a starting job, and I didn’t. I don’t have anybody to blame but myself.”21

The demotion lasted just a few weeks, though. Overall in Philadelphia that year, Amaro got into 126 games, starting 87 of them, and made 427 plate appearances. All were major-league career highs for him. He was the team’s primary right fielder that year, though he also got plenty of action in left and center. By season’s end his average had picked up a bit, to .219.The substantial playing time was also a big reason why he reached big-league bests in homers (seven) and RBIs (34).

In reality, however, manager Jim Fregosi “liked Amaro as a fifth outfielder, [but] instead was forced to play him as a regular for much of that last-place season.”22 That winter the Phillies loaded up with three free-agent outfielders: Pete Incaviglia, Milt Thompson, and Jim Eisenreich.

Amaro played just 25 games for the Phillies in 1993. He was with the big club for roughly a month, from mid-June through mid-July; he returned in September. Philadelphia won the National League pennant that season, but Amaro was left off the postseason roster in favor of Tony Longmire. He wasn’t even allowed to dress for the playoffs and World Series.23 On November 2 he was traded to Cleveland for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.

He’d hoped for more from the change of scenery, but Amaro didn’t play much as an Indian either. In 1994 he was called up from Triple-A Charlotte in late May but got just 25 plate appearances in 26 games before the players’ strike ended the season in August. In 1995 he shuttled between the new top affiliate, Buffalo, and Cleveland. In fact, he was sent outright to Buffalo in May; his contract was purchased once more when Eddie Murray went on the DL in July. In his scattered stints with the Indians that year, Amaro got into 28 games and hit .200-1-7 in 68 plate appearances.

Nonetheless, after Cleveland won the AL Central Division, Amaro stayed with the team in the postseason. He and Dave Winfield were the two position players “on the bubble” as the roster was determined. Both were eligible because they had been on the disabled list at the end of August. Winfield was nearly 44 by then and exclusively a DH. He’d been bothered by a sore shoulder for much of the year and was not swinging the bat well. Amaro, who could run and play defense, was the more useful man to have on the bench.

Amaro did not appear against Boston as Cleveland swept the AL Division Series. In the AL Championship Series, against Seattle, he appeared in three games as a pinch-runner. As the Indians clinched the pennant in Game Six, he contributed. It was a tight 1-0 game starting the top of the eighth, but catcher Tony Peña hit a leadoff double. Amaro ran for Peña and got a good jump on Kenny Lofton’s well-placed bunt. A few pitches later, he scored on a passed ball; right behind him, boldly exploiting the same misplay, was Lofton. Cleveland added another run to ice a 4-0 win.

As the Tribe advanced to the World Series, it was significant for the Amaro family. Ruben Sr. had been a member of the 1964 Phillies, infamous for their collapse down the stretch, and even being a coach for the 1980 champions did not make up for that lost opportunity to play in the fall classic. Ruben Jr. hadn’t been born yet — in fact, his mother was expecting him at the time — but he certainly knew what had happened. The memory of his own missed opportunity in 1993 was also not distant.

In the Series itself, Amaro made two brief appearances. In Game Two at Atlanta, he batted for Julian Tavarez to lead off the top of the ninth, but Mark Wohlers struck him out and went on to close out the Braves’ 4-3 win. In the concluding Game Six, Amaro entered in the seventh inning, replacing right fielder Manny Ramirez in a double switch — a strategy on which manager Mike Hargrove was second-guessed.24 Amaro grounded out against Tom Glavine to end the top of the eighth, and again no balls were hit his way when Atlanta batted. Wohlers then nailed down the 1-0 win — and the title — for the Braves.

Not long after the Series ended, on November 9, Cleveland waived Amaro. He signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in January 1996. To start the 1996 season, Amaro was with Syracuse, the Jays’ top farm club. In early May, however, he was released.

As he said later that year, Amaro then made his own break. He called Phillies general manager Lee Thomas and asked if Thomas had anything for him. Thomas said he’d have to get back to Amaro, but fortune smiled when outfielder Lee Tinsley went on the DL with a strained rib cage. Thomas and assistant GM Ed Wade called Amaro and said they had a job — not just at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but in the majors. Amaro said, “Oh, that’s great. I’ll have my agent call you.” Thomas responded that if the agent had to call, then not to come. Amaro said, “I’ll be there in three hours.”25

Although he was sent down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after several days, he returned in early July and never played another day in the minors. He spent the remainder of his career, which lasted through 1998, as a reserve with the Phillies. He got into 270 games, starting 49 of them, and made 447 plate appearances. He was used a lot as a pinch-hitter and performed pretty well in that role, going 35-for-134 (.261) with two homers and 22 RBIs.

At the age of 33, though, Amaro decided to retire as a player. He then moved into the Phillies’ front office. Wade, who had succeeded Lee Thomas as the team’s general manager in 1997, had actually first approached Amaro about his plans in spring training 1998. Wade offered a job as assistant GM right then, but Amaro wanted to see how he did during the season to come. During the summer, after discussing things with Ruben Sr. and his brother David, Amaro decided to take Wade’s offer.26

The deal was actually announced on September 18.27 Nine days later, in his final big-league game, Amaro drove in the go-ahead run with a single as Philadelphia beat the Florida Marlins to end the season. “It was pretty emotional for me,” Amaro said. “The last three or four innings, I was fighting back the tears.”28

“I’m actually glad that I was as bad as I was that year,” Amaro later said. “It helped solidify that I absolutely made the right choice. I mean, I was done.” As Wade recalled, a lot of people in the industry were surprised by his choice, and some frankly questioned it, because others had been serving their apprenticeship. Wade said that he just felt it was the right thing for the organization.29

Amaro worked as assistant GM for seven seasons under Wade and for three more under Pat Gillick. It bothered him at first to realize that he was no longer one of the players; his relationship with them had changed. He also still had a lot to learn on the job.30 But he absorbed much from a Phillies institution, former GM Paul “The Pope” Owens, who was still with the franchise as a senior adviser. Amaro interviewed for the GM job after Wade was fired, but in retrospect, he realized he wasn’t ready.31

While Amaro continued to learn, he was part of the Phillies’ rise to success. Among other things, he helped obtain an important cog, Shane Victorino, and helped get Victorino into the lineup too. On November 3, 2008 — a week after the team completed its victory in the World Series — Amaro succeeded the retiring Gillick, signing a three-year contract. At the news conference, Amaro told Gillick that he was a tough act to follow.32

For at least the term of that contract, though, Amaro was riding high. The Phillies repeated as NL pennant-winners in 2009. They won the NL East in both 2010 and 2011 as well. Amaro enjoyed positive press and won praise for making bold deals in search of another title, such as the trades for star pitchers Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. In March 2011, he got a four-year contract extension.

After that, however, the team’s fortunes declined. They played .500 ball in 2012 but won just 73 games in both 2013 and 2014. The notoriously harsh Philly fans gave him a scathing nickname — “Ruin Tomorrow” — and the voices grew louder that he had to go. He drew fire for everything: letting the team get old, handing out bad contracts, making shortsighted deals, eschewing analytics, the long drought in the draft, and not acting soon enough to rebuild. Yet by 2018, the Phillies (despite fading from early August) had rebounded in the standings, thanks largely to players acquired during Amaro’s tenure. More time is needed for his legacy to be fully assessed.

In November 2014 Amaro got married for the second time. Jami Schnell, a children’s reading specialist, had been his significant other for some time. But on the job, things got worse for the Phillies in 2015. The team won just 63 games, its worst showing since 1972. Amaro didn’t last the full year — new president Andy MacPhail fired him on September 10.

After he was ousted as GM, Amaro expressed an interest in a different role: field manager. The story surfaced in the Boston Globe in early October that he was working with agent Bob LaMonte to remake himself, and that LaMonte was close to Tony La Russa, Walt Jocketty, and Gillick, all of whom had endorsed Amaro’s new pursuit.33

Red Sox manager John Farrell, who had been Amaro’s teammate in the Cleveland organization, saw this. Farrell asked Amaro whether he’d be interested in joining the Boston staff. Ruben thought it over and consulted with family, as well as Gillick, Wade, and Terry Francona (the Phillies’ manager from 1997 through 2000). In October 2015 Amaro took the job in Boston as first base/baserunning/outfield coach.

“I guess it is unusual,” he said. “But for me, I’ve always had kind of an itch to be back on the field … [but] had it not been the Red Sox, frankly I probably would not be doing this.” He added, “I’m gonna do my best to teach what I’ve learned over the years. … I’m laser-focused on being the best coach I can be.”34

After two seasons in Boston, Amaro joined Mickey Callaway’s staff as the first base coach for the New York Mets in November 2017. His duties also included coaching baserunning and outfield defense.

Following the 2018 season, the Mets hired agent Brodie Van Wagenen (who’d also played baseball for Stanford) as their new GM. Amaro, who’d negotiated with Van Wagenen while in Philly, was named a front-office adviser. His duties included scouting. Near the end of August 2019, however, the Mets announced that Amaro would not be returning.

Amaro worked in 2020 and 2021 as an analyst on Phillies games for NBC Sports Philadelphia. His name came up in relation to a couple of open GM positions: the Angels (November 2020) and the Colorado Rockies (May 2021). In March 2022, he joined the MLB Network. Aged just 57 heading into the 2022 season, Ruben Amaro Jr. was still a baseball story in progress.

Last revised: March 17, 2022

This biography was published in 1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Acknowledgments

Continued thanks to Alayna Amaro.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the notes, the author relied on a number of Internet resources and purapelota.com (Venezuelan statistics).

Notes

1 Adry Torres, “Ruben Amaro Jr. Looks to Bring Another Phillies Title to His Hometown,” Fox News Latino, October 5, 2011.

2 Telephone interview, Ruben Amaro Sr. with Rory Costello, October 18, 2012.

3 As of 2023, there have been four grandfather-father-son families in the majors: the Boones, the Bells, the Hairstons, and the Colemans. Also notable are Dick Schofield Sr. and Jr., plus Jayson Werth, nephew of Schofield Jr.

4 Mike Jensen, “Family Pick: Phillies Choose Amaro as GM,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 4, 2008.

5 Stan Hochman, “Phillies GM Amaro Always Will Have His Mother in His Corner,” Fox Sports, December 2, 2008.

6 George Vecsey, “The Batboy Learned by Watching,” New York Times, April 15, 1992.

7 Adam Berry, “Amaro’s Grandfather Inducted Into Latino HOF,” MLB.com, February 12, 2013.

8 Rob Charry, “Phillies’ Amaro Has Rest of League Saying ‘Roy Vey,’” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 5, 2010.

9 Nick DiUlio, “Ruben Amaro Jr.: Arms Dealer,” Philadelphia Magazine, April 7, 2011.

10 Charry, “Phillies’ Amaro Has Rest of League Saying ‘Roy Vey.’”

11 Vecsey, “The Batboy Learned by Watching.”

12 Jorge Arangure Jr., “Ruben Amaro Jr. a Confident Leader,” ESPN.com, October 3, 2011.

13 “Former Stanford Great Ruben Amaro, Jr. Named Phillies GM,” Stanford Athletics press release, November 4, 2008.

14 Stan Isle, “Judging Talent May Be Herzog’s Greatest Gift,” The Sporting News, August 3, 1987: 10.

15 Bob Nightengale, “Steal of the Winter,” The Sporting News, December 23, 1991: 22.

16 Vecsey, “The Batboy Learned by Watching.”

17 Gwen Knapp, “Rookie GM Amaro’s Long History With Phillies,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 25, 2009.

18 “Amaro Leads Phillies’ Romp Over Cubs,” Reading Eagle, April 9, 1992: D1.

19 Vecsey, “The Batboy Learned by Watching”

20 Frank Fitzpatrick, “Phils Deal Amaro to Cleveland in a Bullpen-Rebuilding Move”, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 3, 1993.

21 Frank Fitzpatrick, “Amaro Shipped to Minors,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 25, 1992.

22 Fitzpatrick, “Phils Deal Amaro to Cleveland in a Bullpen-Rebuilding Move.”

23 Ibid.

24 Bob Smizik, “Series Awards for Good, Bad,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 1, 1995.

25 Associated Press, “Amaro, Magee Save Phils,” August 21, 1996; Arangure, “Ruben Amaro Jr. a Confident Leader.”

26 Arangure, “Ruben Amaro Jr. a Confident Leader.”

27 As may be seen from wire service reports of transactions.

28 “Emotional Ending for Amaro,” Reading Eagle, September 28, 1998: D4.

29 Arangure, “Ruben Amaro Jr. a Confident Leader.”

30 Tony Zonca, “New Job a Good Fit for Amaro,” Reading Eagle, June 2, 1999: C1.

31 DiUlio, Ruben Amaro Jr.: Arms Dealer.”

32 Associated Press, “Amaro Signs Three-Year Deal to Become New Phillies GM,” November 4, 2008.

33 Nick Cafardo, “Apropos of Nothing,” Boston Globe, October 4, 2015.

34 Corey Seidman, “Ruben Amaro Explains ‘Unusual’ Transition From GM to 1B coach,” CSNPhilly.com, October 27, 2015.

Assenmacher, who pitched for the Aquinas College Saints (Grand Rapids) from 1981 to 1983, still held a few school records as of 2017, including most innings pitched in a season (98 in 1983), most strikeouts in a season (123 in 1981), and tied for most strikeouts in a career (246). Aquinas went 125-57 (.687) during his time there. Coming from a small school, his college stats were not enough to get him drafted, but the Atlanta Braves in 1983 signed him as an undrafted free agent. At the Braves’ Gulf Coast League (Rookie) affiliate for the remainder of the season, Assenmacher teamed with future Braves Ron Gant and Mark Lemke, and future national champion football coach Urban Meyer. He pitched in 10 games, including three starts. He was 1-0, with a 2.21 ERA. Even more impressive, considering he was not a starter, was that he led the team with 44 strikeouts.

Assenmacher spent 1984 with the Durham Bulls (Class A Carolina League). He made 24 starts, going 6-11 with a 4.28 ERA, but his peripherals were good. He led all starters with a 2.83 K/BB ratio and struck out 147 batters, second highest on the team.

Assenmacher started the 1985 season back in Durham, this time pitching only out of the bullpen. This earned him a promotion to Greenville of the Double-A Southern League. As in Durham, he pitched solely out of the bullpen. He had a 6-0 record with a 2.56 ERA, and his peripheral numbers showed improvement too. He did not give up a home run in his 52⅔ innings of work. Assenmacher was viewed as one of the future arms for the Braves. His presence helped the Braves decide to not bring back veteran Phil Niekro.2

Assenmacher was invited to big-league spring training in 1986, and made the club. He did not disappoint, appearing in 61 games, all out of the bullpen, and ended with a 7-3 record with a 2.50 ERA. He was a bright spot for the last-place Braves, who had one of the worst pitching staffs in the National League. The strong performance garnered interest around the league, including some discussions with the Indians involving Brett Butler,3 but the Braves elected to hang on to their young lefty.

For Assenmacher, 1987 was a rough year. While pitching on the worst staff in the National League, he had arguably his worst year as a professional. His ERA went up over 5.00. Assenmacher was still in demand; the Mets and Braves discussed a potential deal involving him and Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson, but a deal never materialized.4

In 1988, the lefty bounced back, with an 8-7 record and a 3.06 ERA in 64 games. His Other statistics also improved. Before the 1989 season, he sought a raise to $200,000, while the Braves offered $170, 000.5 Eventually, Assenmacher agreed to a contract for $181,000.6 His 1989 season was even better, with an improved strikeout-to-walk ratio. On August 22 against St. Louis, Assenmacher faced five batters, striking out four. Two days later, the Braves traded him to the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were in a race for the crown in the NL East, but Assenmacher did not provide the stability they were looking for. He had a dreadful September and October, including two appearances of a third of an inning each in Games Two and Three of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants (despite carrying a four-leaf clover in his back pocket during the playoffs7). His ERA was almost 6.50, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio dipped drastically in the final two months of the regular season.

The 1990 Cubs were a disappointment on the field, finishing 77-85, but Assenmacher was steady. He was the team’s best pitcher out of the bullpen, going 7-2 with a 2.80 ERA. He pitched a career-high 103 innings, and made his first professional start since 1987, and the only start in his major-league career. He lasted only one inning and gave up four earned runs. Over the entire season, though, Assenmacher held left-handed batters to a .223 batting average.

Before the 1991 season, the Cubs went after Royals starter Kevin Appier with a package involving first baseman Mark Grace.8 When that fell through, the Cubs turned to strengthening their bullpen by signing Assenmacher (who was in his walk year) to a three-year, $7 million deal (or $7.5 million, depending on the source9), with a club option for a fourth year.10 Assenmacher responded by achieving career bests in games and strikeouts. His 102⅔ innings pitched were the most for NL relievers; he was second in the league in strikeouts and games pitched. The Cubs figured they would lose Assenmacher to free agency after 1992 since he had drawn so much interest during the season, and left him unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft, when Colorado and Florida joined the league. But he went unclaimed by either franchise.11

Assenmacher was traded to the New York Yankees in a three-team deal before the 1993 non-waivers trade deadline. The Cubs picked up minor-league power hitter Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes. Rhodes would later be known as the first player to hit a home run in his first three at-bats on Opening Day when he did it for the 1994 Cubs.

During spring training in 1994, Assenmacher was dealt to the Chicago White Sox for minor-league pitcher Brian Boehringer. The Yankees saved money but also created a roster spot for one of their prospects, Sterling Hitchcock. At the time, the Yankees had a decent bullpen; Assenmacher figured he was the one traded because “my name was pulled out of a hat.”12 The trade was important to the White Sox, considering that they were favored by many to win the AL Central crown. Over the strike-shortened season, Assenmacher held left-handers to a .196 batting average, but he was still waived at the end of the season.

Assenmacher signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians in April 1995 for $700,000, with another $200,000 in performance bonuses.13 This signing was delayed because of the strike that canceled the 1994 World Series. The signing paid immediate and long-term dividends. The Indians won the AL Central five years in a row, and Assenmacher became an important part of the bullpen as a left-handed specialist.14 He pitched in 47 games in 1995, holding lefties to a .188 batting average and .235 on-base percentage. This helped the Indians make their first postseason appearance and first World Series appearance since 1954, when they were swept in four games by the New York Giants. Assenmacher earned a hold the night the Indians clinched the division, September 8, 1995.

The Indians had the best record in baseball entering the playoffs (100-44), but never had home-field advantage. The 1995 season was the first year of the wild-card format for the playoffs. At that time, home-field advantage rotated among the division leaders. This would be the AL East and the AL West champions, Boston and Seattle respectively. Playoff rules also said that the wild-card team could not play a team in its own division in the division round, but it could not have home-field advantage either. If the Yankees had played the Indians, the Yankees would have had home-field advantage. Instead, the Yankees opposed Seattle, and the Indians faced the Red Sox.15

Assenmacher pitched in all three games of the sweep over the Red Sox for a total of 1⅔ innings, without giving up a run. The Indians faced the Mariners in the ALCS, and won the series, 4-2. Assenmacher pitched 1⅓ innings, without giving up a run. Perhaps his most important outing of the ALCS was Game Five. He entered the game with runners at first and third with only one out, thanks to back-to-back errors by Indians first baseman Paul Sorrento. Assenmacher got Ken Griffey Jr. to strike out swinging. Manager Mike Hargrove left Assenmacher in to face the right-handed-hitting Jay Buhner. Buhner had hit .458 against the Yankees and was hitting .389 in the ALCS up until that point. Buhner struck out on a 2-and-2 breaking ball, surprising almost everyone.

Assenmacher overall had a decent World Series, except for one pitch. Atlanta was leading the Series two games to one, heading into Game Four at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. The Braves were up 2-1 in the game, when Assenmacher entered in the top of the seventh with one out. Indians starter Ken Hill had given up a run on Luis Polonia’s double. Assenmacher issued an intentional walk to his first batter, Chipper Jones, putting runners at first and second. A passed ball allowed the runners to advance, then Assenmacher struck out Braves slugger Fred McGriff. Assenmacher worked a 1-and-2 count to David Justice, and tried to get Justice to bite on a curve. Instead, the curve stayed in the middle of the plate, and Justice singled to drive in two runs.16 One run was charged to Assenmacher, but it was unearned, as was the run charged to Hill. Atlanta won the game, 5-2, to take a three-games-to-one lead, and ultimately won the Series in six games. The Indians would have to wait another season to see if they could break the World Series drought.

Assenmacher re-signed with the Indians after the 1995 World Series. The Indians gave the lefty a two-year, $1.7 million contract.17 He was effective in 1996 with a 3.09 ERA and he held the opposition to a .260 batting average.

The Indians finished 1996 with the best record in baseball (99-62) and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series. The Indians managed only one win against the Orioles, but Assenmacher picked up that Game Three victory. It was his first postseason decision.

He improved on his 1996 stats in 1997, holding batters to a .231 batting average and .289 on-base percentage. The Indians won the American League Central with only 86 wins and faced the wild-card Yankees. The Orioles had the best record in the American League, but at the time, the rule was that the wild-card team would face the best team, unless that team was in the same division. So the 96-win Yankees opened the series at home, and moved to Cleveland for the last three games. In four appearances, Assenmacher pitched 3⅓ innings and gave up two earned runs, but he played an important role in the Indians’ Game Four and Game Five victories.

In Game Four, the Indians were down 2-1 going into the eighth inning. Their bullpen would have to hold the Yankees scoreless and hope that the offense would pick it up. That is exactly what happened. Assenmacher entered in the eighth and gave up a single to Paul O’Neill, but retired Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez on strikes before giving way to closer Michael Jackson. Jackson shut down the Yankees, and the Indians scored twice to win the game, 3-2. In Game Five, the Indians had a one-run lead when Assenmacher entered in the seventh. He forced O’Neill to ground into a fielder’s choice, and then Bernie Williams into a double play. He faced Tino Martinez in the top of the eighth and got Martinez to pop out to the catcher. José Mesa closed out the game; the Indians won the series and faced the American League’s best team, the Baltimore Orioles.

Assenmacher pitched in five of the six ALCS games and earned the win in Game Two. His stats took a hit in Game Five when he gave up two runs without recording an out, but he contributed to the Game Six win when he induced a groundout from B.J. Surhoff in the bottom of the eighth. The Indians won on a Tony Fernandez home run in the top of the 11th inning, propelling them into their second World Series in three years.

Assenmacher pitched four innings without giving up a run, but the Indians lost in the bottom of the 11th in Game Seven on Edgar Renteria’s single that scored Craig Counsell. The Indians’ World Series drought continued.

Lefties had more success than righties against Assenmacher in 1998. They batted .313 with a .361 on-base percentage. Conversely, right-handed batters hit .256 with a .340 on-base percentage. The Indians made the playoffs and faced the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, winning three games to one. Assenmacher appeared in three games for a total of one inning. He gave up two hits and no earned runs. The Indians played the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Indians lost, winning only two games, but Assenmacher again was steady in his role. As in the series against Boston, he did not give up a run; this time he pitched two innings.

Assenmacher appeared in 55 games for the Indians in 1999, posting a 2-1 record. But statistically speaking, it was the worst year in his career. His 8.18 ERA and 13.6 hits per 9 innings pitched were easily the worst of his career. The Indians again faced the Red Sox in the American League Division Series but lost 3 games to 2. Assenmacher pitched in just one game for a full inning, giving up five hits and three earned runs.

Assenmacher was granted free agency in November, 1999. In February 2000, Assenmacher signed a minor-league contract with the team that gave him his first shot, the Atlanta Braves.18 He was cut at the end of spring training, having given up eight earned runs in eight innings. “My arm’s just not coming around. It’s for the best,” he said. “Time to get on with my life. I’m 39 years old, played 14 years. It just wasn’t going to happen. Nothing to be ashamed of. … I did everything I could to keep my career going.”19

Assenmacher retired after the season. He later said “it really wore on me as a player not to see my kids enough. I just wanted to spend my retirement being at home and watching them grow up.”20

The Cubs asked Assenmacher to come back and sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in September of 2004. When he was asked if he ever thought he’d get to sing at Wrigley when he was playing with the Cubs, he replied “not really. I never thought they’d get that desperate.”21

Assenmacher spent 10 seasons as the pitching coach at St. Pius X High School, outside of Atlanta, where he lived as of 2018 with his wife, Maggie. Together, they have five children: Jason, Candace, Lindsay, Morgan, and Clayton.

This biography was published in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also consulted the following:

Aquinas College Athletics website (aqsaints.com/d/2016-aqbaseballrecords-1.pdf).

St Pius X Athletics website (spx.org/BaseballCoaches).

Notes

1 Murray Chass, “Left-Handed Relievers Find Long Job Security,” New York Times, February 21, 1999: SP2

2 “Baseball,” The Sun (Baltimore), November 21, 1985: 5C.

3 Richard Justice, “Expansion Issue Alive,” Washington Post, December 9, 1986.

4 Tim Kurkjian, “Don’t Expect Happy Ending for Yankees from Episode 5 of Martin-Steinbrenner,” The Sun, October 25, 1987: 4B.

5 Rich Lorenz, “National League,” Chicago Tribune, March 2, 1989: 4-5. 

6 “Strawberry Bolts from Mets’ Camp,” The Sun, March 3, 1989: 4B.

7 Murray Chass, “Secret to Success: Retire Will Clark,” New York Times, October 6, 1989: D20.

8 Murray Chass, “Joyner Signs One-Year Pact With Royals for $4.2 Million,” New York Times, December 10, 1991: B21.

9 Ibid.

10 Andrew Bagnato, “Deal Off, Cubs Turn to Plan B,” Chicago Tribune, December 10, 1991: 4-2.

11 Joey Reaves, “Cubs, Sox Keep Most of Their Biggest Names,” Chicago Tribune, November 18, 1992: 4-7.

12 Jack Curry,“Yankees Trade Assenmacher (Will Hitchcock Be Moving In?),” New York Times, March 22, 1994: B12.

13 “Around Baseball,” Washington Post, April 11, 1995.

14 Murray Chass,“Indians Make a Strong Pitch, Too,” New York Times, October 16, 1995: C7.

15 Paul Hoynes,“Why Didn’t the 1995 Cleveland Indians Have Home-Field Advantage in the Playoffs?” Cleveland.com, October 29, 2015. (cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2015/10/heres_why_1995_cleveland_india.html accessed 6/15/2016).

16 Patrick Reusse,“Cleveland’s Fortunes Take a Left Turn,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 26, 1995: C1, C4. 

17 “Transactions,” Washington Post, November 3, 1995. 

18 Murray Chass,“Baseball,” New York Times, February 6, 2000: SP2. 

19 Jack Wilkinson,“Braves Notebook: End of March Ends Assenmacher March,” Atlanta Journal and Constitution, April 1, 2000.

20 “’95 Cleveland Indians – Where Are They Now?” Cleveland Magazine, April 2005.

21 Scott Derenger,“The Suite Life: Paul Assenmacher,” Chicago Tribune, September 3, 2004.

But on March 23, 1993, Baerga stepped outside the white lines to become a leader of the club off the field. The day before, the Indians were given a day off by manager Mike Hargrove. Their spring training was held in Winter Haven, Florida. The players took advantage of the free day. Some groups took their families to Disney World, others went to Universal Studios. Others stayed closer to the spring-training complex.

Tim Crews came over to the Indians via free agency from Los Angeles to Cleveland. He owned a ranch close to Winter Haven, and invited the team to his home for a picnic. Steve Olin and Bob Ojeda took Crews up on his offer. Toward the end of the day, Crews, Ojeda, and Olin climbed into Crews’ 18-foot bass boat, and circled around Little Lake Nellie. Indians trainer Fernando Montes observed the trio from where the boat departed. A neighbor’s dock, which extended more than 50 yards, sat on the far side of the lake. As Crews accelerated, the front of the boat rose up, blocking their vision. As soon as the boat planed out, it was now the under the dock. It was too late. The accident occurred in three feet of water. “We heard this loud thump and a crash,” said Montes. “And it was silence, utter silence. I knew without any hesitation that Steve Olin had passed.”1 Crews was also dead and Ojeda was badly injured.

The next day, Cleveland’s vice president of public relations, Bob DiBiasio, was looking for a player who would talk to the media about the boating tragedy. “Everybody on the team was in tears,” said DiBiasio. “Nobody wanted to step forward and discuss what happened.”2 Carlos Baerga stepped forward, volunteering to be the team spokesman. “I was brokenhearted,” he said, “but I had a responsibility to the two good people we had lost. They were part of my life. I told God, ‘Give me words, because I know it’s going to be hard for me.’”3

Carlos Obed Baerga was born on November 4, 1968, in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was the oldest of four children born to José and Baldry Baerga. José worked in the credit office of Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, El Nuevo Dia. José managed Carlos’s little league teams. At 8, Carlos was holding his own against boys 10 to 12 years old. When he reached 14, Baerga was mixing it up on the diamond with adult amateurs in their 20s and 30s in the Puerto Rican Double A League. When Baerga reached 16, he was playing in the winter leagues against major leaguers.

“I remember my father saying, ‘Don’t come back home if you don’t have your uniform dirty,’ Baerga once recalled. “Ever since, I have put it in my mind to play hard. He always pushed me. My father always watches me, he’s always behind me.”4

Longtime Indians bullpen coach Luis Isaac (1987-2008) watched Baerga grow in his native Puerto Rico. “I knew right away he’d be a big-league player,” said Isaac. “Even when he was little, he was the type of kid who wanted to play two games a day. He’d be telling the other kids on the field what to do. He always played with that kind of intensity.”5

José worked with his son on becoming a switch-hitter so that he could play every day no matter who the pitcher was. Carlos, a natural left-handed hitter, worked hard to sharpen his skill from the right side of the plate. “I’ve still got to practice it every day,” he said in 1995. “But it has helped me. I see a guy like Randy Johnson pitching and I can’t imagine having to face him left-handed. The same goes for David Cone and facing him right-handed.”6

Word of Baerga’s ability spread around the island, and soon professional scouts arrived to get a look at the 14-year-old. Luis Rosa, a scout for the San Diego Padres, got Baerga to sign for a $65,000 bonus in 1985, when he turned 17 years old. (Rosa had a keen eye for talent. At the time Baerga signed, 32 of Rosa’s players had made their way to the big leagues.

Although Baerga seemed destined for big-league stardom, there was one problem. The Padres already had a second baseman in-waiting, Roberto Alomar. Baerga started his playing career at Class-A Charleston in the South Atlantic League. “They asked me to take him with me and when (rookie level) Spokane opened up (in mid-June) he’d go there,” said Charleston manager Pat Kelly.7 Baerga, who did not speak English that well, would ask Kelly, “Coach, why me no play?” Kelly would explain to Baerga that he had to play his more experienced players. Baerga would nod, as if he understood, but he returned the next day, asking the same question. This went on for about a week. “Finally, I put him in as a pinch-hitter, and he got a hit, of course,” said Kelly. “So I started him the next day, and he went like 4-for-4, and they were all (line drives). So he stayed with us the whole year.”8

Baerga showed that he could handle the bat on the minor-league level. He was still somewhat raw, but he was still just a teenager in his first three years in the minors. Because Alomar was the second baseman of the future for the Padres, it became evident that a new position would have to be found for Baerga, even though he felt the most comfortable at second base.

When Baerga reported to Double-A Wichita in 1988, he was switched to shortstop. In 1989 he was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas and was placed at third base. Although he made 32 errors while manning the hot corner for Las Vegas, Baerga was in the lineup to hit. He hit .275 with 28 doubles, 10 homers, and 74 RBIs. He was somewhat of a free swinger, and his strikeouts easily tripled his walks.

The Cleveland Indians were shopping outfielder Joe Carter at the 1989 winter meetings. Carter’s contract was up in 1990, and the Indians knew they would not be able to re-sign him. Carter made no secret of his desire to leave the Indians, preferably to a contender, and a lucrative contract would also be nice.

The Indians found a suitor in the Padres. The teams dickered over whom the Padres would send the Indians’ way for the star slugger. The Indians insisted that Baerga be included in the deal. The Padres viewed Baerga as their third baseman of the future. But the Indians’ persistence won out, and they received Baerga, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. (Roberto’s brother), and outfielder Chris James for Carter. “I managed against Carlos in the Pacific Coast League in 1989,” said Mike Hargrove. “On my report at the end of the year, I recommended that we should try to acquire him. So did my coaches, Rich Dauer and Rick Adair.”9

The Indians hired John McNamara to manage in 1990. Cleveland was putting together a solid nucleus of young talent, and it began with Baerga and Alomar. The two newcomers were blended with Albert Belle, Cory Snyder, Jerry Browne, and Brook Jacoby. Tom Candiotti, Greg Swindell, and Buddy Black anchored the starting rotation.

Alomar was a star right away. He was named the starting catcher on the 1990 AL All-Star team, won the Gold Glove, and was voted Rookie of the Year. Baerga would have to wait a bit for his time to come. Browne was entrenched at second base and Jacoby manned third. The Indians had signed Keith Hernandez to play first base. But Hernandez suffered through various injuries and played in only 42 games. His injuries offered the break that benefited Baerga; Jacoby moved to first base and Baerga became the new third baseman. “From the time he got to Cleveland, Carlos was the heart and soul of the Indians,” said batting coach José Morales. “We sent him down to Triple A for two weeks in his rookie year, and team spirit just sank. When he came back, it was like a kid returning to his family. He brings an energy, a unity to the team.”10

Baerga hit .266 his rookie season. On September 20 at Yankee Stadium, the 5-foot-11, 165-pound infielder went 4-for-5 with three doubles (a career high) and a triple with three runs scored and three RBIs. The barrage came the day after his first child, a daughter, was born. “Baerga is a hitting machine and maybe his wife should have a baby every night,” said McNamara.11 Although the Indians finished with a 77-85 record, they found themselves in fourth place in the AL East. It was something to build on for the young Tribe.

Indeed, Baerga’s enthusiasm for the game was unbridled and was contagious. He was a fan favorite for his all-out hustle. But in his second season, the Indians proved unable to build on the success from 1990. McNamara was fired (Hargrove replaced him) and the team topped 100 losses.

But the pieces were beginning to come together. Charles Nagy became the leader of the pitching staff. Kenny Lofton was acquired from Houston to solidify center field and bat leadoff. Paul Sorrento was acquired from Minnesota to provide a left-handed bat and he was an above-average first baseman. The Indians worked to sign Belle, Alomar, Nagy, Belle, Lofton, and Baerga to long-term deals, selling them on the talent of the core team.

Baerga made their investment pay off. In back-to-back seasons (1992 and ’93) he hit more than 20 home runs, drove in more than 100 runs, and batted over .300. He was the first second baseman to achieve these numbers in consecutive seasons since Rogers Hornsby turned the trick in 1921 and 1922.

Baerga entered the record books on April 8, 1993. He hit two home runs in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees, one from each side of the plate. He connected off Steve Howe for a two run-shot, then hit a solo home run off Steve Farr. The Indians scored nine runs in the inning on their way to a 15-5 victory. “It’s exciting,” said Baerga. “They told me I set a record when I got back to the dugout after the second homer, but I didn’t believe them. When I got to the clubhouse after the game, Bobby DiBiasio, our public-relations man, told me I’d set a record.”12 Baerga’s record night did not surprise Hargrove. “The beauty about him is that there’s no way to pitch him. He hits to all fields,” the manager said.13

Baerga made the All-Star Game for the first time in 1992 and repeated in 1993. The Indians finished with identical 76-86 records in both seasons.

In 1994 the Indians said goodbye to Cleveland Stadium and relocated to the new Jacobs Field, across downtown. The baseball-only venue was a boon for the Tribe. The Indians had brought in veteran leadership in the offseason, signing Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez. They traded for shortstop Omar Vizquel. Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome arrived through the farm system. The results were favorable. The Indians were one game behind Chicago in the new AL Central when the season ended on August 12 because of the players strike. Although the development was a big disappointment to Tribe fans, baseball fever had indeed returned to the North Coast.

The strike wiped out the 1994 postseason and bled over into the 1995 season. Baerga finished the 1994 season with 19 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a .314 batting average.

After play resumed in late April of 1995, Cleveland broke through its 41-year stretch of not appearing in a postseason game. The Indians won 100 games and Baerga, batting third in the potent Cleveland lineup, was third on the team with 90 RBIs. He batted .314. Cleveland swept Boston in the ALDS and topped Seattle in six games in the ALCS. The Indians met the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The old adage that good pitching will defeat good hitting proved accurate, as the Braves captured the world championship in six games.

Baerga hit .400 in the ALCS and drove in four runs in both the ALCS and the World Series. He knocked in the first two runs in the Indians’ 5-2 victory in Game Two of the ALDS and three runs in their 7-6, 11-inning Game Three win in the World Series. All told, he hit .292 in the 1995 postseason.

The one constant in Baerga’s career to this point was his desire to play winter ball in his native Puerto Rico. He was lauded by Puerto Rican fans for his work in the community as well as his work on the diamond. He often held clinics and his enthusiasm for the game was infectious. “They won’t even let you take batting practice,” Baerga said, referring to the young fans. “They come right onto the field for autographs.”14

Baerga was also a fan favorite in Cleveland. His all-out effort between the lines and his effervescent personality off it endeared him to hard-working, blue-collar town. Thus the backlash the Indians front office received when they traded Baerga on July 29, 1996, was not unexpected. The Indians swapped Baerga and utility infielder Alvaro Espinoza to the New York Mets in a trade-deadline swap for infielders Jeff Kent and José Vizcaino. Baerga’s numbers were on the downside (10 home runs, 55 RBIs, .267 batting average) through 100 games. The Indians cited Baerga’s weight gain. (He was said to have been 20 to 25 pounds overweight in spring training.) His work ethic and priorities were also questioned by the Indians brass. Baerga suffered a slight fracture in his right ankle and played in only about 10 games in the winter league. He used the winter league to stay in shape, hence the weight gain. He was also battling a badly sprained left wrist and a strained groin.

“When you get close to the trading deadline, you never know what’s going to happen,” said New York GM Joe McIlvaine. “To be honest, when they dropped Baerga’s name, I was a little surprised. I thought, ‘Here’s a chance to get a good, quality player.’ And we did it. I don’t think a year ago we could’ve acquired Carlos Baerga.”15

The presence of second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo on the Mets created a question of where Baerga would be stationed. As it turned out, an abdominal strain limited Baerga to 26 Mets games, mostly at first base, and a.193 batting average.

Bobby Valentine took over for Dallas Green as the Mets manager with a month to go in the 1996 season. Over the next two seasons, Baerga recaptured his second-base spot. Alfonzo was moved to third. Manager Valentine, who at times could be as subtle as a sledgehammer, would comment about Baerga’s approach to hitting as “an embarrassment.”16 Baerga felt the pressure to produce, feeling that he needed to prove his worth every day. But he did not have a strong lineup like the one in Cleveland to back him up. His batting average was .274 over the 1997 and 1998 seasons, but his power numbers were dismal. The ball was not jumping off his bat as it once had.

One longtime major-league executive explained Baerga’s decline this way: “Carlos is a God-given good hitter, and sometimes a player like that takes a lot for granted, doesn’t stay on top of his physical conditioning and mental preparation. And there’s no doubt in my mind that is what happened to him. I mean, he’s always had a thick body, but last year, well, he just got plain heavy. I think it’s all related (to his weight and conditioning). I was really surprised the Mets took him. No … I was shocked.”17

The Mets did not pick up Baerga’s option year in 1999. The rest of his career was a composite of being signed, being waived, and riding the bench. St. Louis signed him for the 1999 season, but waived him at the end of spring training. Cincinnati signed Baerga, but sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis before the season, and released him after two months. In a bit of déjà vu, San Diego signed Baerga, and then traded him back to the Indians for the balance of the 1999 season.

Baerga signed on with Tampa Bay for 2000, but his contract was voided before the season began. He signed with Seattle for 2001, but was released before the start of the season. He bided his time in independent leagues and for Samsung in the Korean League. Baerga eventually made his way back to the big leagues as a role player with Boston (2002), Arizona (2003-2004), and Washington (2005). After the 2005 season Baerga retired with a lifetime batting average of .291, 1,583 hits, 134 home runs, and 774 RBIs.

Baerga worked for ESPN as a Spanish-language broadcaster. He also helped coach the Puerto Rican National Baseball team. He also became the owner of the Bayamon Cowboys in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Baerga married the former Miriam Cruz. They had two children, Karla and Carlos. In 2013 Baerga was inducted along with former Indians GM John Hart into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame. As of 2016 he was an ambassador for the Indians, making community appearances and spreading good will.

In 2016 Baerga threw out the first pitch in Game Two of the World Series at Progressive Field. He was, of course, cheered enthusiastically as he threw a perfect pitch to home plate.

Last revised: June 1, 2018

This biography appeared in “Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies” (SABR, 2017), edited by Bill Nowlin and Edwin Fernández. It also appears in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Notes   

1 ESPN, Outside the Lines, “Indians Boating Tragedy,” March 18, 2003. espn.com/page2/tvlistings/show155_transcript.html.

2 Frank Lidz, “Slick With the Stick,” Sports Illustrated, April 5, 1994: 66.

3 Ibid.

4 Rick Lawes, “Baerga Has Big Talent,” USA Today Baseball Weekly, January 13-26, 1993: 4.

5 Paul Hoynes, “Rock Solid: Carlos Baerga Is Part of the Foundation on Which the Indians Built a Winning Club,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 3, 1995: 8-D.

6 Ibid.

7 Lawes.

8 Ibid.

9 Hoynes, July 3, 1995: 9-D.

10 Lidz.

11 Russell Schneider, “Tribe Rolls to Victory,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 21, 1990: 1-E.

12 Paul Hoynes, “Baerga’s Blasts Rip Yankees: Two-HR Inning Sets Mark,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 9, 1993: 1C.

13 Ibid.

14 Lidz, 64.

15 Ray McNulty, “Net Heist Brings Baerga,” New York Post, July 30, 1996.

16 Buster Olney, “Benching Doesn’t Sit Well With Baerga,” New York Times, April 23, 1997: B11.

17 Michael P. Geffner, “The Sound and the Fury,” The Sporting News, May 5, 1997: 18.

The Indians won the opener, 3-2. The second game was not nearly as close, as Buddy Bell’s grand slam in the second inning off Boston starter Steve Barr staked the Indians to a 6-0 lead. He added a solo home run in the fourth frame and a run-scoring double in the eighth. Bell was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and six RBIs, a career high. Indians starter Roric Harrison went the distance as the Indians coasted to a 12-2 victory. 

Bell had been the whipping boy in Cleveland, batting .232 to that point in the season. “Sure I heard them but I’m a professional and I try not to let it bother me, but it did,” Bell said of the booing fans.1 Bell was simplistic in describing his grand slam. “I never try for homers. All I wanted to do was get a hit. The bases were loaded and a single would have put us up by three. The pitch came down the middle and I just ripped, that’s all.”2 Bell continued his fine hitting for the balance of the season, batting .271 for the year. “It’s a great feeling to come back like that after the start I’ve had this season,” said Buddy of his big day.3

After the Indians split a Bat Day Doubleheader with the Bosox the following day, Cleveland had won 13 of its last 17 to pull within six games of the division-leading Red Sox. But Boston got the last laugh, winning the American League pennant in 1975. 

The Indians third baseman made headlines off the field a few days after the Boston series. The All-Star Game was to be played in Milwaukee on July 15. Bell finished second in the fan voting to the Yankees’ Graig Nettles. AL skipper Alvin Dark picked Bell as the backup to Nettles. However, Bell rejected the appointment. “I did it because in my heart, I know I don’t deserve it as much as some of the other guys who are playing better than me right now,” he explained.4

“Now that it’s final—I talked to (AL President) Lee MacPhail and Mr. Dark yesterday—I feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. For two weeks, ever since the balloting was printed in the newspapers, and I was leading the third basemen. It has been eating up my insides, because I knew I didn’t deserve it.”5

“Now I feel better, so relieved, because I know I’m doing the right thing. There are other guys who deserve it more, and I know how I’d feel if I were in their shoes.”6

“I wanted Buddy because I think he could help us win the game, “said Dark. “There’s no doubt but that Buddy is one of the stars of baseball and belongs in the All-Star Game. I’d be honored to have him on the team. But I couldn’t convince him.

“Once he made his decision, and I knew it was irrevocable, I told Buddy I admire his attitude and his courage for doing what he thinks is right, no matter the consequences. And now I have even more respect for Buddy Bell.”7 

David Gus Bell was born on August 27, 1951, in Pittsburgh. He was one of seven children born to Gus and Joyce Bell. At the time, Gus Bell was in his second year as an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His 15-year career was played entirely in the National League with Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, the New York Mets, and Milwaukee. He was a four-time All-Star, all while he was a member of the Reds. Gus started in right field for the Mets in their inaugural game, on April 11 1962, at St. Louis’s Busch Stadium. His single to center field in the second inning was the first hit in Mets history.

Gus gave Buddy his nickname to differentiate him from another family member also named David. Although David was born in Pittsburgh, it was Cincinnati where he spent his formative years. Bell was a two-sport star at Archbishop Moeller High School, excelling in basketball and of course baseball. In his three seasons on the varsity, Bell compiled a .410 batting average. He was the first real “star” to walk the halls at Moeller. Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, Adam Hyzdu, and Buddy’s sons David and Mike would all wear the Crusader blue and gold.

The assumption by many was that Buddy, being the son of a major-league star, was the beneficiary of Gus’s instruction on the finer points of playing baseball. But the opposite was true. “Most people say to me, ‘I guess you were able to help him quite a bit,’ but the fact is that I did help a little at the beginning, but not much after that,” said Gus.

“I don’t think you can push a kid. You can try to lead them but I feel that whatever they try to do, just encourage them. Tim Rose [Moeller coach] taught Buddy a lot of the fundamental things, like base running, how to play the position, and that sort. I don’t claim very much of the credit.”8

After graduation, Bell was selected in the 16th round of the June free-agent draft by the Cleveland Indians on June 5, 1969. Cleveland general manager Gabe Paul and assistant general manager Phil Seghi were both in the Cincinnati front office when Gus Bell was a member of the Reds. They had both known Buddy since he was a toddler. Bell spent three years in the Indians farm system, culminating in 1971 at Wichita of the American Association. In 129 games there, Bell hit .289, with 11 homers and 59 RBIs to go with 136 hits. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year, as well as MVP of the Aeros.

Bell also wed the former Gloria Eysoldt in 1971. They had five children: David, Michael, Ricky, Kristi, and Traci. David and Michael both played in the major leagues, making the Bell family one of only four three-generation families in major-league history. (See also the families of my Hairston, Ray Boone, and Joe Coleman) 

At 1972 spring training prior it looked as if Bell might be ticketed to the minors again. But given the opportunity, he was able to show the Indians brass that he was needed on their big-league team. “I hadn’t played in any of the Indians exhibition games and there were only two weeks of camp left. The team had left for Yuma and the rest of us were left at Tucson. They needed an outfielder for the “B” game that morning so I was sent out there.

“I had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-4. Then the office got a phone call from Yuma, saying that they needed a replacement that afternoon for outfielder John Lowenstein, who had been hurt, and I was sent over there for the afternoon game. I played right field and went 4-for-5, had three RBIs and drove in the winning run. The next day they used me in the outfield again at Phoenix and I had two RBI singles and a three-run homer to win the game. From then on I was in the regular lineup and was signed to a Cleveland contract.”9

During his minor-league years Bell was primarily situated at third base, although he also saw time at second base. But the path to third base was blocked by Graig Nettles. However, Bell’s talent was evident, and on April 15, 1972, he was the starting right fielder for Cleveland on Opening Day.

Joining Bell in Cleveland was Ken Aspromonte, his manager at Wichita, who was also promoted to the big leagues. Bell split his time between right and center fields, batting .255. The Indians hit .234 as a team and were inept offensively. Nettles, who often clashed with Aspromonte, led the team in homers (17) and RBIs (70). But in the offseason, Nettles was traded to the New York Yankees in a six-player swap. The deal proved to be disastrous for Cleveland. Gabe Paul left the Indians shortly after the deal was announced. His departure raised more than a few eyebrows when it was learned that he had joined the ownership group that purchased the Yankees. (Paul returned to Cleveland in 1978 and subsequently made a similar deal, sending star pitcher Dennis Eckersley to Boston. Bell said at the time, “Maybe Gabe’s going to Boston in a couple of years.”)10

Bell was back in familiar territory in 1973 making a smooth transition back to third base. “The important thing to me was playing in the big leagues,” he said. ”Sure, I had some qualms about moving to the outfield, and I did again when I moved back to third base. Both required adjustments, but I think I made those adjustments satisfactorily.”11 Bell’s bat heated up in May and June, as he batted .320 and .350 in those months. He was selected to his first All-Star Game on July 13 at Kansas City. In his lone appearance at the plate, he smashed a pinch-hit triple off Claude Osteen.

Over the next several years, Bell was a model of consistency both in the field and at the plate. He missed some time in 1974 due to a right knee strain. But from 1975 to ’78, Bell hit between six and 11 homers, drove in between 59 and 64 runs, and got between 39 and 51 walks. His batting average fluctuated between .271 and .292. In the field he led the league in putouts in 1975 (146) and in assists in 1978 (355). He was considered one of the top third basemen in the American League.

But what was also consistent was the losing ways of the Cleveland Indians. By the end of the 1974 season, Aspromonte was a lame-duck manager, and was replaced by Frank Robinson. Robby knew it would be a tough road with the Tribe. He encouraged the front office to promote promising minor leaguers to the big-league team. Duane Kuiper, Rick Manning, Dennis Eckersley, and Jim Kern were added to the mix of veterans on the club. Bell was upbeat about the opportunity to play for Robinson, a teammate of his father’s in Cincinnati.  “Frank is going to be a big inspiration to us by the way he plays the game,” said Bell. “He’s always aggressive, and I know that’s how he’ll want us to be. I remember when I first played against him and I thought he was slowing up. But this one time he slid into third base and nearly took my hand off.”12   

But the losing continued and on June 15, 1977, Bell walked out on the Indians. The reason for his AWOL status was termed “personal,” but it was uncharacteristic of Bell to up and leave. “I’ve got a personal problem. I really don’t want to discuss it,” he said.”13 He missed one game, and one exhibition game in Toledo. Three days later, Robinson was fired and replaced by Jeff Torborg. 

Bell met the same fate as Eckersley at the conclusion of the 1978 season. On December 8 he was sent to Texas in a straight-up deal for Toby Harrah. Harrah provided a bit more power and run-producing ability. Bell was bringing his defense to the Rangers. “Buddy has hurt us in the past few years because he moved the ball around so well,” said Texas manager Pat Corrales. “We weren’t able to defend against him. I was impressed. I think he’ll make a good second hitter.”14

The Rangers had tied California for second place in the American League’s West Division in 1978, five games behind Kansas City. Bell was inserted to a 1979 lineup that included Richie Zisk, Al Oliver, Bump Wills, and Pat Putnam. Bell played in all 162 games, leading the league with 670 at-bats. He hit 18 home runs, and he drove in a career-high 101 runs. Bell also established career bests in doubles (42) and runs (89). He batted .299. While his offensive numbers were indeed impressive, it was his defense that was getting rave reviews. He was honored with the first of six straight (1979-1984) Gold Glove Awards as a third baseman. It is the second longest streak for an American League third baseman, behind Brooks Robinson. Bell’s streak was later equaled by Eric Chavez of Oakland (2001-2006).

“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” said Bell. “I’ve always had pretty good hands but I’ve also worked very hard at defense. But to win a Gold Glove puts you in the class of a Nettles or a Brooks Robinson. For a third baseman, that’s a big thrill for me.”15

Others began taking notice of Bell and his mastery of the hot corner. “Nobody can play third better than Buddy Bell,” said California manager Gene Mauch. “Nettles is a great one, too, but Bell amazes me. One thing about Nettles is how deep he plays at third. That makes the big play easier. What he’s doing is telling the pitcher to field the soft stuff and the bunts and he’ll take care of the hot stuff.”16

Speaking of Bell’s former Indians teammate, it was often Nettles who Bell went to for input on playing third. “I go to him for advice,” said Bell. “I ask him about different hitters and how he plays them. For a long time I never played as far off the line as I do now, but Graig told me to move over more, and I did. His explanation was that there were more balls hit in the hole than down the line. And he was right.”17

In 1980, Bell batted.329, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 83 runs. He was selected to the All-Star Game, the first of four All-Star games over the next six seasons. Bell became a star in Texas. But while his abilities were appreciated, the Rangers could not make any headway in the West Division. While the talent seemed to be there, Texas could not rise to the top. California, Chicago, Kansas City, and Oakland all took turns winning division titles during Bell’s stay with the Rangers.

After he hit .315 in 1984, Bell’s batting average plummeted to .235 at the All-Star break in 1985. He had also committed 16 errors to that point in the season, and the Rangers were mired in last place. On July 19, 1985, Bell was dealt to his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds, for outfielder Duane Walker and pitcher Jeff Russell. Cincinnati had been using a platoon system at third base, employing Nick Esasky and Wayne Krenchicki. “Esasky and Krenchicki were doing a fine job for us,” said Reds skipper Pete Rose. “But this makes us better overall and when you have a chance to get a guy like Buddy Bell, you do it. I hope the ballclub plays the way Buddy Bell plays. He is consistent, year in and year out, and that’s what we’re looking for.”18 

Player Dave Parker had a slightly different take on the trade: “Bell is a hometown boy who can help us on and off the field. He’ll certainly help at the gate and I am sure that was taken into consideration. By getting him, it shows everybody that the front office wants to win.”19 The Reds were in third place at the time, trailing the division-leading Dodgers by five games.      

Bell stepped right in, with the red numeral 25 on the back of his white Reds uniform, the e number Gus had worn three decades earlier. But Bell did not fare well, batting .219 in 67 games. His fielding was also subpar; he made nine errors and fielded at a .946 clip. Although the Reds won 15 of 21 to close out their schedule, they could not catch the Dodgers.

Bell bounced back the following two years. He posted career highs in home runs (20) and walks (73) in 1986 while collecting 75 RBIs and batting .278. In 1987 he hit 17 homers, drove in 70 runs, and hit .284. His .979 fielding percentage was tops among third basemen in the National League. Cincinnati finished second in both years.

Bell lost his starting position to rookie Chris Sabo in 1988. He was traded to Houston on June 19 for a player to be named later. Cincinnati also made the move to clear a roster spot for outfielder Eddie Milner. Bell’s time with the Astros was short and he was released on December 21, 1988. Bell signed a one-year deal with the Rangers. But he was released after just 34 games, and retired on June 24, 1989. He announced his retirement without fanfare, no bells or whistles. “My career was pretty much a secret to begin with, I might as well keep it that way,” said Bell.20 

Buddy Bell retired from baseball with a batting average of .279, 201 home runs, 1,106 RBIs, and 2,514 hits over 18 seasons. He played in 2,405 major-league games. As of 2018 he ranked fourth all time in games played without appearing in the postseason, behind Ernie Banks, Luke Appling, and Mickey Vernon.

Bell did not stray too far from the game he loved. In 1990 he joined the Cleveland organization as a roving minor-league hitting instructor. Next he moved to Chicago, where he was the director of minor-league instruction for the White Sox from 1991 through 1993.

In 1994 Bell joined Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove’s staff as an infield coach. He stayed with the Indians for two seasons. Times had changed for the Indians, and Buddy was able to witness the rebirth of the Indians, who made it to the World Series for the first time since 1954. It was doubly nice for the Bell clan as son David was an Indians utility player for part of the 1995 season. However, it was not all good news, as Gus Bell passed away on May 7, 1995, just as the season was getting under way. 

Bell managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996 to August 31, 1998. He finished second in the Manager of the Year voting in 1997, after guiding the Tigers to a 26-game improvement over the 1996 team. He managed the Colorado Rockies from 2000 to April 25, 2002. Bell returned to Cleveland and served on manager Eric Wedge’s staff as the bench coach from 2003 through May 30, 2005. He left the Indians when he was named to replace Tony Pena as manager of Kansas City, a position he held through the 2007 season. His won-lost record as a manager was 514-715 (.418).

In 1999 Bell was at the helm of the US Baseball Team in the Pan American games in Winnipeg, Canada. They won four games to advance to the medal round, eventually losing to Cuba in the championship game. Their performance enabled the United States to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 

In 2005 Bell co-wrote, with author Neal Vahle, Smart Baseball: How Professionals Play the Mental Game. In the book, Bell examines the mental makeup of players, past and present, and how they prepare themselves. If it is believed that ballplayers are in top physical condition when they take the field, often it is their mental approach to the game that will determine if they succeed or fail, he maintained.    

In 2005 Bell suffered a personal loss. His nephew Lance Cpl Timothy Bell was killed with 13 other Marines when their amphibious assault vehicle was blown up during combat operations in Iraq. He was the 165th Marine interred at Arlington National Cemetery as a result of Operation Iraq.

In 2006 Bell took a leave of absence from the Royals at the end of the season. It was discovered that he had throat cancer. He made a full recovery, returning to the Royals in 2007, and he managed the entire year.

In 2017 Bell was in his 10th season working in the front office of the Chicago White Sox. He was the vice president/assistant to general manager Rick Hahn and director of player development. In 2015 he received the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award, given annually to someone who has been instrumental in player development. “I am incredibly humbled by this award as I had the distinct honor of working alongside Chief in the Reds organization in 1999,” Bell said. “I learned something new every day. The knowledge I gleaned has been invaluable to me ever since, and I am thrilled to be joining the impressive list of recipients who have received this award before me.”21   

After the 2017 season, Bell returned to his hometown of Cincinnati. He was named the Reds’ senior advisor to General Manager and president of baseball operations, Dick Williams.    

Last revised: July 1, 2018

Notes

1 Joe Giuliotti, “Bell Didn’t Try for HRs,” Boston Herald, July 6, 1975: 35. 

2 Ibid.

3 Chuck Heaton, “Bell’s Two HRs Nail 4th in a Row,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 6, 1975: 3-2.

4 Russell Schneider, “Bell Rejects All-Star Bid,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 11, 1975: 1-C.  

5 Ibid.                                    

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Joe Quinn, “Buddy Bell: From Moeller to the Majors,” Greater Cincinnati Sports, September 1978 (In Bell’s Hall of Fame File).

9 Quinn.

10  Dan Coughlin, “Indians’ Bell Waiting for Other Shoe to Fall,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 31, 1978: 38.

11  Russell Schneider, “Bell’s Hot Stick Sounding Alarm to A.L Hurlers,” The Sporting News, June 16, 1973: 28.

12  Associated Press, Associated Press, March 4, 1975 (In Bell’s Hall of Fame file.)

13  Chuck Heaton, “Buddy Takes Night Off,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 16, 1977: 1-E.

14  Randy Galloway, “Bell Says Difference Is Talent,” Dallas Morning News, December 9, 1978: 2B.

15  Randy Galloway, “Bell, Sundberg Voted Gold Glove Awards,” Dallas Morning News, November 22, 1979: 2B.

16  Randy Galloway, “Nettles the Greatest? Someone Forgot Bell,” Dallas Morning News, October 25, 1981.

17  Ibid.

18  Hal McCoy, “Deposed Reds Voice Gripes,” The Sporting News, August 5, 1985: 16. 

19  Ibid.

20  T.R. Sullivan, “Bye-bye Buddy,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 25, 1989: 2.

21  Rhett Bollinger and Joey Nowak, “Bell Honored with ‘Chief’ Bender Award,” milb.com, accessed November 29, 2015.

David Bell

Longtime fans of the Indians know that the team did not appear in postseason play from 1954 to 1995. The 40 years in between were difficult for baseball in Cleveland. During that time, there were three waves of major-league baseball expansion into new cities with new teams finding success before the Indians returned to the postseason. The club was not the top team in Ohio during those lean years either as the Reds made it to the World Series in 1961, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, and 1990 while the Tribe languished as a second-tier club. However, many exciting players and traditions engaged the fans throughout these years.

For example, on April 15, 1972, David Gus Bell, better known as Buddy, made his major-league debut as a right fielder for the Indians in a 5-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He went hitless in three at-bats. The lineup for the Tribe in the losing effort included notable players such as Greg Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Ray Fosse, and Gaylord Perry. The first three went on to have careers with championship teams outside Cleveland in New York (Nettles and Chambliss) and Oakland (Fosse). Perry won the Cy Young Award that season for the Indians. The team had good players in 1972 and a rising star in Bell, but they finished in fifth place in the American League East Division, 14 games behind the Detroit Tigers.

Buddy Bell became an above-average player and a fan favorite in Cleveland. He was the Tribe’s third baseman for six seasons before a trade to the Texas Rangers, for whom he earned multiple Gold Gloves for another seven seasons. He finished off the productive part of his career with three years in his adopted home town of Cincinnati. Buddy’s father, David Russell “Gus” Bell, played in the major leagues from 1950 to 1964, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds from 1953 to 1961, the last of them a pennant-winning season for the club. Gus was a popular outfielder for the Reds splitting his time between center and right fields throughout his career. This introduction tells a story of a father/son combination of baseball players who both spent time in Cincinnati as major leaguers, but it is not where the family success in the major leagues, or ties to baseball in Ohio, ended.

On September 14, 1972, almost five months to the day after his major-league debut, Buddy Bell and his wife, Gloria (née Eysoldt), had a son named David. Buddy took that day off from the Indians, but he started and played center field the next day. The Indians lost to the Red Sox, 4-3, and Buddy went hitless in five at-bats from the leadoff spot in the order. However, this day became a link to a special moment in major-league history 23 years later and ironically at the start of a season in which the Indians broke their long postseason drought, and which moreover saw them win the American League pennant for the first time since 1954.

Gus Bell had moved his family to Cincinnati after a trade from the Pirates to the Reds in 1952. Cincinnati became home for the next few generations of the Bell family. Buddy had been born in Pittsburgh, but he was raised in Cincinnati and maintained his home there during his playing days in Cleveland and Texas. David was born and raised in Cincinnati.1 He remembered being thrilled to be in and around major-league clubhouses and traveling with his father since he was 6 years old.2 He loved the fact that his father was a major-league player, setting the stage for his future vocation.3 David always felt that he would never be as good as his father, who he thought was a great player. His admiration for his father as a player helped mold the young David as a player and a person. The Bell family was very close and all three of Buddy’s sons went on to be professional baseball players.4

However, before following their father’s footsteps into professional baseball, David (the eldest) followed his father’s lead to stardom in basketball and baseball at Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller High School. The school often known for football success has also won seven state baseball championships, with its first in 1972, the year David was born. Seventeen years later, as a junior at Moeller, David led the team to the state title in 1989.5 David was a three-year starter at Moeller and is the school’s all-time leader in doubles.6 Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. both starred at Moeller. However, the school did not win state championships during either of their baseball careers, which preceded David’s career at the school.

David had two brothers who also starred at Moeller. Michael Bell was three years younger than David and Ricky was seven years his junior. The Bell brothers starred in both baseball and basketball as did their father.7 After David graduated from high school in 1990 (a year the Reds won the World Series), he had a baseball scholarship waiting for him to attend the University of Kentucky, which he declined when he signed with the Indians after being a seventh-round draft pick in the June amateur draft.8

Bell batted and threw right-handed. He stood 5-feet-10 and weighed 170 pounds during his playing career. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Indians in the rookie league at age 17 in 1990. He did well, moving up to the Burlington rookie league team later that year. This began a slow but steady progression throughout the minor leagues. He spent the next two years with Columbus of the Class A Sally League and then the next season with Kinston in the Class A Carolina League. In 1993, Bell moved to Canton-Akron of the Double-A Eastern League, where his batting average for the first time rose above .260 in his minor-league career – finishing with a .292 average, 9 home runs, and 60 RBIs. His career was progressing and he seemed to be playing the game the way his father had as a good-fielding infielder, while developing in a solid, if not spectacular, fashion at the plate. In 1994, he played the entire year at Charlotte of the Triple-A International League, where he blossomed into a bona-fide major-league prospect. He hit .293 with 18 home runs and 88 RBIs. This made him a player to watch by long-suffering Indians fans, especially in a year when the major-league team was developing into a contender. However, with the Indians in contention, only one game behind the American League Central Division leading Chicago White Sox, the season abruptly ended with the players strike on August 11, 1994.

It felt unbelievable in the first year of three-division play in each league, with the Indians in the leading spot for a postseason berth as a wild-card team that the season could end in this manner. However, the future looked bright with the nucleus of star players forming what became a powerhouse of an offensive team for years to come. Additionally, there were stars in the minor leagues ready to make it to the majors and contribute to what held promise of the best baseball played in Cleveland in over four decades. Longtime fans hoped Bell would contribute to the future and follow Bell’s father’s example as a fan favorite in Cleveland.

Winter was somehow much longer that year; baseball had ended in August and uncertainty for the opening of the 1995 season loomed into the spring. The 1995 season opened later than usual on April 25 and with the season shortened to a 144-game schedule. As the season drew near, there was great anticipation that the Indians would reach the postseason. In addition, Bell earned the final spot on the Opening Day roster. It was a very exciting time for Indians bench coach Buddy Bell, who was able to be with his son as he made the major-league club.9 David made his major-league debut on May 3, 1995, at the age of 22. That night the Indians trounced the Tigers, 14-7, with their high-powered offense and just enough pitching to hold them close until the offense got in gear. This was the formula for success for the Tribe, who improved to 4-2 in the young season. Bell pinch-hit for Jim Thome and replaced him at third base. Bell was hitless in his only plate appearance.

With Bell’s appearance in this game, a historic achievement occurred as the Bells became only the second family ever to have three generations of major-league players. Only the Boone family had three generations of players appear at the major-league level – with Ray, Bob, Bret, and Aaron – before David helped put the Bell family in the major-league history books.

Bell’s only other game for the Indians in 1995 came on May 7, when he pinch-hit for Thome in a 17-inning, 10-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins. This was Bell’s only game before the home crowd in Cleveland that year. He went hitless and played third base, replacing Thome. More importantly than the Indians’ victory in the Bell family that day was the sad news that Gus Bell had died at 67 in Montgomery, Ohio.

Bell did not play again that season for the Indians after a demotion to Triple-A Buffalo for more playing time. Then, on June 27, 1995, he was traded with Pepe McNeal and Rick Heiserman to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Ken Hill. Indians fans were ecstatic to receive Hill, who had won 16 games for the first-place Montreal Expos the prior year until the strike hit. Fans were sad to see Bell go to another team without having much of a chance to prove himself in an Indians uniform. It seemed he might not assume his father’s role in Cleveland as many had hoped, but the team was on its way to the pennant and he was not going to supplant Thome, Omar Vizquel, or Carlos Baerga for playing time in the Indians infield any time soon.

Bell spent the rest of the 1995 season splitting his time between Louisville of the American Association and the Cardinals. He hit .250 for the Cardinals with 2 home runs and 19 RBIs in 39 games. He played second base in 37 games and three games at third. Playing second for the Cardinals was a treat for Bell because his keystone combination partner was future Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, whom many consider the best fielding shortstop of all time. Bell’s first major-league hit came on August 19, 1995, in St. Louis. He doubled to left field on the first pitch from reliever Brad Clontz in a 5-4 win over the first-place Braves.

On August 30, 1995, Bell played his first game in his hometown of Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium. Many friends and family attended that game to see him play (the extended Bell family is huge; Buddy was one of seven children) and he delivered his first major-league home run, a two-run shot off Mark Portugal. Bell was able to obtain the ball, which he hit over the left-center-field seats, with a little help from Reds center fielder Darren Lewis, who exchanged another ball with a fan in the outfield seats for the one that Bell hit. Bell gave that home-run ball to his mother after the game. The Cardinals finished in fourth place that year with a 62-81 record and 22½ games behind the division champion Reds. Both Ohio teams fared well that season; the Indians ran away with the American League Central Division, finishing at 100-44. Each team eventually was eliminated by the Braves. The Reds were swept in the National League Championship Series, and the Indians lost to the Braves in six games in the World Series.

Bell continued to go back and forth between the minors and majors the next two years. He spent 62 and 66 games with the Cardinals in 1996 and 1997. He hit only .214 and .211. He was not faring much better in the minors, where his offensive struggles continued in limited playing time. In 1997 the challenges for Bell continued as he spent time back at Arkansas of the Double-A Texas League as the Indians went to another World Series. He began the 1998 season with the Cardinals and played in four games with limited productivity until he was released. The Indians claimed him off waivers on April 14, 1998. It was an exciting time to be coming back to Cleveland as a player even though his father was no longer the bench coach. The next day, April 15, 1998, Bell started at second base and hit the first inside-the-park home run ever at Jacobs Field and the first for the Indians in nine seasons. The historic hit came off future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in the first inning with no one on base and one out giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead in an eventual 5-3 loss.

Once he rejoined the Indians, Bell was in the majors for good. He played in 107 games with the Indians, mostly as a second baseman, and began to break out as a player offensively and defensively. He hit .262 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. However, his big break as a major-league player came later that year when the Indians traded him to Seattle for Joey Cora on August 31, 1998. The Indians were again in the midst of a pennant race and they felt Cora brought veteran skills to the club for the playoff drive. The team won the Central Division by nine games before beating the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. They ultimately lost to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series in six games. Cora struggled in the postseason, going 1-for-17 and played in only two games against the Yankees. His playing career was over and Bell’s was just beginning.

The Mariners had strong teams in the mid- to late 1990s with Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Álex Rodríguez on the roster. When Bell joined the team, Johnson was gone, but the other stars remained and the future looked great. Bell hit .325 in 21 games for the Mariners to finish out the 1998 season and was primed to compete for the second-base job in 1999. He was competing with promising rookie infielder Carlos Guillén for that spot when Guillén was lost for the season with an injury. Bell became the everyday second baseman and had his true breakout year. He established career highs in home runs (21), runs (92), and RBIs (78) while batting .268. Bell led the league in putouts (313) and double plays (118) from his second-base position. The Mariners finished 79-83 and in third place in the American League Western Division, but 16 games behind division winner Texas. It was a disappointing outcome relative to the talent on the team under manager Lou Piniella. In the offseason, David married Kristi Kimener, of Cincinnati, on November 27, 1999.10

In 2000 Bell got his first taste of playoff baseball as the Mariners won the American League wild card with a record of 91-71 only a half-game behind the division-winning Athletics. They swept the White Sox three games to none in the Division Series before losing to the Yankees in six games in the ALCS. Bell did not repeat the success of his 1999 campaign, batting .247 with 11 home runs. Mark McLemore joined the team that season and Guillén returned from injury, forcing Bell to split playing time in the Mariners infield. This began a streak of three straight postseason appearances for Bell.

The Mariners tied the record for regular-season wins in 2001 with 116 against only 46 loses. They acquired Bret Boone (of the other three-generation family) and he exploded on the Seattle baseball scene with 37 home runs and a team-leading 141 RBIs. Guillén moved to shortstop and Bell became the starting third baseman and batted 260 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs. Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki hit .350 and center fielder Mike Cameron had a breakout season with 25 home runs and 110 RBIs. The ever-steady Martinez hit over .300 with 23 home runs and 116 RBIs as the designated hitter. The Mariners beat the Indians, three games to two, in the Division Series before surprisingly losing to the Yankees four games to one in the ALCS. It was surprising because they had won 21 more regular-season games than the Yankees, but they were flat in four out of five games against a team that subsequently lost the World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The loss to the Yankees for the second consecutive year, after the record-breaking regular season, was stunning to everyone.

Bell was solid in the ALDS against the Indians with five hits in 16 at-bats for a .313 average. He hit his first postseason home run in Game Two of the series. It was a solo drive to left field off Tribe starter Chuck Finley. However, Bell struggled, as did most of the team, in the Yankees series, hitting a paltry .188, but with four runs batted in. He became a free agent after the season, but re-signed with the Mariners in December. The Mariners traded him in January to the San Francisco Giants for Desi Relaford and cash. Bell said his time in Seattle and the lifelong friendships made there were some of the most memorable points of his career.11

Bell was the starting third baseman for the Giants in 2002 and played in 154 games, batting.261 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs while playing a solid infield defense. He was a steady performer much like his father before him. He was overshadowed by monster seasons from Barry Bonds (.370, 46, 110) and Jeff Kent (.313, 37, 108), but the Giants made the playoffs, finishing 95-66-1 under the guidance of Dusty Baker. They were 2½ games behind the division-winning Diamondbacks, but they beat the Braves in the Division Series, three games to two and the Cardinals, four games to one, in the NLCS to advance to Bell’s first and only World Series. He struggled in the Division Series but had an outstanding Championship Series that saw him go 7-for-17 (.412) with his second postseason home run. Bell scored the winning run in the pennant-clinching Game Five against the Cardinals. He coming home from second base on a hit by former Indians teammate Kenny Lofton.

Bell described playing in the World Series against the Angels as his career highlight. “It was that feeling” of playing in a World Series “that is the thing, I think about the most, by a long shot.”12 The Angels beat the Giants in seven games.

The Giants had all the momentum after a 16-4 bombing of the Angels in Game Five. They did not win another game. With their backs to the wall, the Angels made a historic comeback in Game Six, then bested the Giants in Game Seven for the title. Bell started all seven games at third base in the series. He won Game Four with an eighth-inning RBI single that scored J.T. Snow. He hit .304 with one home run and four RBIs, continuing his above-average postseason play. His World Series home run, in Game Two at Edison Field in Anaheim, was a solo shot off Kevin Appier to center field in the second inning of a frustrating 11-10 loss. In the most famous play from this World Series, Bell was sprinting home with a run in the Game Five blowout after a triple by Lofton. Snow had already scored and as he crossed the plate, he grabbed Giants manager Dusty Baker’s 3-year-old son, batboy Darren Baker, who was retrieving Lofton’s bat, and carried him off the field, avoiding a potential serious injury. After the season, Bell won the Willie Mac Award (named after Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey), as voted by his teammates and the coaching staff, for team spirit and inspirational leadership.

Bell became a free agent in October 2002 and he signed a contract with the Phillies in December 2002. His first year in Philadelphia (2003) was a bust; he played in only 85 games and batted.195. He rebounded in his second year with the Phillies, hitting .291 with 18 home runs and 77 RBIs. He reunited with Jim Thome in Philadelphia in 2003 and 2004. On June 28, 2004, Bell hit for the cycle in a 14-6 Phillies rout of the Expos. He doubled in the second, homered in the fourth, and singled in the sixth. His seventh-inning triple was controversial: The ball appeared to hit of the hands of a fan in deep center field before bouncing away from the Expos’ Brad Wilkerson. Expos manager Frank Robinson protested the call and the umpires met while Bell stood on third base, but the umpires ruled it a triple, much to Robinson’s chagrin. Bell said he “was unaware that he hit for the cycle until third-base coach John Vukovich told him to enjoy the moment.”13 It was the first time in major-league history that a grandfather and grandson had both hit for the cycle. Gus Bell had accomplished the feat on June 4, 1951, for the Pirates. Bell said he was happy to have hits in a game his team won and that he “realized that hitting for the cycle is something that doesn’t happen very often.”14

Bell’s next two years with Phillies saw his offensive productivity in moderate decline though he remained the starting third baseman. The team was up-an- coming (once again in David’s career), but it failed to make playoffs by very close margins in 2004 and 2005, finishing in second place each of those years behind the Braves. Ryan Howard had replaced Thome at first base and Chase Utley was emerging along with Howard and Jimmy Rollins as superstars in the Phillies infield. In 2006 the Phillies once again finished frustratingly second, this time to the Mets, and just three games off the wild-card pace. He spent 3½ years playing third base for the Phillies until a trade to the Brewers for Wilfrido Laureano on July 28, 2006.

Bell’s career ended after he played out the 2006 season with the Brewers. He became a free agent and retired with an eye toward coaching and managing, once again following in his father’s footsteps. He finished his 12-year career with a .257 batting average, 123 home runs, and 589 RBIs. In three trips to the postseason with the Mariners and Giants he batted.282 with three home runs. Bell certainly had a solid, if unspectacular, playing career in terms of productivity.

Bell managed the Double-A Carolina Mudcats, a Reds affiliate, from 2009 through 2011. He then managed the  Louisville Bats of the Triple-A International League in 2012, an affiliate of the Reds He spoke hopefully about continuing to manage in the Reds’ system and eventually perhaps coaching or managing with the big-league club in his hometown.15 He spent 2013 as the third-base coach with the Chicago Cubs while his father was assistant general manager of the White Sox.16 Bell was with the Cardinals in 2014 as an assistant hitting instructor before a promotion to bench coach for the 2015 season.17 After spending three years as a bench coach for manager Mike Matheny’s Cardinals, Bell accepted the role of vice president of player development for the San Francisco Giants after the 2017 season.18 The position allowed Bell to be closer to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he and Kristi live with their daughter, Brogan, and son, David, whom they call “Gus” just like his great grandfather.

But on October 22, 2018, Bell’s career took another turn. He returned home to Cincinnati as he was named the new manager of the Reds. He succeeds interim manager Jim Riggleman, who took over for Bryan Price who was dismissed in April when the Reds broke out of the gate with a 3-15 record.  Bell is the 52nd manager in Cincinnati Reds history. “It’s what I always wanted and what I dreamed of,” said Bell. “To have an opportunity to work with people you respect and like and truly are in it to be all together with one goal, this is what I was hoping for.”19

The Bell family now joins another exclusive club. They are the fourth family in major-league baseball history to have a father and son who served as managers. Buddy Bell managed in Detroit, Colorado and Kansas City. They join George and Dick Sisler, Bob and Joel Skinner, and Bob and Aaron Boone. 20 

Notes

1 Chadwick Fischer, “Q&A with New Bats Manager David Bell,” MiLB.com, January 31, 2012, milb.com/milb/news/q–a-with-new-bats-manager-david-bell/c-26525502.

2 “David Bell,” Baseballlibrary.com, accessed November 25, 2014, baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=David_Bell_1972.

3 “David Bell.”

4 “2009 Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame — Bell, Bell, Bell, Mitts, Richter, Coaches Russo,” Larosas MVP.com, accessed November 25, 2014, larosasmvp.com/fame/2009_inductees.htm.

5 “2009 Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame – Bell, Bell, Bell, Mitts, Richter, Coaches Russo.”

6 “2009 Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame – Bell, Bell, Bell, Mitts, Richter, Coaches Russo.”

7 “2009 Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame – Bell, Bell, Bell, Mitts, Richter, Coaches Russo.”

8 “David Bell Minor Leagues Statistics & History,” Baseball Reference.com, accessed November 25, 2014, baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bell–004dav.

9 Derrick Goold, “Baseball Is Family Tradition for Cards’ Bell,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 2016, stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/goold-baseball-is-family-tradition-for-cards-bell/article_644365cf-04d4-5c88-b2ab-bf8d80ecfc63.html.

10 “2009 Cincinnati High School Sports Hall of Fame – Bell, Bell, Bell, Mitts, Richter, Coaches Russo.”

11 Nick Piecoro, “What’s Up: Ex-MLB Player David Bell,” Arizona Republic, October 21, 2009, sec. Sports, archive.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/2009/10/21/20091021spt-whatsup.html.

12 Piecoro.

13 “Like His Grandfather, Bell Hits for the Cycle,” New York Times, June 29, 2004: D6.

14 “Like His Grandfather, Bell Hits for the Cycle.”

15 Fischer, “Q&A with New Bats Manager David Bell.”

16 Toni Ginnetti and Gordon Wittenmyer, “David Bell and Father Buddy on Opposite Sides of City Rivalry,” Chicago Sun Times, May 27, 2013.

17 Jon Doble, “David Bell Named Bench Coach; Cardinals Roster Moves,” Redbird Dugout, November 3, 2014, redbirddugout.com/david-bell-named-bench-coach-make-roster-moves/.

18 Jenifer Langosch, “Bench Coach David Bell Departs Cardinals,” MLB.com, October 20, 2017, mlb.com/news/bench-coach-david-bell-departs-cardinals/c-259191112.

19 Mark Sheldon, “Reds name David Bell new manager,” https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/reds-select-david-bell-as-teams-new-manager/c-299427658, October 22, 2018,  accessed October 23, 2018.

20 Associated Press, “New manager David Bell tasked with turning around Reds,”  http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/25054877/new-manager-david-bell-tasked-turning-cincinnati-reds October 22, 2018, accessed October 23, 2018.

“Joey is extremely smart. He’s great with figures and crossword puzzles. He could spell backwards when he was five. Did you know my Joey was an Eagle Scout? He took French in high school, finished sixth in his class of 266. I brought him up to excel in everything. He wants to be perfect.”

Strike 1: It’s impossible to be perfect, or bat 1.000 over the course of a 12-year major-league baseball career. Which leads to …

“Sometimes he throws coolers around. Sometimes he breaks phones in the clubhouse. There are cookies all over the place. This guy is so unbelievable, he can go three for three going into his at-bat and pop out, and he’s still throwing cookies around.” — Former Indians teammate Omar Vizquel to the Associated Press, October 23, 1995.

Strike 2. In Belle’s case, imperfection led to temper tantrums, shattering locker-room sinks, ripping thermostats off clubhouse walls, and firing expletives at media members. Which amped up Belle’s anger inside and …

“Throughout his major league career Albert Belle has demonstrated a distinct pattern: When the surly slugger gets P.O.’d, baseballs get K.O.’d.” — Mark Bechtel, Sports Illustrated, July 27, 1998.

During his tumultuous career, Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966, in Shreveport, Louisiana) almost always played pissed off. And his career statistics (a .295 batting average, a .369 on-base percentage, and averages of 32 home runs and 103 RBIs per season) second that emotion.

But when discussing Belle and/or his playing career, words speak louder than numbers. Take your pick of adjectives. Abusive and articulate. Dominant and divisive. Intimidating and intellectual. Consistent and cursing.

Belle has fond memories of growing up. “I was blessed to grow up with parents who possessed different strengths and skills,” Belle wrote in an op-ed piece for the Baltimore Sun.1 “Mom was and still is the ‘glue’ of the family, but Dad (also named Albert) was the enforcer and ‘silent pillar of strength.’ Mom encouraged academics and culture, and Dad always promoted athletics. Both gave me and my brother all they had.” Belle’s mother was a math teacher and his father, in addition to his football and baseball coaching duties at another Shreveport-area high school, was also an educator.2

The elder Belle pushed his twin boys hard. “To this day, I believe my late-night batting practices during my high school years were what made the difference in helping me arrive at the Major Leagues. After high school baseball practice, I would go home, eat dinner, and tackle homework. Dad would usually arrive home after a long practice with his high school team. After talking to Mom for a few minutes, he would poke his head in our room. That was our signal. My brother and I would immediately bounce up and jog out of the house up to the local junior high school, with Dad driving behind us. Dad would throw us hundreds of balls all night long.”3

After an all-state career and National Honor Society merit at Huntington High School in Shreveport, Belle attended Louisiana State University (1985-87) in Baton Rouge, where he set school career marks for home runs (49), total bases (392) and RBIs (172).4

But Belle’s inability to control his temper appeared on a public stage for the first time during a game at the 1987 Southeast Conference tournament. Belle attempted to run down a fan who was shouting racial slurs at him. Two of his teammates tackled him and he was suspended for the College World Series by Tigers coach Skip Bertman.

Tick, tick, tick.

It wasn’t the last time Belle confronted a fan. On May 11, 1991, while with the Indians, he drilled Jeff Pillar in the chest with a fastball fired from 15 feet away after Pillar yelled, “Hey Joey, keg party at my house after the game.”5 Two years later, on September 23, 1993, Belle was with some teammates at a Cleveland nightclub when he hit William Kelly twice in the face with a ping pong paddle after Kelly chanted, “Joey, Joey”6 (the name Belle went by before his 10-week stay at an addiction treatment center in 1990).7

The Indians selected Belle with their first pick in the 1987 amateur draft. Belle spent parts of five seasons in the minor leagues. Splitting time between Kinston and Waterloo during the 1988 campaign, Belle belted 17 home runs with 54 RBIs and a .293 batting average. The next year he jacked 20 home runs for Double-A Canton-Akron, earning a promotion to the major leagues. In 62 games Belle struggled with his batting average (.225) but did club seven home runs while driving in 37 runs. He was only 22 years old.

Belle’s 1990 season was interrupted by his rehab stay. Re-emerging clean, Joey Belle began going by his given first name, Albert, upon leaving the facility. He made the Tribe’s roster for good at the start of the 1991 season. He slammed 28 home runs in 123 games that year, driving in 95 runs while batting .282. He was just getting started.

From 1992 to 1996, there was no more dominant — or feared — batsman than Belle. His five-year averages of .303 (batting), 41 home runs, and 123 RBIs were neither equaled nor surpassed by anyone. He was named to four American League All-Star teams during that span.

Of course, Belle being Belle, there were some speed bumps along the way. In the strike-shortened 1994 season (teams refused to take the field for any of the scheduled August 12 contests and forced the cancellation of the rest of the season and the World Series) he had one of his bats confiscated by the umpiring crew during a July 15 Central Division showdown with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago manager Gene Lamont, acting on a tip, asked the umpires to check the bat for cork. A bat filled with cork can be swung faster because the cork makes it lighter and gives the baseball lift.

Following league policy, the umpires locked the bat in the umpires’ room. After the incident, Cleveland pitcher Jason Grimsley, knowing that corked bats were part of Belle’s arsenal, snaked his way through the maze of ductwork and ceiling tiles in the bowels of Comiskey Park II. “My heart was going 1,000 miles an hour,” Grimsley said. “And in (to) the umpire’s dressing room I went. I just rolled the dice. A crap-shoot.”8

Grimsley said he quickly dropped from the top of a refrigerator to a counter and down, and immediately spotted Belle’s bat in an umpire’s locker. He made the exchange, as imperfect as it was: According to other members of the Indians’ organization, Grimsley had to switch Belle’s bat with one belonging to Paul Sorrento because every one of Belle’s bats was corked.9 As often was the endgame with Belle, he was suspended for seven games (reduced from 10).

During the strike-delayed 1995 campaign, Belle became the only major leaguer to sock 50 home runs and 50 (52) doubles in the same season, which was all of 144 games (Belle played in 143 games that year). He tied Babe Ruth’s 1927 record for home runs in September with 17.10 Like Ruth, Belle was the best player on the best team in baseball.

Despite his offensive fireworks, Belle placed second in the 1995 American League Most Valuable Player race, behind the inferior stat line of Boston first baseman Mo Vaughn. “Actually I’m surprised I got as many votes as I did,” said Belle, who received 11 first-place votes to Vaughn’s 12. “I’m kind of upset that they give baseball writers all this power when other media people who were former ballplayers should be involved in the voting, too. Maybe it should be 50-50 with those guys and the writers. Or maybe not let the baseball writers vote at all.”11

The Indians ended a 41-year World Series drought when they faced the Atlanta Braves and their future Hall of Fame-loaded starting rotation of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Greg Maddux. Though the Braves won in six games, Belle made headlines, although not necessarily for his offensive prowess. (Though he hit just .235, Belle had two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored, and seven walks for an eye-popping 1.047 OPS).

During batting practice before Game Three, which for Belle was akin to a church service, he became annoyed at the number of media members in the Indians dugout. According to NBC reporter Hannah Storm, “Initially, he screamed at all the media to get out of the dugout in language that was horrible. Two or three men left. They were frightened. I was the only one who stayed, because I was waiting to do an interview with Kenny Lofton. When I stayed, he directed his tirade at me.”12

Major League Baseball was slow to react. While it could not have approved of Belle’s actions, the strong arm of the players union lurked in the background. For his part, Belle felt he should be neither fined nor suspended. “If that’s what (Bud Selig) wants to do, I’ll just tell him that’s bull (bleep) if I have to be suspended for trying to get back some (batting) space that he as commissioner should have given us in the first place.”13

Belle’s logic was not shared by Selig. He ruled on February 29, 1996, that the outfielder had a choice: a $10,000 fine or a 10-day suspension. Belle reluctantly chose the former punishment.

Belle’s agent, Arn Tellem, not surprisingly agreed with his client. “The fine is without any precedent and is totally unjustified,” he said. “But we had no choice but to accept the fine given that (Selig) had no remedy to go before someone neutral to hear this matter. It would be like Marcia Clark deciding the fate of O.J. Simpson.”14

Belle’s 1995 was not over until Halloween Night, when he jumped into his truck to chase down kids from his neighborhood who had egged his house.15 He was convicted of reckless operation of a motor vehicle and fined $1,000 for that bit of horseplay.16

During his 1996 free-agent walk year with the Indians, Belle continued to get the job done on the field. His 148 RBIs led the league. He clubbed 48 home runs while batting .311. Belle received his fourth straight Silver Slugger Award, finished third in the MVP voting, and won a five-year, $55 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. Just like the Babe, Belle was now baseball’s highest-paid player.

For Belle, the move to a division rival represented a new beginning after 10 years and a lot of uneasiness with the same organization. His unhappiness over the Indians’ 1995-1996 offseason moves was still evident one year later. “After we went to the World Series (in ’95), I told them: `Please keep this team together. We’ll win the World Series a few times, but only if it’s kept together.’ All they needed to do was re-sign Paul Sorrento and Kenny Hill and our offseason moves would’ve been over. We would’ve been set. We would’ve brought the same team back and I’m telling you we would’ve won more games, gone back to the Series and won it. When you go to a World Series, you can’t tinker with the chemistry of a team because you fight so hard to get that kind of chemistry.”17

At least one of Belle’s ex-teammates begged to differ. “I got tired of answering questions about him,” said shortstop Omar Vizquel during 1997 spring training. “He was in his own little world. He’s a great player, but he didn’t contribute to team chemistry. And team chemistry is important.”18

Indians manager Mike Hargrove said, “Some of the things surrounding Albert were not good, but you take the good with the bad.”19

The 1997 Indians did not win as many games as Belle’s last Tribe team had, but still captured the AL Central by six games over his new squad. After taking care of the Yankees and Orioles in the playoffs, the Clevelanders advanced to their second World Series in three years, dropping Game Seven and the Series to the Florida Marlins.

Belle had his first of two productive seasons with Chicago. In 1997 he recorded his sixth consecutive season of hitting at least 30 home runs (30) and driving in at least 100 runs (with 116). The year after, he increased that streak to seven years with 49 homers and a career-high 152 RBIs. In two years, the White Sox slugger compiled a .301 batting average. At age 31, he was among the game’s elite, and raised his salary ante to get paid like it.

Belle’s original contract with the White Sox called for him to remain among baseball’s top three paid players. The White Sox refused to negotiate, giving Belle and his agent a narrow window to shop his services. They found a willing suitor in the Baltimore Orioles, who showered Belle with a five-year, $65 million contract.20

As he had done with the White Sox, Belle played nice with the media at the start of his Orioles career, granting interviews, attending Baltimore’s Fan Fest during the 1999 winter, and signing autographs during spring training. But a slow start at the plate (a .200 batting average with one RBI) led him to announce on March 14, 1999, that “I’m done with you guys.” And just like that, three months of good will went right down the clubhouse drain.

He played two years in Baltimore before an arthritic right hip condition forced him to retire on March 11, 2001. He was productive up until the end, averaging 30 home runs and 110 RBIs per Oriole season.21

Belle considered RBIs the most important offensive statistic in the game: “Hitting for a high average is nice. So is hitting a ton of home runs. But driving in a run a game is awesome.”22

It’s too bad he did not think of media relations as highly. When his name first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2006, he received a minuscule 7.7 percent of the vote. Translated: 520 ballots were cast and Belle was recognized on just 40 of them. His second — and final — year on the ballot came in 2007 when he collected just 3.5 percent of the vote. Needing 5 percent to remain on the ballot, Belle was off his ticket to Cooperstown for good.23

Belle’s career average 162-game season compares favorably with those of others already in the Hall, including Willie Stargell, Hack Wilson, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Perez, and Jim Rice. So why was he bounced from the ballot after just two seasons?

“His numbers were good,” Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said. “I thought if he played one or two more years at a high level, I’d have to vote for him. But he didn’t. He was a bad guy. And what goes around comes around.

“It wasn’t just us. He would sit there and dare people to talk to him. He would abuse the clubhouse guy, the PR guy, everybody.”24

According to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune, who covered Belle during the 1998 season, “He was even a menace to Sox employees. He once cursed out a broadcaster for having the gall to enter the trainer’s room to get an aspirin. And he belittled hitting instructor Von Joshua by forbidding him from discussing his (Belle’s) swing with reporters.”25

Belle mellowed, but only after he was retired. He visited the Indians training camps in 2012 and 2015. The father of three girls, he lives with his family near Phoenix.

In 2016, Belle was elected to the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame. Citing family commitments, he declined to attend the ceremony.

Belle never met a fastball he couldn’t crush or a writer he wouldn’t berate. He played by his own rules, answering to no one. Maybe that’s why one of the best players in Cleveland Indians history is not remembered fondly, but “frown-ly.”

Last revised: November 12, 2018

This biography was published in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Notes

1 Baltimore Sun, June 10, 2001.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Jim Engster, “Albert Belle, man of mystery and mastery,” Tiger Rag Magazine, February 9, 2015.

5 New York Post, October 2, 1991.

6 New York Post, September 25, 1993.

7 Sports Illustrated, June 24, 1991.

8 New York Times, April 11, 1999.

9 albertbelle.net/timeline.php.

10 Sports Illustrated, October 9, 1995.

11 Lorain [Ohio Morning Journal, January 14, 1996.

12 USA Today, February 6, 1996.

13 Lorain Morning Journal, January 14, 1996.

14 New York Times, March 1, 1996.

15 Lorain Morning Journal, January 14, 1996.

16 albertbelle.net/timeline.php.

17 Sport Magazine, May 1997.

18 The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), March 9, 1997.

19 Ibid.

20 albertbelle.net/timeline.php

21 Sport Magazine, May 1997.

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid.

24Boston Globe, January 16, 2006.

25Ibid.

Bud Black spent 15 years as a major-league pitcher and followed that up with a long career as a manager. In 2018 he was in his 11th year as a big-league skipper.

Harry “Bud” Ralston Black was born on June 30, 1957, in San Mateo, California. He graduated from Mark Morris High School in Longview, Washington. His father, Harry Sr., was a center for the Los Angeles Monarchs of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (1945-48) and led the team in scoring in 1946.

Black pitched for Lower Columbia College (Washington) in 1976 and 1977. He was drafted twice in 1977, when the major leagues conducted two drafts a year. First, he was drafted in January by the San Francisco Giants in the third round. Then, in the June draft, the New York Mets selected him in the second round. Black declined to sign each time, deciding instead to attend San Diego State University from 1978-1979, majoring in finance. Black led the Aztecs in innings pitched and strikeouts in 1978 and 1979. Seattle drafted the left-hander in the 17th round in 1979 and Black signed with the Mariners.

Black spent the rest of 1979 in Class A, making 19 appearances with San Jose (California League) and Bellingham (Northwest League). He returned to San Jose in 1980, appearing mostly out of the bullpen. His 5-3 record and 3.45 ERA earned him a promotion to Double A to start 1981. His 2-6 record with Lynn (Eastern League) did not tell the entire story. Black led the team with a 3.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio and was third on the team in strikeouts despite making only 11 starts. He made four appearances for Triple-A Spokane before getting a September call-up with the Mariners for two games. He made his major-league debut on September 5, 1981, coming out of the bullpen against the Boston Red Sox. In the bottom of the fifth, in the midst of a six-run Red Sox rally, manager Rene Lachemann used him as a situational lefty to face one batter, Rick Miller. Black threw a wild pitch, then surrendered a single, and was replaced. He appeared in just one other game, the next day. He came on with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, and walked the batter he faced, but then picked him off first. He worked the seventh, giving up a leadoff double and walking two while getting two outs and then handing the ball over to Shane Rawley, who closed out the inning.

Seattle traded the young left-hander to Kansas City in March 1982 to complete an October 1981 deal that sent infielder Manny Castillo to the Mariners.

Black made the Royals to start 1982. Over the first month and a half, he pitched in six games, going 0-1 with a 7.98 ERA. Opponents batted .339 against him. He was sent down to Omaha, where he excelled, going 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA in four starts. Black was recalled in June 12 when David Frost was placed on the disabled list.1 He pitched in 16 games, making 13 starts, for the rest of the season. Black finished the season 4-6 with a 4.58 ERA.

Black started 1983 with Triple-A Omaha but was recalled in May to assume a spot in the starting rotation, taking over for Vida Blue, who was sent to the pen.2 He pitched his first career complete game as a Royal after 27 starts. The game was a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on August 4, 1983. Black posted a solid 10-7 season for the second-place Royals. Perhaps the most memorable game of the season for Black was the “pine tar” game on July 24. George Brett hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a one-run lead. Yankees manager Billy Martin claimed that the pine tar on Brett’s bat was more than the league-allowed 18 inches. The umpires agreed, calling Brett out and giving the Yankees the victory. The Royals protested the call. American League President Lee MacPhail reversed the decision of the umpires, and the game was resumed on August 18. Both the Royals and Black benefited from this reversal. Had the called stood, Black would have been the losing pitcher. Instead, Black had a no-decision.3

The 1984 season was Black’s best as a major leaguer. He led the Royals in wins (17), starts (35), complete games (8), strikeouts (140), and ERA as a starter (3.12). He also had the distinction of giving up Reggie Jackson’s 500th career home run on September 17. Black and the Royals won that game 10-1 over the California Angels.

Black made his postseason debut on October 2 in the American League Championship Series against the favored Detroit Tigers. Black had made three starts against the Tigers during the regular season, suffering one loss and two no-decisions. His ERA approached 6.00 and the Tigers hit .319 against him. This scene repeated in Game One of the ALCS. Black lasted only five innings, giving up four earned runs, as the Tigers beat the Royals 8-1.

The 1985 season was a different story. Black had a season almost statistically opposite from 1984. He led the team in losses (15), starter ERA (4.33), runs allowed (111), and earned runs (99). The Royals made the ALCS again, this time against the Toronto Blue Jays. Black started Game Two and pitched seven strong innings. Usually reliable closer Dan Quisenberry could not hold onto the lead, and the Royals fell behind in the series two games to none. Black made two more appearances in the ALCS, both relief appearances. His 3⅓-inning relief appearance in Game Six helped the Royals force a Game Seven, and they won the American League pennant. Black made two appearances in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a five-inning loss in Game Four. The Royals won the Series in seven games, giving Black his only World Series ring. Black did not make the postseason again in his career.

The 1986 season marked a transition to the bullpen for Black. He made four starts at the beginning of the season but was moved to the bullpen in early May. Black seemed to thrive in his role. Opponents hit .198, while he carried a 2.34 ERA. The Royals finished second though, preventing a potential repeat in the postseason.

The 1987 season was the opposite of 1986; Black started in the bullpen but returned to the starting rotation in early May. His stats as a reliever again were solid (1.90 ERA, .198 batting average against) His stats as a starter were good for a back-of-the-rotation pitcher (4.01 ERA, .279 batting average against).

Black bounced back to the bullpen to start 1988 but was traded to Cleveland in early June for infielder Pat Tabler. He pitched mainly out of the bullpen for the Indians to start, but did transition back into the starting rotation late in the season.

Black was solid in the 1989 and 1990 seasons with a bottom-dwelling Indians team. He was 23-21 over that time with a 3.44 ERA. The Toronto Blue Jays needed some pitching to help them get into the playoffs, and made a mid-September trade for Black. He appeared in three games, including two starts. His last outing was one of his best for the season, eight innings of three-hit ball against Baltimore. Ultimately, though, the Blue Jays finished in second behind the Boston Red Sox.

After the 1990 season, Black signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. Up to that point, Black was 85-83 over nine seasons, and had won only 42 games the previous five seasons combined. An anonymous National League general manager panned the signing, saying, “Maybe Bud Black will win some games for the Giants, but it looks like one of the worst signings ever.”4

Black’s first two seasons with San Francisco were mediocre. He went 22-28 but pitched almost 400 innings. The 1993 season started well, but he could not shake the injury bug. Black went on the disabled list three times during the season for elbow trouble and he did not pitch after August 3. In late September he underwent surgery to repair a tendon in his left elbow.5 Then before the 1994 season, he had arthroscopic knee surgery.6

Black did not pitch until June 1994 and made 10 appearances before the season was cut short by the players strike. During the offseason, he signed a minor-league contract to go back to the Indians in 1995 but made only 11 appearances with the Indians before being released on July 14.

The Indians named Black a special assistant for baseball operations to general manager John Hart for the 1996 and 1997 seasons, before naming him the pitching coach at Tripler-A Buffalo for the 1998 season. Black returned to his special assistant role for the 1999 season.

The Los Angeles Angels named Black their pitching coach in 2000, and he helmed the mound staff that helped lead the Angels to the 2002 World Series championship. His teams finished in the top five in ERA five of his seasons. He coached Bartolo Colon during Colon’s 2005 Cy Young season. This success led to Black’s being considered for many managerial openings. In 2002 he was a candidate for the Cleveland Indians managerial position, but later declined to continue further with the process.7 In 2005 he declined to be interviewed for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ managerial position, citing family reasons.8 In 2006 Black was a candidate for the San Francisco Giants opening, as was then-Padres manager Bruce Bochy.9 When the Giants signed Bochy, the Padres turned to Black. Black was named manager of the Padres on November 6, 2006.

The 2007 season was an odd one for the rookie manager. On September 23 he had a role in one of the stranger incidents in baseball. Outfielder Milton Bradley was involved in an altercation with first-base umpire Mike Winters, accusing Winters of saying that Bradley threw his bat at an umpire.10 In an attempt to subdue Bradley, Black pulled him away. Bradley’s knee buckled. That knee ultimately cost Bradley the rest of the 2007 season and may have cost the Padres a shot at the playoffs. They were 2½ games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, and had a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres and Rockies played in game 163 to decide which would be the wild-card team. The Rockies came into the game having gone 13-1 in their last 14 games. The Padres took the lead in the top of the 13th on a two-run home run by Scott Hairston, but usually steady closer Trevor Hoffman gave up three runs in the bottom half of the inning, sending the Rockies into the playoffs (and eventually the World Series). Matt Holliday scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Jamey Carroll, sliding head-first into home. Replays were inconclusive as to whether Holliday had actually touched home or not.

Black narrowly missed taking the Padres to the playoffs in 2010. Going into the final weekend, the Padres were three games behind the Giants for the NL West title. The Padres won the first two, but dropped the last game, giving the Giants the division. Despite not making the playoffs, Black was named 2010 National League Manager of the Year, going 90-72. This was Black’s last winning season as a manager. His 2011 Padres team went 71-91, while his 2012 and 2013 teams went 76-86, and the 2014 team was 77-85. During the offseason before the 2015 season, the Padres made bold moves, including acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel, outfielders Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, and catcher Derek Norris. The Padres were 32-33 to start the season before Black was fired.

Black was not out of work for long. He was a candidate for the Washington Nationals’ open managerial position and was the leading choice by all accounts.11 Black had accepted the position, but contract negotiations broke down.12 The Nationals eventually hired Dusty Baker, while Black returned to the Angels as a special assistant to the general manager.

Black became a leading candidate for the Colorado Rockies managerial job when Walt Weiss stepped away after the 2016 season. On November 7, 2016, the Rockies made the hiring of Black official.13

The Rockies got off to a hot start and were leading the West at the end of April. The Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers fought for first throughout the first half of the season, until the Dodgers pulled away from the rest of the division en route to an eventual National League pennant. Black did lead the team to an 87-75 record, and a berth in the wild-card round against the Diamondbacks. The Rockies fell behind 6-0 in that game but fought back. “Right away, all hell broke loose and from there on it was a heavyweight fight,” Black said after the game. “We got close a couple times, they stretched the lead, we came back. It was a crazy game.”14 Their efforts fell short, as they lost 11-8.

In 1992, Black was inducted into San Diego State Athletics Hall of Fame.15 He and his wife, Nanette, donated money to fund an alumni room at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium.16

This biography was published in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author also used the following:

Baseball Reference (baseball-reference.com),

2016 Los Angeles Angels Media Guide.

2015 San Diego Padres Media Guide.

Notes

1 “Royals’ Frost on Disabled List,” Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1982: 3-5

2 “Royals’ Blue Sent to Bullpen,” Atlanta Constitution, May 24, 1983: 5-D

3 “Brett Not Only One Affected,” Los Angeles Times, July 30, 1983: 3-2

4 Jerome Holtzman, “Black Deal Throws Free-Agent Curve,” Chicago Tribune, November 15, 1990: 4-13

5 “Around the Majors,” New York Times, September 26, 1993: 56

6 “Spring Training,” Washington Post, February 20, 1994.

7 “Plus: Baseball,” New York Times, October 17, 2002: D7

8 “Roundup,” New York Times, November 24, 2005: D2

9 “Baseball,” New York Times, October 24, 2006: D6

10 Michael S. Schmidt, “Baseball Suspends Umpire in Dispute,” New York Times, September 27, 2007: D2

11 Chelsea Janes, “Bud Black, Washington Nationals’ Choice to Be Manager, Known for his Communication,” Washington Post, October 29, 2015.

12 James Wagner, “In End, Washington Nationals’ Bet on Bud Black Goes Bust and They Land Instead on Dusty Baker,” Washington Post, November 3, 2015.

13 Nick Kosmider, “Bud Black Reaches Agreement With Colorado Rockies to Become New Manager,” Denver Post, November 7, 2016

14 Associated Press, “Rockies Fall Short in Wild-Card Loss to Diamondbacks,” October 5, 2017.

15 Scott Miller, “Bud Black Among Inductees Into Athletics Hall of Fame,” Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1992: C7

16 San Diego State University Baseball Media Guide, 2016.

Burnitz was born in Westminster, California, on April 15, 1969, but spent most of his early years just outside Houston in Conroe, Texas, with his parents and three brothers.2 After graduating from Conroe High School, he was selected by the Brewers in the 24th round of the 1987 amateur draft.3 However, Burnitz chose to attend Oklahoma State University to raise his draft stock.

In 1990 the New York Mets made Burnitz their 17th pick in the first round. With Pittsfield of the New York-Pennsylvania League, he batted .301 in 51 games. But Burnitz truly made a name for himself in 1991 by stealing 31 bases and hitting 31 home runs for Double-A Williamsport. After one more minor-league season, with Triple-A Tidewater (International League), Burnitz was called up by the Mets.

Burnitz’s power impressed the Mets, but general manager Joe McIlvaine said he was also impressed by Burnitz’s psychological test, which “showed his mental toughness, desire. I believe in those things.”4 Manager Dallas Green called Burnitz “a 100 percent barrel-out guy,” adding, “It’s a freshness that you don’t see in some guys we’ve been putting up with.”5

Nevertheless, Burnitz began the 1993 season back in Triple A (Norfolk). Back with the Mets in June, he was more or less a regular. He set a Mets rookie record on August 5 with seven RBIs in a 13-inning game against the Montreal Expos. But Burnitz’s freshness and enthusiasm also came with a hot temper that fueled an outburst against umpire Jim Quick during a game against the San Diego Padres. Burnitz told the New York Times, “If I don’t do good, it ticks me off. This is it, man. This is what I do. It ticks me off when I don’t do well. I’d like to play this game awhile.”6 He ended the season with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs in 86 games.

Burnitz spent much of 1994 with Norfolk, and played in only 45 games with the Mets. He encountered intense disagreement with manager Dallas Green over his refusal to play winter ball.7 After the season, he was traded to the Indians for Paul Byrd, Jerry DiPoto, and Dave Mlicki. The Indians sent Burnitz to Triple-A Buffalo, and his only time with the Indians in 1995 was as a late-season call-up. Buffalo and the Indians both had excellent seasons, the Bisons finishing second in the American Association while the Indians won 100 games and went to the World Series. Burnitz later recalled 1995 as his favorite time in baseball.8

Burnitz stuck with the Indians in 1996 as a backup outfielder and pinch-hitter, but on August 31 was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Kevin Seitzer. For the Indians he had batted .281 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs in 71 games. He hit two more homers for the Brewers.

While he got little time in the spotlight with the Indians, Burnitz found a home in Milwaukee.

In August 1997 he became the first Brewer to hit a home run in five consecutive games.9 He finished the season with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs. He did even better in 1998, with 38 home runs and 125 RBIs.

The 1999 season was another big year for Burnitz with several ups and downs. Early in the year, he and his wife, Krissy, had their first child, Chloe. He broke his hand early in the season and missed nearly five weeks.10 But shortly after his injury, Burnitz was chosen to play on the National League All-Star team.11 In July, he hit an estimated 500-foot, two-run homer out of Tiger Stadium during a game against the Detroit Tigers.12 Burnitz ended the season as the Brewers’ MVP and runner-up in the 1999 Home Run Derby at Fenway Park.13 For the season he had 33 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .270 batting average.

Burnitz, or “Burnie” to his teammates, became one of the Brewers’ best players during his five-year stretch, giving the team a sorely needed strong offense. Brewers manager Phil Garner said, “Jeromy’s been our offensive thrust. When he’s swinging the bat and hitting home runs, we do well.”14 And while he was famous for his powerful home runs, Burnitz’s performance as a runner and outfielder was also crucial to the Brewers during their late-’90s slump. At his best, he had 11 more runs than the average for right fielders in 1998, using the TotalZone scoring system.15

Burnitz’s time with the Brewers was arguably the best period of his career. From 1997 to 2001, he never played less than 130 games per season, and he averaged 32 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .262 batting average. Part of Burnitz’s success came from learning to control his temper and being easier on himself. “I think I came to grips with the fact that I might not ever be what I thought I should be. It’s tough being mad at yourself 24 hours a day. It’s too hard, and with no benefit,” he later said of his change in attitude.16 In 2001 Burnitz hit 34 home runs, including three homers in a game against the Chicago Cubs.17

Despite early talks with the Brewers for a two-year contract, Burnitz was sent in 2002 to the New York Mets in a trade involving 11 players from the Mets, Brewers, and Rockies.18 The Mets needed Burnitz to revamp their struggling offense: They finished the 2001 season next to last in batting average and home runs. Meanwhile, Burnitz smashed 34 home runs in 2001, approaching the 40 homers the Mets got out of all their 2001 outfielders.

The trade was a surprise to many fans, considering Burnitz’s previous experience with the Mets. He told the New York Times that, in the mid- to late 1990s, he would never have considered playing for the Mets again.19 His early years with the team were not his best, and his personality clash with Dallas Green still colored his opinion of the Mets organization.

But by 2002, Burnitz saw his trade back to his original team as a second chance and an opportunity to work with exceptional players like Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo. He told the New York Times, “If a manager hates me ever again, I don’t care. I’m going to do my job the best way I can. I’m never going to have any problem with any manager ever again.”20

However, a different scandal faced the baseball world in 2002. Fans saw a much darker side of the game after Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti opened up about the rampant steroid use among baseball players.21 But while Canseco estimated that around 85 percent of major-league players used steroids, Burnitz said he felt no temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs. Perhaps thinking of his younger daughter, Grace, who was born in 2002, he told the New York Daily News, “If somebody wants to do it, that’s their decision. Whatever you think is fine. But when I’m 50 and I’m running around with my kids in the backyard, and you’re dead, that’s your deal.”22

Baseball was not kind to Burnitz in 2002. Apart from a two-run, walk-off home run against the Cubs late in the season, it ended up being one of his worst seasons.23 He finished with only 19 home runs, 54 RBIs, and a .215 batting average.

Though it was difficult for Burnitz to stomach, his weak season turned out to be an asset to his career. Enduring a miserable season back with his original team forced Burnitz to re-evaluate his entire approach to hitting. His new tactic was one of simplification: He eliminated all distractions and focused on identifying good pitches.

Burnitz’s new attitude toward the game improved his performance dramatically. He kicked off the 2003 season with a .279 average, three home runs, seven doubles, and seven RBIs in the first three weeks.24 Not only did his new approach improve his play, it also altered his whole attitude about the game. He told the New York Post, “I’ve never really liked playing too much. It’s always just been work and a grind for me. Now, I like the game a lot more, and not just because I’m doing well. It’s from finding an approach I’m happy with. Last year made me understand how hard it was, the game itself, and it made me appreciate what I had accomplished.”25

Burnitz’s upswing was interrupted when he broke his left hand on April 22 in a game against the Houston Astros. He returned to play on May 23 and jumped right back into his offensive stride, hitting four home runs and driving in 13 runs in his first 10 days back.26 When Burnitz left the Mets in July, he had 18 home runs and 45 RBIs.

Despite his improved performance and attitude, the Mets traded Burnitz to the Dodgers in July 2003.27 Though Burnitz could have blocked the trade, he was excited to play with the Dodgers as a center fielder and for the chance to play in the postseason.28 “I played for the Brew Crew [Brewers] and the Mets when we were struggling, so to have an opportunity to go to a club that has a shot at the playoffs, it’s hard for me to explain what it means,” he said of the trade. More importantly, the trade brought him just two hours away from his wife and two daughters who lived in Poway, a suburb of San Diego.29

After injuring his hand early in the season, Burnitz tried a new approach to hitting, but his batting average fell to .239; he did, however, hit 31 home runs and finished with 77 RBIs. When he was traded, Burnitz said of the Dodgers that “the ultimate goal is for me to show up, just go crazy, hope it rubs off on everyone, and the team goes to the World Series. That’s obviously what everyone wants to happen, but I’ll only evaluate myself on the execution of my plan [at the plate] each day.”30 It was an appropriate decision, as even Burnitz’s capable efforts that season could not push the Dodgers to the playoffs.

After the season Burnitz became a free agent and he Burnitz signed with the Colorado Rockies.31 He started the season on a high note: His son Jake was born on March 18. Less than a month later, on April 27, he and his teammates Matt Holliday and Charles Johnson belted three home runs in a row in a game against the Miami Marlins.32

The 2004 season turned out to be one of Burnitz’s strongest. In 150 games, he hit 37 home runs, drove in 110 runs, and batted.283. Burnitz was later chosen by the Rox Pile blog as one of the best outfielders in the Rockies’ history.33

Burnitz declined a $3 million mutual option to stay with the Rockies after the 2004 season, instead signing a one-year deal with the Cubs.34 He replaced star outfielder Sammy Sosa, but knew that he could not completely fill Sosa’s role on the team. “All that matters is how the team does, and I’m going to go all-out with a team attitude,” he said after signing. “It will all revolve around how we do as a team. I can strike out, and if we’re winning, people will love me and everyone else on the squad.”35

The 2005 season was disappointing for the Cubs, with a 79-83 record. Though the season was not a knock-out for Burnitz, either, he was one of a few consistent players who helped to keep the team afloat during the weak season. He batted.258, with 24 home runs and 87 RBIs.

After a year of active pursuit from the Pirates, Burnitz signed a one-year contract for $6.7 million. The Pirates also signed Sean Casey and Joe Randa, building a core of veteran players to add some consistency to their overwhelmingly young team.36

The 2006 season turned out to be disappointing for Burnitz and the Pirates alike. Burnitz batted only .230 and hit only 16 home runs with 49 RBIs. The rest of the team did not fare much better. “This is the first team I’ve been on in a couple years where I’m Joe High-Paid Free Agent. That, in and of itself, should tell you the big picture that the team’s in. If I’m just another guy on one of those big-market, big-paying teams … that’s not the way it is here, and I understand that. I’m cool with it,” Burnitz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.37 April 4 provided one highlight to a disappointing year. In a game against the Brewers, he hit the 300th home run of his career.

After playing major-league baseball for 14 years with seven teams, Burnitz decided to retire after the season with the Pirates. He finished with 315 home runs and 981 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .481. After retiring from baseball and life in the public eye, he and his family settled in Agoura Hills, California.

This biography was published in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Notes

1 “Jeromy Burnitz Stats,” ESPN. Accessed January 1, 2017. espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2903/jeromy-burnitz.

2 Tom Friend, “Steam Heat in July: It’s Burnitz, Bubbling,” New York Times, July 23, 1993.

3 “MMN Prospect Time Machine: Jeromy Burnitz.” MetsMinors.net, September 13, 2013. metsminors.net/mmn-prospect-time-machine-jeromy-burnitz/.

4 Friend.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

7 Paul Hoynes, “Looking for Opportunities: Outfielder Jeromy Burnitz Tries to Prove His Mettle to Snag Open Utility Position,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 4, 1996.

8 Michael Morrissey, “Jeromy Enjoys the View,” New York Post, August 23, 2003. nypost.com/2003/08/23/jeromy-enjoys-the-view/.

9 Paul Ladewski, “Milwaukee Brewers Defeat Struggling Chicago Cubs,” Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, Illinois), April 17, 2017. nwherald.com/2017/04/18/milwaukee-brewers-defeat-struggling-chicago-cubs/as4lxnb/.

10 “Burnitz out Four-to-Six Weeks with Broken Hand,” ESPN, April 22, 2003. a.espncdn.com/mlb/news/2003/0422/1543035.html.

11 Tom Verducci, “Bleach Boys,” Sports Illustrated, April 2, 2001.

12 “Burnitz, Woodard Propel Brewers Past Tigers,” Chippewa Herald (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin), July 10, 1999. chippewa.com/burnitz-woodard-propel-brewers-past-tigers/article_911c0c7f-7dd4-51c9-97f3-ba3229478323.html.

13 Chuck Finder, “Burnitz Now Has Control over Violent Swings,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 14, 2000. old.post-gazette.com/pirates/20000514burnitz6.asp.

14 ESPN, April 22, 2003.

15 Jim Breen, “Remembering Jeromy Burnitz,” Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel Sports Fan Blogs (blog), December 1, 2011. jsonline.com/blogs/sports/fanblogs/134828498.html.

16 H.A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl, The Mental Game Of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance 3rd ed. (Boulder, Colorado: Taylor Trade Publications, 2002).

17 “Burnitz’s 3 HRs Lift Brewers 11-1,” USA Today, May 11, 2001.

18 “Mets Re-Acquire OF Burnitz in Three-Team Deal,” The Daily Star,???? City? January 22, 2002.

19 Jack Curry, “Mets’ Burnitz Finds He Can Go Home Again,” New York Times, February 22, 2002. nytimes.com/2002/02/22/sports/baseball-mets-burnitz-finds-he-can-go-home-again.html.

20 H.A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl

21 Jason Reid, “Caminiti Admits Using Steroids,” Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2002. articles.latimes.com/2002/may/29/sports/sp-steroids29.

22 John Harper, “No Denying Steroid Usage: Burnitz Has No Interest,” New York Daily News, May 30, 2002.

23 Brian Lewis, “Jeromy Jolt Sends Fans Home Happy,” New York Post, September 18, 2002. nypost.com/2002/09/18/jeromy-jolt-sends-fans-home-happy/.

24 “ESPN.Com: MLB – Burnitz out Four-to-Six Weeks with Broken Hand.” Accessed January 18, 2018. a.espncdn.com/mlb/news/2003/0422/1543035.html.

25 Mark Cannizzaro, “Burnitz Made Most of Worst,” New York Post, June 2, 2003. nypost.com/2003/06/02/burnitz-made-most-of-worst/.

26 Christian Red, “Hits Keep on Coming for Burnitz,” New York Daily News, Accessed January 2, 2018. nydailynews.com/archives/sports/hits-coming-burnitz-article-1.658889.

27 Jason Reid, “Dodgers Add Some Offense: L.A. Acquires Burnitz from Mets, Then Signs Future Hall of Famer Henderson to Help Provide Spark to an Anemic Lineup,” Los Angeles Times, July 15, 2003.

28 Dave Caldwell, “Rebuilding Mets Ship Burnitz to Dodgers for Prospects,” New York Times, July 15, 2003.

29 Michael Morrissey, “The Happy Hacker: Burnitz Having Fun with New Approach,” New York Post, May 29, 2003.

30 “Dodgers Add Some Offense.”

31 Tracy Ringolsby, “Rockies Sign Burnitz, Won’t Retain Payton.” Rocky Mountain News (Denver), December 20, 2003.

32 Ben Macaluso,“The The 100 Greatest Colorado Rockies: 89 Charles Johnson.” Rox Pile (blog), January 18, 2017. roxpile.com/2017/01/18/the-the-100-greatest-colorado-rockies-89-charles-johnson/.

33 Ibid.

34 Ken Rosenthal, “Inside Dish,” The Sporting News, February 11, 2005.

35 Toni Ginnetti, “All Burnitz Worried About Is Helping Cubs Win,” Chicago Sun-Times, February 3, 2005.

36 Daniel G. Habib, “Pittsburgh Pirates,” Sports Illustrated, April 3, 2006.

37 Dejan Kovacevic, “Pirates Notebook: Burnitz Apologizes for Failing to Run Out Grounder,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 13, 2006. post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2006/05/13/Pirates-Notebook-Burnitz-apologizes-for-failing-to-run-out-grounder/stories/200605130175.

The sobbing boy recovered, however, and one day came to wear the Cardinals uniform of his boyhood heroes. Mark Clark came from a small, cramped home with a wood stove in rural Illinois, where he loved to hunt and fish. He became a 6-foot-5, 225-pound man who pitched in big games before big crowds over a 10-year major-league career. When his career was over, he had made a lot of money and memories, and then returned home to hunt, fish, and enjoy living in the country all over again.

Mark Willard Clark was born on May 12, 1968 in Bath, Illinois,3 to Willard and Marjorie (Lindsay) Clark, who also had four older daughters. “I’m the puppy of the family,” Mark said.4 Bath is a village in west central Illinois located between Peoria and Springfield, where baseball loyalties are split between the Cardinals and Cubs. Willard Clark, whose belly earned him the nickname “Pot,” worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and was also a commercial fisherman. The family owned a fish market until the Illinois River became too polluted. Marjorie worked for the state Department of Public Health.5

Willard started teaching baseball to young Mark very early on. “He and I broke all the windows out in the back porch when he was 5 years old,” Willard recalled.6 When Marjorie and Willard watched Mark catch and pitch in Little League, they were confident he would be a major leaguer someday. “Unlike some of the other boys, his little mind was in the game, and he just knew ahead of time what plays had to be made,” she said.7 They took Mark to several Cardinals games each year, where he collected batting-practice balls to use in sandlot games on a dusty field in Bath.

Clark attended Balyki High School in Bath, which had a student body of 125. He was a standout athlete in basketball (averaging 24.2 points per game in 1985),8 golf (he had a hole-in-one),9 tennis,10 and baseball. (Clark was on the all-county and all-conference baseball teams.11) He was dominant in baseball, but no scouts came around to see him pitch. During his high-school years Clark was a “pusher” during duck-hunting season, the “person who leads well-to-do hunters to their blinds by pushing a small boat through shallow waters with a long pole or oar.” His father had done the same job for 40 years.12

After high school, Clark attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. He struggled academically, but caught the eye of his baseball coach, Randy Martz, who had pitched in 68 games in the majors with the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Martz taught him the two-seam fastball and the pitch that would bring Clark his success, the forkball. He helped Clark through his freshman and sophomore years and saw his baseball potential. Martz encouraged Clark to transfer to Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, to receive more exposure. In the spring of 1988 Clark pitched 10 complete games for the Lincoln Land Loggers, winning nine, with 78 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched.13 Scouts were now watching, and Clark was picked by the Cardinals in the ninth round of the 1988 amateur draft.

The Cardinals assigned Clark to the Hamilton (Ontario) Redbirds of the short-season New York-Pennsylvania League. On June 17 he pitched five innings of shutout ball for a win against the Saint Catherines Blue Jays, allowing three hits and one earned run,14 then ended the season with a 6-7 record and a 3.05 earned-run average in 15 starts.

Clark spent the 1989 season with Savannah of the Class A South Atlantic League. He finished with 14 wins and a 2.44 ERA in 27 games started. On August 12 he shut out the Greensboro Hornets, 4-0, for his second straight shutout, with his forkball producing 15 groundouts. “I used the forkball for my strikeout pitch,” Clark said. “By keeping the ball low, I let them make their own outs.”15 Clark flirted with a no-hitter in a seven-inning shutout against the Augusta Pirates on August 23.16

In 1990 Clark started 10 games and compiled a 3-2 record with a 3.05 ERA for St. Petersburg of the Class A Florida State League. Promoted in midseason to Double-A Arkansas (Texas League), Clark struggled with a 0-6 record and 5.57 ERA early on,17 but came back to finish the season 5-11, 3.82.

Clark went to spring training with the Cardinals in 1991 but was hindered by a broken ankle suffered in an offseason automobile accident.18 Beginning the season in Arkansas, he was 5-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 15 starts. In late July he was promoted to Triple-A Louisville (American Association), where he was 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA. On September 5 Clark was called up to the Cardinals. He entered his first major-league game on September 6 at San Diego, with the Cardinals trailing 5-0. He struck out Jim Vatcher, the first batter he faced, but gave up a solo home run to Thomas Howard.

On September 13, Clark made his first major-league start as an emergency replacement for Bryn Smith. He finished with a no-decision, giving up five hits and two earned runs in 6⅔ innings against the New York Mets. On September 30 Cardinals pitcher Jose DeLeon was hit with a line drive and had to leave the game in the first inning against the Expos. Clark provided emergency relief, pitched 5⅓ scoreless innings, and picked up his first major-league win. “It’s a good feeling to get my first win, especially since we clinched second place with it,” Clark said.19

Clark began the 1992 season back in Louisville. He lost his first four decisions, but after pitching coach Mark Riggins adjusted his leg kick, Clark threw three consecutive shutouts.20 On June 1 he was recalled to St. Louis and remained with the club through the end of the season. He had some tough luck, starting 0-3, but “skunked” the Padres in San Diego on July 6 for his first win of the season. The game was delayed by four minutes as a skunk ran around the field. As players and umpires tried to shoo it away, it ran around the outfield and disappeared behind the wall in the Padres bullpen. “They said our bullpen stinks,” San Diego reliever Larry Andersen remarked.21

Clark had a stretch of 17 scoreless innings in July but struggled in August and fell to 2-7 overall. He told The Sporting News, “Things aren’t going my way right now. But they will. I’m not losing my confidence or anything. … The record doesn’t prove the way I’ve been pitching.”22 Clark went 0-3 in September with a 7.36 ERA and finished the season 3-10 with a 4.45 ERA. After the season he married high-school sweetheart Amy Beams, whom he had dated for nine years.23

Clark was considered a long shot to make the Cardinals staff in 1993.24 Tragedy brought him new opportunity. A boating accident during spring training claimed the lives of Cleveland relief pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews and severely injured starting pitcher Bob Ojeda. Besides dealing with grief over the tragedy, the Indians faced a desperate need for pitching. They acquired Clark from St. Louis along with minor-league infielder Juan Andujar for outfielder Mark Whiten on March 31. “If not for the events of last week, we wouldn’t have made the trade. … But we’re so thin (pitching-wise) that if we get a hang-nail we’re in trouble,” Cleveland general manager John Hart said.25 “We knew we needed a starter and he’s the kind of pitcher we wanted.”26

“It’s a shock,” Clark said of the trade and the reality of leaving the team of his boyhood dreams. “But it benefits me. I’m going to go over there and get an opportunity to be in the big leagues.”27

“The Indians yesterday traded a big outfielder who has trouble hitting the ball for a big pitcher who has trouble throwing the ball,” wrote Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.28 Clark won a shaky first start in Toronto on April 11, allowing five earned runs in six innings. “I cringed every time somebody hit a ball in the air,” a bewildered Clark said.29 After his first three starts, his ERA was 7.71, earning him a demotion to the bullpen. He struggled in relief as well, and by the end of May, his ERA was 6.42. On June 1 Clark was sent to Triple-A Charlotte (International League).

Clark pitched well in two starts in Charlotte and was recalled when the Indians released Mike Bielecki.30 He pitched six shutout innings for a victory over Baltimore on June 19 and wore number 54 on the night the Indians wore their retro 1954 uniforms in a “turn back the clock game.”31 “When they sent me down, they told me I was going down to start. It was like a light went on. My confidence is a lot higher because I’m starting,” Clark said.32

On July 16 Clark left the game against the Angels with a torn muscle in his right armpit and back that landed him on the disabled list for 53 days. While sidelined, Clark returned to the full hands-over-the-head delivery he had used earlier in his career until the Cardinals changed his mechanics. He returned on September 9 and looked like a brand-new pitcher. He pitched eight shutout innings in a win at Texas on September 14, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a win at Detroit on September 19, and pitched a complete-game victory against Milwaukee on September 25. He finished 3-0 with a 1.15 ERA in September. “Ever since I changed my windup, all my pitches seem easier to throw,” Clark told The Sporting News.33

Clark signed a two-year contract with the Indians in March 1994. He won his first start, at Anaheim, and in May, he threw three complete-game victories, including a shutout over Detroit. Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove said of the sinkerball pitcher, “You can tell if he’s pitching well by the number of groundballs he gets.”34 Clark’s final three May starts produced 50 groundball outs to 26 fly-ball outs. He won three straight in June, and was 8-1 on June 13. Clark rose to 11-3, but his season came to a dismal end on July 20 when a line drive hit by Gary Redus of Texas broke his wrist. The players strike ended the season in August.

The historic 1995 season for the Indians was a disappointment for Clark as he never seemed to get on track. The lingering strike in early 1995 affected his rhythm and training. He gave up nine earned runs in 1⅓ innings in his first start, on April 28. In his last three starts in May, he gave up 14 earned runs in 12 innings, and was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo on the 28th. “The muscles in my hand and forearm may not be as strong as they were in the past,” he said, “and that may be why my sinker is not as effective as it’s been, but I can’t use that as an excuse.”35

Clark went 4-0 with a 3.57 ERA in five starts in Buffalo. When Orel Hershiser went on the disabled list, Clark was recalled on June 27.36 He seemed rejuvenated, beating Kansas City with one earned run in eight innings. “It seemed the further I went into the game, I felt better and better,” he said.37 Clark went 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA in his first five starts after coming off the DL. Cleveland entered the playoffs for the first time since 1954, but Clark was left off the playoff roster.

After the season Clark signed a one-year contract for $900,000,38 but on March 31, 1996, he was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Reid Cornelius and outfielder Ryan Thompson. “There were times this spring that I felt the Indians didn’t want me around,” Clark complained. “Then there were times when I felt they did want me. But if they don’t want me to pitch for them, I don’t want to pitch for them. I’m glad I’m going someplace where I am wanted.”39

The Mets were in desperate need of pitching, with injuries to three starting pitchers. “I’m happy about the deal,” Clark said. “This is kind of a confidence builder. It’s a good young team and I want to be a part of it.”40 Clark was a victim of poor run support early on but got his first Mets victory April 25 over St. Louis. “My confidence level went major high,” he said after the game.41 Clark went 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA during June and was becoming the Mets’ most consistent pitcher. “I’m in a groove where I know when I throw a pitch, that it’s going to go where I want it to go,” Clark said.42

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s pitching staff struggled, and Indians fans complained about the team giving up on Clark. “I’m loving it,” Clark said unabashedly. “It makes me feel good. I eat it up. … The way they treated me in spring training, the way they shoved me around, I knew it was time to get out.”43 Clark won six games without a loss from June 8 to July 16. He finished the season 14-11 with a 3.43 ERA for a Mets team that finished 71-91.

Clark pitched well to start the 1997 season, and then threw back-to-back seven- and eight-inning shutout performances in May. In a June 14 win, Clark was a one-man show, holding the Red Sox hitless through seven innings and hitting a home run off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Clark had been hitless in 45 at-bats, which prompted his Mets teammates to place wagers on when he would finally get a hit.44 But his ERA ballooned to 5.28 in five starts in July, and he was traded to the Chicago Cubs on August 8 with outfielder Lance Johnson and shortstop Manny Alexander for relievers Turk Wendell and Mel Rojas and outfielder Brian McRae.45 Clark went from the Mets, a playoff contender, to the last-place Cubs. “It’s nice to know that I’ve come to a team that wants me,” he said,46 but was snappish on another occasion, growling, “I didn’t mind playing in New York, but living there was another story. There’s just so much traffic. It can be a headache. And people are kind of rude out there at times.”47

Clark pitched well for the Cubs in the final two months of the season. He had three straight victories with two complete games to start September. He was 6-1 with the Cubs with a strong 2.86 ERA, and ended up with 14 wins (14-8) for the second straight season.

Clark was rewarded with a one-year contract in 1998 for $5 million.48 “The last couple of years I’ve come into my own,” he commented. “I learned a lot (in Cleveland) from Dennis Martinez and Orel Hershiser – they taught me a lot of how to pitch. I had a pretty good two years in New York. I’m not going to change a thing.”49 He was a victor on opening night in Florida, striking out 11, and then threw eight innings in a victory over the Expos on April 6. But Clark then lost six of seven starts, and at the end of May was 3-6 with a 5.32 ERA. His troubles continued, and at the end of August he was 7-13 with a 5.04 ERA.

Yet Clark shined at the right moment. With the Cubs, Mets, and San Francisco Giants in a dogfight for a wild-card playoff spot, Clark won two important September starts. He struck out 10 Pirates batters in a win on September 9. His next performance bailed out the Cubs, who were reeling from five losses in six games. He defeated Houston in a must-win game on September 26, keeping the Cubs tied with the Giants and one game ahead of the Mets in the wild-card standings. “That was the biggest game of my career,” Clark said several months later. “I knew I had to win that game. I had to give us a shot to win it. For me to go pitch the way I did, to keep us in the ballgame, it was a pretty big thrill for me. Knowing the way it all turned out, that if we hadn’t won it we wouldn’t have been in the playoffs, it is a good feeling.”50

The Cubs and Giants finished tied for the wild card and had a one-game playoff in Chicago, which the Cubs won 5-3. They faced the Braves in the Division Series. Clark was the Game One starter in Atlanta against John Smoltz and allowed four runs (two earned) in six-plus innings as the Braves won, 7-1, and proceeded to sweep the Cubs. This was Clark’s only postseason appearance. He finished the season 9-14 with a 4.84 ERA.

Clark became a free agent and signed a two-year deal for $9.3 million with the pitching-poor Texas Rangers, his fifth team in 10 years.51 But his best days were behind him. His ERA at the end of April was 7.96. In four starts in June, Clark went 0-4 with an 18.24 ERA, not surviving five innings in any start. “This is by far the toughest stretch I’ve ever gone through,” he said. “It just comes down to the simple fact that I’m not making pitches. When I need to get my sinker down, I can’t, and I’ve never had that problem.”52 Clark was placed on the disabled list, and his 1999 season was over with a 3-7 record and 8.60 ERA.

Clark’s struggles continued in 2000, and he found himself demoted to the bullpen, which his agent Barry Meister called “short-sighted and stupid.”53 Rangers owner Tom Hicks replied that Clark’s signing was a “mistake.”54 Clark was not used from June 17 to 30 and on July 1, in what was his final major-league appearance, he lost to Seattle. His record fell to 3-5 with a 7.98 ERA. Clark made clear what his hopes were: “To get the hell out of here. What good is it being here? I’m not doing the club any good sitting out there in the bullpen and not pitching, and I’m not doing myself any good career-wise. Since I’m a mistake, I don’t see any reason to be here. … If that’s the way they feel about me, then let me go. … There have been nine clubs asking about me. What does that tell you?”55

Clark got his wish the next day, as the Rangers released him.56 No club signed him, and Clark finished his career 74-71 with a 4.61 ERA. He ranked first three times as the best fielding pitcher of his league. However, as a hitter, his 14 hits in 242 at-bats gave him a .058 batting average, and Bill James rated him the “Worst-Hitting Pitcher” of the 1990s.57

Clark retired and went home to Illinois countryside, settling in the town of Kilbourne, down the road from his hometown of Bath. It was a far contrast from his baseball days, as there “is serenity as well as security, where everybody knows who he is and always has known,” wrote Liz Robbins of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.58 Clark followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in being a local hunting guide. “I grew up right on the water, and I love to hunt. … Really nobody bothers you. … You don’t have to worry about running a stop sign in the country or four-lane highways with a ton of traffic. It’s kind of like your own little place.”59

Clark and his wife, Amy, had a son, Brandon, and a daughter, Allyson. In the September 2012 issue of American Sports Outdoors, Clark and Brandon were featured on the cover “getting gear lined up for early teal season. …” An article in the issue described Clark’s retirement as a busy one as “he maintains a gun club near Crane Lake Hunting Preserve called Club 54 and spends most of his time there with his cronies working and preparing it for the upcoming duck season.”60

After the hectic pace of his baseball career, Clark said, he was more than content to be back home in Illinois. “Do I get bored?” he said. “Heck no. Never.”61

This biography was published in “1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes” (SABR, 2019), edited by Joseph Wancho.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the text, the author gathered information from Mark Clark’s player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York.

Notes

1 Mike Eisenbath, “Fan-Tastic Experience for Clark. Cardinals Diehard Now on Cards Staff,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 27, 1991: 1D.

2 Ibid.

3 Population was 333 at the 2010 census. factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml.

4 Liz Robbins, “Change of Pace: Mark Clark’s Hometown Is Just What He Needs When It’s Time to Get Away,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 20, 1995: 1D.

5 Robbins.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Rockford (Illinois) Register Star, December 25, 1985: 2C.

9 Rockford Register Star, May 19, 1985: 2D.

10 Rockford (Illinois) Register Star, August 13, 1983: 2D.

11 Robbins.

12 Michael Bamberger, “Lucky Stiff Retired Big League Pitcher Mark Clark Was No Star, But He Got Paid Like One. And Now He’s Living the Good Life – With all the Toys to Prove it,” Sports Illustrated, May 17, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2015. si.com/vault/2004/05/17/370175/lucky-stiff-retired-big-leagu

13 Lincoln Land Community College Loggers 2014 Media Guide. lincolnlandloggers.com/custompages/Baseball%20booklet%202014.pdf?path=baseball Accessed December 7, 2014.

14 Mark Zwolinski, “Baby Blue Jays Lose Home Opener,” Toronto Star, June 18, 1988: B8.

15 Tom Northington, “Savannah’s Mark Clark Shuts Down Greensboro,” Greensboro (North Carolina) News and Record, August 13, 1989: 15.

16 Donald Heath, “Pirates’ Bats Silenced Again,” Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, August 24, 1989: 2.

17 Mike Eisenbath, “Overflow San Antonio Crowd Right in the Middle of the Action,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 7, 1990: 5C.

18 Eisenbath, “Fan-Tastic Experience for Clark.”

19 “Cards Rout Expos to Lock Up Second,” The Gazette (Montreal), October 1, 1991: B7.

20 Dan O’Neil, “4-Game Winning Streak Earns Clark a Promotion,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 1992: 7C.

21 Rick Hummel, “Cardinals Skunk Padres: Rookie Clark Shuts Out San Diego 4-0 in 1st Win,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 8, 1992.

22 Rick Hummel, “Clearing the Bases,” The Sporting News, August 31, 1992: 22.

23 Robbins.

24 Dan O’Neill, “Joining Cleveland Gives Clark a Shot at Starting Rotation,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993: 4D.

25 Dan O’Neill, “Cards Get Whiten From Cleveland: Trade Clark and Andujar for Outfielder,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1, 1993: 1D.

26 Paul Hoynes, “Tribe Trades Whiten, Gets Cards Pitcher,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 1, 1993.

27 O’Neill, “Joining Cleveland.”

28 Paul Hoynes, “Tribe Trades Whiten.”

29 Paul Hoynes, “Tribe Raps Jays,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 12, 1993.

30 Bob Dolgan, “Tribe Releases Bielecki, Recalls Clark,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 19, 1993: 5F.

31 This was for celebrating the anniversary of the last Indians team that won the American League Pennant.

32 Paul Hoynes, “Tribe Cleans Clocks,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 20, 1993: 1D.

33 Mark Newman, “Insider Trading,” The Sporting News, June 20, 1994: 20.

34 Sheldon Ocker, “Completing the Job,” The Sporting News, May 30, 1994.

35 Burt Graeff, “Shock Wears Off for Clark,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 31, 1995: 3D.

36 Paul Hoynes, “Clark Rapidly Finding Fastball: Tribe Right-Hander 3-1 Since Recall From Buffalo,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 25, 1995: 1D.

37 Elton Alexander, “‘General’ Clark Has Command of Pitches,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 28, 1995: 1D.

38 Plus an option year for $1.5 million contingent on number of innings pitched. The Sporting News, January 1, 1996: 46.

39 Paul Hoynes, “Indians Trade Clark: Ogea in the Rotation,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 1, 1996: 1C.

40 George Willis, “Before Starting Season, Mets Trade for a Starter,” New York Times, April 1, 1996: C3.

41 George Willis, “Mets’ Victory Supplies a Variety of Hopes,” New York Times, April 26, 1996: B11.

42 Ray McNulty, “Clark’s Left Mark as Best in City,” New York Post, June 24, 1996.

43 Jason Diamos, “Clark Wants Indians to Take Notice,” New York Times, June 28, 1996: B11.

44 Buster Olney, “Clark Tops His Homer With 7 No-Hit Innings,” New York Times, June 15, 1997: S7.

45 Buster Olney, “Mets Boost Bullpen in Deal With Cubs,” New York Times, August 9, 1997: 31.

46 Paul Sullivan, “Wood Not Likely to Get Look: Pitching Prodigy May Wait for ’98,” Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1997: 8.

47 Paul Sullivan, “Cubs 4, Dodgers 2. Unlikely Heroes End a 9-Game Road Skid. Newcomer Clark, Hernandez Combine to Beat LA’s Nomo,” Chicago Tribune, August 13, 1997: 4.

48 Paul Sullivan, “Costs Mount as Cubs Re-Sign Clark, Foster,” Chicago Tribune, January 20, 1998: 1.

49 Paul Sullivan, “Clark’s Career Does 180: ‘Expendable’ Met a $5 Million Pitcher,” Chicago Tribune, February 15, 1998: 3.

50 Phil Rogers, “‘Clutch’ Clark Finds Appreciation Elsewhere: Stretch Star Surprised Cubs Let Him Go, but Foresees Good Season With Rangers,” Chicago Tribune, April 2, 1999: 6.

51 Phil Rogers, “ ‘Clutch’ Clark Finds Appreciation.”

52 Evan Grant, “Clark Headed to DL After Boston Pounds Him, 7-4. Righthander Knocked From Game After Just 1⅓ Innings,” Dallas Morning News, June 20, 1999.

53 Evan Grant, “Clark’s Demotion Irks Agent,” Dallas Morning News, May 7, 2000.

54 For such a bold statement, it would be good to document it.

55 T.R. Sullivan, “Peeved Clark Wants Out of Texas,” Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram, July 3, 2000: 4.

56 Gerry Fraley, “Rangers Let Go of ‘Mistake.’ Shuffle Includes Release of Clark,” Dallas Morning News, July 4, 2000.

57 Bill James, Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (New York: Simon & Shuster, 2001): 394 [Nook e-book version].

58 Robbins.

59 Ibid.

60 “Canterbury Tales,” American Sports Outdoors, September, 2012: 1, 5. Issue retrieved from asomagazine.com/magazine/September%202012/001.pdf and

asomagazine.com/magazine/September%202012/005.pdf

61 Bamberger.