Dennis Tankersley

Right-hander Dennis Tankersley took the mound at Miller Park in Milwaukee on May 26, 2002, in search of his first major-league victory. It was a cool 69 degrees and the wind was whipping at 14 mph. The 6-foot-2 right-hander had started three previous games for the San Diego Padres, getting three no-decisions. But on this day, Tankersley earned his only major-league win and hit a home run to boot.

Dennis Lee Tankersley Jr., was born on February 24, 1979, in Troy, Missouri. His father, Dennis Sr., known as “Big D,” was a standout in baseball, football, and basketball. Dennis Sr. married his high school sweetheart, Brenda, and they had two children – Dennis Jr. and Nicole. Dennis Sr. worked as a construction drywall hauler and his mother was an office manager for an electronic material company. Big D died in March 2020. 

In an email interview, Dennis wrote, “I had a great childhood. Somewhat of a small-town feel. My days were filled with sports. It was football, basketball, and baseball daily.”1 Dennis grew up in St. Charles, Missouri, and attended St. Charles High School. He was a standout pitcher and hitter for the St. Charles Pirates. He had 77 hits, 22 doubles, 10 home runs, and 60 RBIs during his three-year varsity career. As a pitcher in his junior and senior seasons, he won 15 games and struck out 224 batters. He was drafted in the 38th round of the 1997 draft by the Boston Red Sox. He did not sign and instead went to Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. The next year the Red Sox again selected Tankersley in the 38th round. This time he agreed, signing a Red Sox contract with scout Steve McCallister. 

Tankersley spent his first professional season in 1999 with the Red Sox’ rookie Gulf Coast League team in Florida. With a 5-3 record for the low Class-A Augusta GreenJackets in 2000, he was traded to the San Diego Padres on June 30 along with a fellow minor leaguer for veteran infielder Ed Sprague. In 2001 Baseball America in its Prospect Handbook listed Tankersley as the Padres’ number-nine prospect. “Tankersley’s out pitch is a two-seam fastball that arrives at 91-92 mph and dives towards the plate,” the publication wrote.2 The Padres sent their newly acquired pitcher to Fort Wayne of the low Class-A Midwest League, where he was 5-2. He split the 2001 season with high-A Lake Elsinore, Double-A Mobile, and Triple-A Portland. He was impressing the Padres scouts with his strikeouts.3 He was deemed ready to break into the major leagues in 2002.

After Tankersley’s impressive 2001 campaign Baseball America jumped him to the number-two prospect in the Padres’ system. He was listed in the top 20 prospects in all of baseball. Its scouting report noted that “hitters can’t sit on his fastball because he has a mid-80s slider that was rated the best breaking ball in the Cal League.”4 

Tankersley was pitching for Double-A Mobile when on May 10, 2002, when he was promoted to the Padres. He didn’t have to wait long to make his debut. He took the mound that day in Atlanta facing the Braves. Tankersley quickly recorded his first major-league strikeout, dispatching Gary Sheffield in the first inning. Wearing jersey number 45, Tankersley exited the game with two outs in the sixth inning and the Padres leading 3-2. The Braves came back to win, 7-3, giving the rookie a no-decision. His final line was four hits, two runs, four walks, and five strikeouts. He gave up a two-run home run to Braves outfielder Andruw Jones. 

Tankersley started again on May 15, against the Montreal Expos. He had another strong outing, going 6⅔ innings and striking out six, but had another no-decision. His third start, against the Colorado Rockies on May 21, was again a no-decision. Next came the Brewers on May 26 in Milwaukee.

The Padres came into the game with a 22-27 record, riding a five-game losing streak and stuck in fifth place in the National League West Division. The Brewers, also struggling with a 17-32 record, were in sixth place in the Central Division. The Brewers’ starter was right-hander Nelson Figueroa. Tankersley took the mound in the bottom of the first inning staked to a 2-0 lead, thanks to a two-run home run by first baseman Ryan Klesko. He walked the first batter he faced, Álex Sánchez, who then stole second base. Sanchez scored on a single by Tyler Houston, and Richie Sexson smacked a two-run homer to center field. Tankersley struck out the next two batters but the Brewers led 3-2 at the end of the inning. 

Tankersley helped his own cause in the top of the second inning with a leadoff ground-rule double to center field. He scored on Mark Kotsay’s home run to right field. Klesko then hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot to deep right field. The Padres had taken a 5-3 lead. Tankersley had a three-up and three-down second inning.

The gods of baseball may have been shining down on Tankersley in the top of the third inning. He walked to the plate for his second at-bat of the game. The Padres had already scored a run. Facing right-handed reliever Mike Buddie with two outs, Tankersley, who hit 10 home runs in high school, did not have many professional at-bats. But on a 2-and-0 count, he drove the ball to deep left field for a solo home run that gave the Padres a 7-3 lead.

Tankersley said after the game, “I’m a little disappointed in my pitching performance, but my hitting was more than anything I could have expected coming to the yard.”5 Years later, when asked if he was always a good hitter, he said, “I’d like to think so. I always hit and played right field in college when wasn’t pitching. It was something I continued to take seriously at the pro level.”6

Tankersley lasted until the bottom of the sixth inning when, on his 88th pitch of the game, he hit Alex Ochoa. He exited the game with the Padres leading 8-5. He had to put his first win in the hands of the bullpen. Three relief pitchers paved the way for future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman to close out the ninth inning. Hoffman struck out three to give Tankersley his first major-league win. The final score was 8-7. Tankersley gave up five of the runs, all earned, and five hits. He struck out six.

Tankersley described the win years later in an interview. “That whole month was a whirlwind. I got my initial call-up while at the hospital when my middle daughter was born on May 6. I remember feeling a huge sense of pride and relief, honestly. I also remember thinking it would be the first of many … missed on that one.”7

Tankersley finished the season with the Padres. He struggled in his next few starts and then was moved to the bullpen. He finished the 2002 season with a 1-4 record. He began the 2003 season with the Padres, starting against San Francisco on April 9. He took the loss, neither making it out of the first inning nor recording an out. He gave up three hits, four walks, and seven runs (all earned). Sent back down to the minors, he spent the remainder of the 2003 season with Triple-A Portland, where he was 8-11 with a 4.65 ERA. In June 2004 he told a sportswriter the game “was 15 minutes I will never forget.”8

Tankersley hoped for a better year in 2004 but it was not meant to be. He made his first major-league appearance of the season in the sixth inning on May 22 at Philadelphia. He made three relief appearances, then four starts before being sent back down to the minors in mid-June. When he rejoined the Padres in late August, the results were no different. He finished the 2004 season with a 0-5 record, giving up 35 hits in 35 innings. 

After the season Tankersley was traded by the Padres to the Kansas City Royals. Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Tankersley “is a much better pitcher than what his major-league numbers are.” (Tankersley’s career major-league pitching record was 1-10 with a 7.61 ERA.)9 He pitched for Triple-A Omaha in 2005, then in three other organizations, pitching in Triple A for the Cardinals, Tigers, and Natonals. After a 4-4 record and a 5.10 ERA with the Nationals’ Columbus Clippers, he was released by the Nationals and was out of baseball. He recalled the trade to the Royals: “It was much harder being traded that time. I was traded from the Red Sox to San Diego but that was so quickly in my career I didn’t mind. San Diego was my team that I grew up in. I got my first real taste of minor-league baseball there. The good and the bad.”10

Tankersley made a brief attempt to return to baseball when he signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on March 3, 2012, saying, “I’m a baseball player. I felt like I could still play.”11 He was released on April 2. Of the comeback attempt, he said, “It was something I felt I needed to do. I don’t want to say that I retired the first time on my terms but I kind of did. I was having knee trouble which made me feel like I just couldn’t do the same things on the mound anymore. Plus, I had three kids and was ready to see them every day. I had some interest from teams on a minor-league deal but I was just mentally done. Then about three years later I was having a conversation with my kids about not quitting something. I don’t even remember what now, but a light bulb went off in my head. So I told them that I would prove to them that if you wanted something you just had to work hard for it. So I spent the next seven months training and got hold of my old [Padres] pitching coach, Darren Balsley. Told him what was going on and asked if he would just let me throw for him. No promises or guarantees. So I went to Arizona and threw for him, along with some front-office guys, wasn’t expecting all of them! But I threw well enough to stay and was in spring training until the end. At the end we had discussed a possible start in Double A as they had no room in Triple A out of camp. I had kind of accomplished what I set out to do, so decided to head back home and be a dad.”12

Many men would sell their souls to get a chance to make one appearance in a major-league game. Tankersley’s stats were certainly not Hall of Fame-worthy, a 1-10 record, with 97 hits in 86⅓ innings, but he was able to put on a major-league uniform and pitch in 27 games over a three-year period. Tankersley can tell his children and grandchildren about the day he won his first ballgame and hit a home run. That is a day many kids playing Little League can only dream of. 

As of early 2023, Tankersley resided in Wentzville, Missouri, near St. Louis. He and his wife have five children. He has been a licensed real estate broker since 2013. He plays golf and hunts in his free time. His left knee still causes him some trouble, but he said, “It doesn’t affect my golf game so I am good.”13 He misses the ballpark, the camaraderie, and the competition. His kids are active in sports so he says that has helped. At the time of the interview, his 17-year-old son planned to play college baseball. His 20-year-old daughter played soccer at the University of Arkansas. Two younger kids were just getting into sports and his 4-year-old already loved baseball.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and a number of other publications.

Photo credit: Dennis Tankersley, courtesy of Chris Hardy/San Diego Padres.

Notes

1 Email interview with Dennis Tankersley, February 8, 2023. 

2 Baseball America 2001 Prospect Handbook (Baseball America, 2001), 356-57. 

3 For his three teams in 2001, Tankersley struck out 173 batters in 136⅓ innings.

4 Baseball America 2002 Prospect Handbook (Baseball America, 2002), 378.

5 “Padres End Five-Game Losing Streak,” espn.com, May 26, 2002. https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/220526108. Accessed January 21, 2023.

6 Tankersley interview.

7 Tankersley interview.

8 Bill Center, “Tankersley Toughens Up, Leaves Mistakes Behind,” San Diego Times-Union, June 19, 2004: D-10. 

9 Tom Krasovic, “Lefty May to Padres in Trade for Long – L.A. Believed to Be Interested in Wells,” San Diego Times-Union, November 9, 2004: D-1. 

10 Tankersley interview.

11 Corey Brock, “Tankersley Tries to Make Long Climb Back,” MLB.com, March 15, 2012.

12 Tankersley interview.

13 Tankersley interview.