Early career
Taylor played his first professional game in 1980 after being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round (39th overall pick) of the 1980 draft. Initially drafted as a starter, in 1981, he went 4–2 with a 2.72 earned run average (ERA) at the Rookie level. However, he struggled after a promotion to Single-A, going just 1–7 with a 4.64 ERA. Over the next two seasons, used as a combination reliever/starter, he went 13–18 with a 5.54 ERA. He did strike out 212 batters. In 1984, used in 42 games, he re-established his prospect status with a 5–3 record and a 3.83 ERA in Double-A. In 1985, he topped 100 innings pitched for the first time in his career, and he also had a 3.47 ERA. He then threw 169 innings between AA and Triple-A and pitched fairly well with a 4.36 ERA between the two stops. He was only 24 years old. The next season, he pitched poorly, going 12–9 with a 5.61 ERA. Again, he threw about 170 innings. The next year, Taylor got injured and started only 11 games with an ERA of 5.49. Granted free agency by the Rangers, he signed in 1989 with the San Diego Padres, who needed depth in their bullpen. He appeared in 49 games in AAA, with again a high ERA of 5.13.
First success
By 1990, Taylor's career appeared to be over. He was 28 years old and had pitched poorly in AAA as both a starter and a reliever. However, the Atlanta Braves signed him in the middle of August 1990, seeing that his walk rate in 1989 was the lowest it had been in his minor league career. He appeared in 7 games that season. In 1991, no one could have predicted that he would go 6–2 in 59 games as a reliever with a 1.51 ERA in AA, morphing into one of the best closers in that league. 1992 was more of the same for Taylor. He went 2–3 with a 2.28 ERA and 12 saves. In 1993, at the age of 31, he was an All-Star, saved 26 games, struck out more than a batter an inning, and had a 1.98 ERA, all in AAA. He won the league's reliever of the year award as well.
Thomas Anthony Henke, nicknamed "the Terminator", is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays (1985–1992), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995).
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection, high pitch count, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather delays or pinch hitter substitutions. Relief pitchers are further divided informally into various roles, such as closers, setup men, middle relief pitchers, left/right-handed specialists, and long relievers. Whereas starting pitchers usually throw so many pitches in a single game that they must rest several days before pitching in another, relief pitchers are expected to be more flexible and typically pitch in more games with a shorter time period between pitching appearances but with fewer innings pitched per appearance. A team's staff of relievers is normally referred to metonymically as a team's bullpen, which refers to the area where the relievers sit during games, and where they warm-up prior to entering the game.
Joseph Darley Kennedy was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 2001 to 2007 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Richard William Tidrow was an American professional baseball pitcher and the senior vice president of player personnel and senior advisor to the general manager for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Chad Edward Gaudin is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He has been used as both a starting pitcher and a reliever throughout his career, functioning as a "swingman."
Michael Thomas Morgan is an American former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for 12 different teams over 25 years, and is one of 31 players in baseball history to appear in Major League baseball games in four decades (1978–2002). Upon his retirement, Morgan held the major league record for most major league teams played for (12), but this record was surpassed by Octavio Dotel in 2012 and Edwin Jackson in 2018. Because of this, Morgan was nicknamed "the Nomad" by his teammates due to his constant travel from team to team.
Thomas Gerald Underwood was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. His younger brother, Pat was also a pitcher, and made his major league debut against Tom. It was the first time in major league history this had occurred.
Hong-Chih Kuo is a Taiwanese retired professional baseball pitcher who last pitched for the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He had previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in CPBL. When Kuo made his debut in 2005, he became the fourth MLB player from Taiwan.
Paul Douglas Creek was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2005 for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers. He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers in 1998.
Kirk Craig Saarloos is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, who is the current head baseball coach of the TCU Horned Frogs. He played college baseball at Cal State Fullerton for coach George Horton from 1999 to 2001 and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons from 2002 to 2008.
Matthew J. Thornton, is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Born in Three Rivers, Michigan he grew up and attended high school in Centreville. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres. Thornton is second all-time in American League history in holds (182).
Brian Matthew Duensing is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs.
Sergio Francisco Romo is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays. A right-hander who served as a closer during his career, his main pitch was his slider.
Norman Stanley "Norm" Angelini was an American professional baseball player who played for two seasons in Major League Baseball. He pitched for the Kansas City Royals for 21 games during the 1972 season and seven games during the 1973 season.
Tyson William Ross is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers. Ross was drafted by the Athletics in the 2nd round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2010 and was an MLB All-Star in 2014.
Todd Andrew Smyly is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.
Jacob Tanner Diekman is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets.
Thomas Ross Stripling is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics.
Héctor Neris is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. He signed with the Phillies as an international free agent in 2010, and made his MLB debut with them in 2014.
Andrew Jacob Puk is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins. Puk played college baseball for the Florida Gators. The Athletics selected him in the first round with the sixth overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2019.
