Turk Wendell | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | May 19, 1967|
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 17, 1993, for the Chicago Cubs | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 13, 2004, for the Colorado Rockies | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 36–33 |
Earned run average | 3.93 |
Strikeouts | 515 |
Teams | |
Steven John "Turk" Wendell (born May 19,1967) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four National League (NL) teams,in all or parts of 11 seasons,between 1993 and 2004. [1] As a batter,Wendell was a switch hitter,with all three of his lifetime hits coming from the left side of the plate. [2]
Wendell was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round (112th overall) of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft. [1] He made his professional debut with the Pulaski Braves of the Appalachian League in June 1988. [3] Wendell made his first big league appearance on June 17,1993. [1]
Wendell was a relief pitcher who threw a four-seam fastball,a two-seam fastball,a slider,and a change-up. He was regarded as having above-average control,average pitch movement,below-average power,and a good pick-off move.
Wendell was named the most superstitious athlete of all time by Men's Journal . [4]
Wendell attended Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton,Massachusetts and then Quinnipiac University,where he is among the school's all-time leaders in strikeouts (single season) and earned run average. Wendell played his summer baseball during college with the independent Dalton Collegians and in 1987 with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League. [5]
Wendell was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs in 1991,and pitched in their minor league system for two years before making his major league debut in 1993 in a start against the Cardinals. Wendell started three more games in 1993 and appeared as a reliever in three others,finishing the season 1–2 with a 4.37 ERA. The following season,which was cut short by a strike,he had two starts and four relief appearances and finished the year 0–1 with an 11.93 ERA. [6]
After the 1994 season,Wendell moved permanently to the bullpen and began making regular relief appearances for the Cubs. His best year for the Cubs came in 1996,when he appeared in 70 games,recording 18 saves and a 2.84 ERA. Toward the end of the 1997 season,Wendell was traded to the New York Mets,where he spent four and a half seasons. As a Met,Wendell posted a 3.34 ERA and a 22–14 record in 285 appearances. He led the team in games pitched in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Wendell appeared in the playoffs twice,in 1999 and 2000,and pitched in the 2000 World Series against the Yankees. [1]
In both Chicago and New York,Wendell became well known for his many quirky habits and superstitions,including jumping over the foul lines on his way to and from the mound,brushing his teeth between innings,slamming the rosin bag into the mound before facing batters and chewing black licorice. His unique on-field personality made him popular among both Cubs and Mets fans. [7] [8]
In the middle of a disappointing 2001 season,the Mets traded Wendell and fellow veteran reliever Dennis Cook to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for pitcher Bruce Chen and a minor league prospect. "You can't take the heart of your bullpen out of there without thinking they're throwing in the towel,' Wendell said regarding the Mets' decision. [9] Wendell also expressed excitement at the opportunity to join the Phillies,who were in the midst of an ultimately unsuccessful playoff race at the time. "It's kind of sad to leave a place you're comfortable with,but we're going into a situation where we have a chance to be a part of something very special," Wendell said. "That's what we all work for from the first day of spring training. It's kind of like a new life." [10]
After missing the entire 2002 season due to an elbow injury,Wendell returned to pitch in 56 games for the Phillies in 2003,with a 3–3 record and a 3.38 ERA. [1]
After the 2003 season,Wendell became a free agent,and was not re-signed by the Phillies. Instead,he signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. That season,Wendell posted a 7.02 ERA in 12 games before getting sent down to Colorado's Triple A affiliate for a rehab stint,where he similarly pitched poorly in 12 games. The Rockies released Wendell at the end of July. [1] [11]
Wendell signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros in early 2005,but failed to earn a spot on the team's major league roster in spring training,after which he retired. “It was never stated or announced," Wendell later said. [11]
Wendell repeatedly denounced steroids in baseball and the players he suspected of using them. As a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies in 2004,Wendell became the first major leaguer to publicly accuse Barry Bonds,whose trainer had just been indicted for providing steroids to players,of using performance-enhancing drugs. "It's clear just seeing his body," Wendell told the Denver Post. [12] Bonds reacted,telling reporters,"If you've got something to say,say it to my face. Don't talk through the media." [13] In March 2006,Wendell was quoted by the suburban Chicago Daily Herald as saying that former Cubs teammate Sammy Sosa "of course" used steroids. Wendell alleged that Sosa's home run totals increased significantly only after he began using steroids. [14] He also stated that "everybody in baseball" (including coaches,managers,and owners) knew about steroid use by players such as Sosa,and that he agreed with the information in JoséCanseco's book Juiced.
In a 2010 interview,Wendell ridiculed excuses and apologies from stars who admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. "When Mark McGwire said he wished he had never played in this era,that [ticked] me off because he had the same choices I did," Wendell said. "He didn't have to take a shortcut and cheat like that. If he feels that badly about it,give the owners back the money that he took from them." [15]
In early 2001,after Vladimir Guerrero (then playing for the Montreal Expos) took exception to being hit by Wendell,Wendell remarked,"One of the ways to get him out is pitching inside and if he can’t handle being pitched inside,he should go frickin' back to the Dominican and find another line of work." [16]
Less than a month later,Wendell was ejected from a game against the St. Louis Cardinals for throwing behind batter Mike Matheny. After the game,Wendell referred to Cardinals' pitcher Rick Ankiel,whose mysterious loss of control would soon end his pitching career:"When Ankiel is out there and he throws balls everywhere,why don't they throw him out of the game?" [17]
On the eve of the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and the Mets,Wendell is quoted as having said "Yankee Stadium? I don't give a hoot about it. We've played there before. It won't be a surprise. The Yankees have tortured us for years and years,and beating them would be sweet for me." During the Yankees celebration of their win,it is reported that every five minutes,someone would call for a toast "To Turk Wendell!" [18]
Wendell repeatedly told reporters that he wanted to play his last season in baseball for free. "I want my last season to be a testament to the game," Wendell said in 2000. "I only wanted a few things out of life –a wife,children,to play baseball and to hunt deer." When informed that the Major League Baseball Players Association would not allow him to play for free,Wendell said,"then I'll drop out of the union when the time comes." [19]
Wendell was recognized for significant charity work during and after his career. [8] Wendell was given the "Good Guy Award" by the New York Press Photographers Association in 2000. [20]
In October 2006,he visited troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the "Heroes of the Diamond Tour". He said he was so inspired by the trip that he enlisted in the Army upon return but was denied active combat duty eligibility because he is color-blind. [15]
Wendell owns Wykota Ranch, [21] a 200-acre hunting and fishing camp in Larkspur,Colorado [22] Wendell's son,Wyatt Wendell,plays collegiate baseball for Purdue University and is considered a pro prospect. [23] His daughter,Dakota,plays collegiate soccer for the Minnesota State University,Mankato Mavericks. [24]
In or around 2003,former Mets teammate Jerrod Riggan named his son after Wendell. [25]
William Roger Clemens,nicknamed "Rocket",is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),most notably with the Boston Red Sox,Toronto Blue Jays,and New York Yankees. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history,tallying 354 wins,a 3.12 earned run average (ERA),and 4,672 strikeouts,the third-most all time. An 11-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion,Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards,more than any other pitcher in history. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and hard-throwing pitching style,which he used to intimidate batters.
Mark William Prior is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. A onetime top prospect of the Chicago Cubs,he pitched for the team from 2002 to 2006 in a career that was marred by injuries. In his prime,his repertoire of pitches included a mid-90s mph fastball,a curveball,and a changeup. He is currently the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Don James Larsen was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career,he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams:the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles,New York Yankees (1955–1959),Kansas City Athletics (1960–1961),Chicago White Sox (1961),San Francisco Giants (1962–1964),Houston Colt .45's / Astros (1964–65),and Chicago Cubs (1967).
Henry Ludwig Borowy was an American professional baseball starting pitcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1942 through 1951 for the New York Yankees (1942–45),Chicago Cubs (1945–48),Philadelphia Phillies (1949–50),Pittsburgh Pirates (1950),and Detroit Tigers (1950–51). He batted and threw right-handed.
Jeffrey Allan Nelson is an American sports broadcaster and former baseball relief pitcher who played 15 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. Nelson had two stints with the New York Yankees,the team with whom he won four World Series championships. Nelson retired from playing in 2007 after signing a minor league contract with the Yankees.
Michael John Remlinger is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Remlinger has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants (1991),New York Mets (1994–95),Cincinnati Reds (1995–98),Atlanta Braves,Chicago Cubs (2003–2005),and the Boston Red Sox (2005). He had an All-Star appearance and his greatest success with the Braves. He bats and throws left-handed.
Jamie Moyer is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB),Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs,Texas Rangers,St. Louis Cardinals,Baltimore Orioles,Boston Red Sox,Seattle Mariners,Philadelphia Phillies,and Colorado Rockies.
Félix Heredia Pérez is a Dominican former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. On October 18,2005,he became the 11th MLB player to be suspended for testing positive for steroids. He is also known as "El Gato Flaco" and,"The Run Fairy".
Melvin Leon Stottlemyre Sr. was an American professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball,all for the New York Yankees,and coached for 23 seasons,for the Yankees,New York Mets,Houston Astros,and Seattle Mariners. He was a five-time MLB All-Star as a player and a five-time World Series champion as a coach.
Steven Russell Trout is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1980s.
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).
Ronald Thomas Villone,Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) left-handed relief pitcher and current minor league coach. Villone played for 12 teams in his career,tied for 3rd all time with pitcher Mike Morgan and outfielder Matt Stairs,and trailing only Octavio Dotel and Edwin Jackson.
Ronald Gene Davis is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 11 years from 1978 to 1988. Davis played for the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins of the American League and the Chicago Cubs,Los Angeles Dodgers,and San Francisco Giants of the National League. He was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1981.
Neal James Cotts is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox,Chicago Cubs,Texas Rangers,Milwaukee Brewers,and Minnesota Twins.
The 1998 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series,after they had won a then AL record 114 regular season games. The Yankees finished with 125 wins for the season,which remains the MLB record.
Brent Terry Strom is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and active pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His MLB playing career spanned from 1972 to 1973 and 1975 to 1977 for the New York Mets,Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. He served as pitching coach for the Houston Astros in 1996 and from 2014 to 2021,helping guide the club to the 2017 World Series championship. He also coached the Kansas City Royals from 2000 to 2001. According to an interview with Tommy John,Strom was the second pitcher to receive Tommy John surgery.
David Alan Robertson,nicknamed "D-Rob",is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Chicago White Sox,Tampa Bay Rays,Chicago Cubs,Philadelphia Phillies,New York Mets,and Miami Marlins.
Richard Blake Parker is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs,Seattle Mariners,New York Yankees,Los Angeles Angels,Minnesota Twins,Philadelphia Phillies,and Cleveland Indians. Parker was drafted by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2006 MLB draft,and made his major league debut in 2012.
Michael Paul Montgomery is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft,and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2015. The Mariners traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Montgomery recorded the final out in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series,earning the save and sealing the Cubs' first World Series title since 1908.
Stephen Thomas Ridings is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees.