| Dennis Eckersley |
Article Index for Dennis |
Shopping Eckersley |
Website Links For Dennis |
Information AboutDennis Eckersley |
|
EARLY CAREER Dennis was drafted by the Cleveland Indians , out of Washington High School of Fremont in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on April 12 , 1975 . Dennis pitched well throughout the year, compiling a 13-7 record and 2.60 ERA , although he lost the Rookie Of The Year award to MVP Fred Lynn . His unstyled, long hair and live fastball made him an instant identifiable favorite of fans. BOSTON RED SOX Eckersley pitched well over three seasons with the Indians, including a No-hitter on May 30 , 1977 against the California Angels . He was traded on March 30 , 1978 to the Boston Red Sox . Pitching for a contender boosted Eckersley's stats over the next several seasons. He won a career-high 20 games in 1978 and 17 games in 1979 , both years compiling a 2.99 ERA. During the remainder of his tenure with Boston, from 1980 to 1984 , Eckersley pitched poorly. His fastball wasn't as intimidating as it once had been and his 43-48 record over this span reflected this. CHICAGO CUBS Eckersley was traded on May 25 , 1984 with Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Buckner . Eckersley signed with Chicago in the off-season as well. He enjoyed some success with the new team, as the Cubs won the divisional title in 1984. Eckersley's performance deteoriated after re-signing with the Cubs in 1985. In 1986, Eckersley posted a 6-11 record with a 4.57 ERA. After the season, he checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic to treat alcoholism. He returned to the Cubs for spring training in 1987. OAKLAND ATHLETICS Eckersley was traded again on April 3 , 1987 to the Oakland Athletics where manager Tony La Russa intended to use Eck as a set-up man or long reliever. An injury to then-closer Jay Howell , however, opened the door for Eckersley to move into the closer's role, a role he wouldn't relinquish during his tenure with the Athletics. Eckersley was one of the most dominant closers in the game from 1987 to 1992 , saving 236 games and never posting an ERA higher than 3.03 (and posting a low of 0.61). Eckersley's control, which had always been above average even when he was not otherwise pitching well, became his trademark; he walked only 3 batters in 57.7 innings in 1989 , and only 4 batters in 73.3 innings in 1990 . He was the American League's Cy Young Award winner and MVP in 1992 , a season in which he posted 51 saves. No pitcher since has won the two honors in the same season, and no reliever after Eckersley won the Cy Young until Éric Gagné won NL honors in 2003 . POST-PLAYING CAREER Eckersley enjoyed marginal success from then until his retirement in 1998 . Nevertheless, his 390 career saves ranks 3rd on the all-time list. He currently works as a studio analyst for the Boston Red Sox on NESN . HONORS In 1999 , he ranked Number 98 on '' The Sporting News ''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. On January 6 , 2004 , he was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in his first year of eligibility, With 83.2% Of The Votes . On August 13, 2005, Eckersley had his uniform number 43 officially retired by the Oakland Athletics. Wore number 43 for most of his career, however wore number 37 during his early MLB years with the Indians. LEGACY Eckersley can be argued to have almost single handedly ushered in the modern perception of the closer role in baseball. While there had always been feared relievers and closers with Hall-of-Fame careers (such as Rollie Fingers ), even in the late 1980's and early 1990's, a closer was considered a weak pitcher. Real pitchers started games, and real men finished them, or so the mentality went. Relievers were either Firemen (pitchers who only came into pressure-packed situations, with runners on and few out late in game, and thus "put out the fire") or pitchers not good enough to start; the vast majority of relievers were considered the latter. The A's used Eckersley exlcusively for the 9th inning (sometimes the 8th as well), and used him regardless of the pressure or game situation. Instead of being a fireman or a mop-up man, Eckersley became a one-inning pitcher. Starters were no longer expected to finish games; there was another pitcher who was coming into the game in the 9th inning, no matter what. Although the idea of a dedicated closer was hardly new ( Lee Smith was already closing for the Cubs by the time Eck was converted to the closer role), it was rejected outright by old-school purists; it took Tony La Russa and Eckersley to popularize it. Eckersley's incredible short-term dominance of the position was perhaps the most influential aspect of this popularization. He was seen to shut down a game after the 8th innning; he was fresh, cocky, and always hit his spots. His pointed finger at a struck-out batter and his glare became well-known after he and Dwight Evans famously battled during the 1988 and 1990 playoffs. After Eckersley, every team wanted a pitcher who would end a game after 8 innings, save their starters from over extending themselves, and give their fans something exciting to look to in a late game. Although the value of a closer is still Debatable , Eckersley's influence is indisputable; by 2006, a team without a dedicated closer seemed as ridiculous as a pre-Eckersley team with one. Although the idea of a specialty, one-inning game closer was the suggestion of his Oakland A's manager, Tony La Russa , it was Eckersley who put the 'cool' in the role of the closer. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
TEAMS
CAREER STATISTICS EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|