Alan Mills (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Alan Bernard Mills is a former Major League Baseball
relief pitcher
. He batted and threw right-handed.
in the first round of the amateur draft, but did not sign. That June, he was selected number eight overall by the California Angels in the secondary phase of the 1986 draft, and signed with the club shortly afterwards.
Mills spent just one season with the Salem Angels
of the Northwest League
, compiling a 6-6 record over fourteen starts, before the Angels sent him to the New York Yankees
to complete a December 19, 1986 deal in which the Yankees sent Butch Wynegar
to the Angels for Ron Romanick
and a player to be named later.
during his three seasons in the Yankees' farm system, going 12–24 with a 4.25 ERA and thirteen saves. With the Prince William Cannons of the Class A Carolina League
in , Mills went 6–1 with a 0.91 ERA and seven saves to lead his team to their first Carolina League title. Though he had never pitched above A ball, his performance earned him and invitation to Spring training
in .
He made his major league debut on April 14, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers
. Mills went 1–5 with a 4.15 ERA his rookie year splitting his time between the Yankees and triple A Columbus Clippers
. For Columbus, he was 3–3 with a 3.38 ERA and six saves.
Mills spent most of in the minors, however, made two starts upon returning to the club in September. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
for a player to be named later during Spring training the following season.
Mills made a team high 72 appearances in , going 3–4 with a 3.74 ERA. Perhaps the most famous moment of Mills' career came on May 19, , when he gave Darryl Strawberry
a right cross that sent Strawberry sailing into the dugout during a bench clearing brawl with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
.
The following season, Mills signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers
. After a season and a half in Los Angeles
, he was dealt back to the Orioles for Alberto Reyes
. He remained with the Orioles through before being released. In a 12-season career, Mills posted a 39–32 record with 456 strikeout
s and a 4.12 ERA
in 474 games
.
in Spring training and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in , but was essentially away from the game for five years before signing a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers
in , and spending one season with the Erie SeaWolves
. In his first 27 games, he went 23-for-23 in save opportunities, posting a 1.65 ERA and limiting batters to a .154 batting average
.
In , Mills served as pitching coach for the Oneonta Tigers
, the Class-A short-season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. He batted and threw right-handed.
Early years
Mills was originally drafted by the Boston Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in the first round of the amateur draft, but did not sign. That June, he was selected number eight overall by the California Angels in the secondary phase of the 1986 draft, and signed with the club shortly afterwards.
Mills spent just one season with the Salem Angels
Salem Angels
The Salem Angels were a minor league baseball team in the class-A Northwest League from 1982-1987. The team represented the city of Salem, Oregon, and was an affiliate of the California Angels. The team played their home games as the Chemeketa Community College baseball field.-1982 season:The...
of the Northwest League
Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...
, compiling a 6-6 record over fourteen starts, before the Angels sent him to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
to complete a December 19, 1986 deal in which the Yankees sent Butch Wynegar
Butch Wynegar
Harold Delano "Butch" Wynegar, Jr. is a former professional baseball player and is the current hitting coach for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Triple A affiliate of the New York Yankees...
to the Angels for Ron Romanick
Ron Romanick
Ronald James Romanick is a Major League Baseball pitching coach and a former Major League Baseball pitcher. In 2011, he was the Oakland Athletics pitching coach. After the 2011 season, Romanick's contract was not renewed by Oakland in anticipation of new manager Bob Melvin bringing in his own...
and a player to be named later.
New York Yankees
Mills was converted to a relief pitcherRelief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
during his three seasons in the Yankees' farm system, going 12–24 with a 4.25 ERA and thirteen saves. With the Prince William Cannons of the Class A Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
in , Mills went 6–1 with a 0.91 ERA and seven saves to lead his team to their first Carolina League title. Though he had never pitched above A ball, his performance earned him and invitation to Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in .
He made his major league debut on April 14, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. Mills went 1–5 with a 4.15 ERA his rookie year splitting his time between the Yankees and triple A Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
. For Columbus, he was 3–3 with a 3.38 ERA and six saves.
Mills spent most of in the minors, however, made two starts upon returning to the club in September. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for a player to be named later during Spring training the following season.
Baltimore Orioles
Mills emerged as a valuable member of the Orioles' bullpen upon his arrival in Baltimore. He went 10–4 with a 2.61 ERA over 103.1 innings in .Mills made a team high 72 appearances in , going 3–4 with a 3.74 ERA. Perhaps the most famous moment of Mills' career came on May 19, , when he gave Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
a right cross that sent Strawberry sailing into the dugout during a bench clearing brawl with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
.
The following season, Mills signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. After a season and a half in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he was dealt back to the Orioles for Alberto Reyes
Alberto Reyes
Alberto Reyes is a known Uruguayan pianist and United Nations interpreter.-Biography:Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1948, Alberto Reyes started piano studies at the age of six with Sarah Bourdillon a pupil of Alfred Cortot's Ecole Normale de Musique, and played his first public recital at the age...
. He remained with the Orioles through before being released. In a 12-season career, Mills posted a 39–32 record with 456 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 4.12 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 474 games
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
.
Erie SeaWolves
Mills attempted comebacks with the Montreal ExposMontreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
in Spring training and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in , but was essentially away from the game for five years before signing a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in , and spending one season with the Erie SeaWolves
Erie SeaWolves
The Erie SeaWolves are a minor league baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball club....
. In his first 27 games, he went 23-for-23 in save opportunities, posting a 1.65 ERA and limiting batters to a .154 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.
In , Mills served as pitching coach for the Oneonta Tigers
Oneonta Tigers
The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York - Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at Damaschke Field...
, the Class-A short-season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.