Clint Hurdle
Encyclopedia
Clinton Merrick Hurdle is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
whose 10-year career was spent with the Kansas City Royals
, Cincinnati Reds
, New York Mets
, and St. Louis Cardinals
. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle became a manager. His eight seasons with the Colorado Rockies
included leading his 2007 club
to the franchise's first National League
pennant. On November 14, 2010, Hurdle was hired as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
.
. When Hurdle was 4 years old, the family moved from Michigan
to Florida
so his father could take a job at the Kennedy Space Center
. Hurdle is a 1975 graduate of Merritt Island High School
in Merritt Island, Florida
.
Hurdle is married to third wife Karla and has three children; daughter Madison (who was born in 2002 and has Prader-Willi Syndrome
), son Christian (who was born in 2004), and daughter Ashley (who was born in 1985 and is from a previous marriage).
in 1978 as that year's "phenom." Throughout his career, he also played first base, third base, catcher and designated hitter.
Hurdle also played in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
during three different seasons. In his first season, 1977–78, he led the league in home runs (18) while batting .305 with 52 RBIs. He played again in 1979 and 1983. In all three times he led the league in walks while playing for the local team Tiburones de La Guaira
Hurdle began his managerial career the next year, when he was named Manager of the St. Lucie Mets
, a Class "A" team, in 1988. He also served as Manager for the AA Jackson Mets
(1990–1991), and the AAA Tidewater/Norfolk Tides
(1992–1993).
In 1994 he joined the Colorado Rockies organization as the minor league hitting instructor; serving in that capacity until he was named the Rockies hitting coach in 1997. Hurdle was promoted to Manager in 2002 following the early-season firing of Buddy Bell
. On April 2, 2006, he was given a two-year contract extension. In 2007
, Hurdle managed Colorado
to their second best finish in the team's 15-year history (only topped by the 2009 season) by winning the last 14 out of 15 games in order to force a tie-breaker game with the San Diego Padres
to determine the winner of the National League Wild Card. Colorado defeated San Diego, reaching the playoffs for only the second time in Rockies history. Hurdle's Rockies then beat the Philadelphia Phillies
in the Division Series
, sweeping them in three games to force a match-up with their rival Arizona Diamondbacks
in the NLCS
. The Rockies continued their improbable streak by sweeping Arizona in four games to win the first pennant in team history and reach the 2007 World Series
.
In the World Series, Colorado faced the Boston Red Sox
, but the winning ways would come to an end and the Rockies would be swept in four games. Injuries to several regulars caused the Rockies to fade in 2008 and after a poor start in 2009, Hurdle was fired on May 29. Although Hurdle was offered a "significant role" within the Rockies organization, he decided to join the MLB Network
as a studio analyst for the remainder of 2009.
On November 4, 2009, he was hired as the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers. In 2010, Hurdle helped the Rangers to their first American League pennant in franchise history before losing to the San Francisco Giants
in the 2010 World Series
.
After interviewing with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets for their vacant managerial positions, Hurdle was hired by the Pirates on November 14, 2010. Hurdle then agreed to a 3 year contract, keeping him with the team through the 2013 season.
At the 2011 All-Star Break, Hurdle lead the Pirates to a 47-43 record, one game out of first place in the NL Central. It was the first time the Pirates had been over .500 going into the All-Star break since winning the 1992 National League East
.
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...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
whose 10-year career was spent with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. After retiring from playing baseball, Hurdle became a manager. His eight seasons with the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
included leading his 2007 club
2007 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
to the franchise's first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant. On November 14, 2010, Hurdle was hired as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
.
Personal life
Clint Hurdle is named for his father, Clinton, who played collegiate baseball for Ferris State UniversityFerris State University
Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1884 as the Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris, an educator from New England who later served as governor of the State of Michigan and finally in the US Senate where...
. When Hurdle was 4 years old, the family moved from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
so his father could take a job at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
. Hurdle is a 1975 graduate of Merritt Island High School
Merritt Island High School
Merritt Island High School is a public high school located in Merritt Island, Florida.-Principals:#Robert Bruton 1965-1983#Hank Smith 1983-1999#David M. Piccolo 2002#Gary Shiffrin 2002 - current- Academics :...
in Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Hurdle is married to third wife Karla and has three children; daughter Madison (who was born in 2002 and has Prader-Willi Syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Prader–Willi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in which seven genes on chromosome 15 are deleted or unexpressed on the paternal chromosome...
), son Christian (who was born in 2004), and daughter Ashley (who was born in 1985 and is from a previous marriage).
Playing career
After being selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 9th pick of the first round in the amateur draft, Hurdle played for the Royals from 1977 to 1981, but never achieved the level of play suggested by his high draft position. Playing regularly only in 1978 and 1980, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in December 1981, and after spending 1982 with the Reds, went on waivers to join the New York Mets (1983, 1985) and St. Louis Cardinals (1986) before ending his career with the Mets in . Hurdle had been featured on the cover of Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
in 1978 as that year's "phenom." Throughout his career, he also played first base, third base, catcher and designated hitter.
Hurdle also played in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is the highest level baseball league in Venezuela.-Brief history:Baseball exploded in Venezuela in 1941, following the world championship in Havana....
during three different seasons. In his first season, 1977–78, he led the league in home runs (18) while batting .305 with 52 RBIs. He played again in 1979 and 1983. In all three times he led the league in walks while playing for the local team Tiburones de La Guaira
Tiburones de La Guaira
The Tiburones de La Guaira are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in the city of La Guaira, the Tiburones have won seven national championships since their founding in 1962.-History:...
Managerial career
St. Lucie Mets
The St. Lucie Mets are a minor league baseball team based in Port St. Lucie, Florida.The team, which plays in the Florida State League, is the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club.The team plays at Digital Domain Park...
, a Class "A" team, in 1988. He also served as Manager for the AA Jackson Mets
Jackson Mets
The Jackson Mets were a professional baseball team based in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1975 through 1990. As of 2010, they are the longest-tenured club to be based in the Jackson metropolitan area...
(1990–1991), and the AAA Tidewater/Norfolk Tides
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
(1992–1993).
In 1994 he joined the Colorado Rockies organization as the minor league hitting instructor; serving in that capacity until he was named the Rockies hitting coach in 1997. Hurdle was promoted to Manager in 2002 following the early-season firing of Buddy Bell
Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, he managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals for three seasons each...
. On April 2, 2006, he was given a two-year contract extension. In 2007
2007 Major League Baseball season
The 2007 Major League Baseball season, began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1...
, Hurdle managed Colorado
2007 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
to their second best finish in the team's 15-year history (only topped by the 2009 season) by winning the last 14 out of 15 games in order to force a tie-breaker game with the San Diego Padres
2007 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres' 2007 season began with the Padres' attempt to win a 3rd consecutive NL West title. After finishing 162 games in a tie with the Colorado Rockies for both the NL Wild Card and second place in the NL West, they were defeated in a tie-breaker which placed them third overall in...
to determine the winner of the National League Wild Card. Colorado defeated San Diego, reaching the playoffs for only the second time in Rockies history. Hurdle's Rockies then beat the Philadelphia Phillies
2007 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies' 2007 season began with the Phillies approaching an historic mark. The Phillies started the year with an MLB-record 9,955 losses in franchise history. On July 15, they lost their 10,000th game to the St. Louis Cardinals...
in the Division Series
2007 National League Division Series
-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies:-Game 1, October 3:Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaEighteen-game winners Carlos Zambrano and Brandon Webb matched each other pitch for pitch in the opening game of the series. Stephen Drew's fourth-inning home run stood as the game's only run until Ryan...
, sweeping them in three games to force a match-up with their rival Arizona Diamondbacks
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2007 season started with the Diamondbacks attempting to win the NL West Division. The Arizona Diamondbacks' biggest move in the offseason was when, on January 9, 2007, they got their 2001 World Series co-MVP back, pitcher Randy Johnson after making a blockbuster deal with...
in the NLCS
2007 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Thursday, October 11, 2007 at Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaThe Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first on a first-inning RBI double by Eric Byrnes, but lost the lead two innings later when Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe...
. The Rockies continued their improbable streak by sweeping Arizona in four games to win the first pennant in team history and reach the 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
.
In the World Series, Colorado faced the Boston Red Sox
2007 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox' 2007 season began with the Boston, Massachusetts-based Major League Baseball team trying to rebound after a disappointing 2006 season, in which they finished third in the American League East behind the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays, and missed the postseason for...
, but the winning ways would come to an end and the Rockies would be swept in four games. Injuries to several regulars caused the Rockies to fade in 2008 and after a poor start in 2009, Hurdle was fired on May 29. Although Hurdle was offered a "significant role" within the Rockies organization, he decided to join the MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
as a studio analyst for the remainder of 2009.
On November 4, 2009, he was hired as the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers. In 2010, Hurdle helped the Rangers to their first American League pennant in franchise history before losing to the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in the 2010 World Series
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
.
After interviewing with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets for their vacant managerial positions, Hurdle was hired by the Pirates on November 14, 2010. Hurdle then agreed to a 3 year contract, keeping him with the team through the 2013 season.
At the 2011 All-Star Break, Hurdle lead the Pirates to a 47-43 record, one game out of first place in the NL Central. It was the first time the Pirates had been over .500 going into the All-Star break since winning the 1992 National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2006
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2007
- List of Major League Baseball managers in 2008