Dan Plesac
Encyclopedia
Daniel Thomas Plesac is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
with an 18-year career from to . He played for the Milwaukee Brewers
, Toronto Blue Jays
, Chicago Cubs
, Pittsburgh Pirates
, Arizona Diamondbacks
, and Philadelphia Phillies
. Plesac is of Croatian
decent.
A hard thrower with a mid-90 mph fastball and nasty slider, Plesac was originally a starting pitcher before becoming the closer of the Milwaukee Brewers. Plesac served primarily as a left-handed specialist from the mid-1990s until the end of his career, pitching for the Blue Jays twice, the Diamondbacks, and the Phillies.
He was elected to the American League All-Star
team three times (1987, 1988 and 1989). He ended with a 65-71 record and a 3.64 ERA
in 1,064 games and 1,072 innings pitched
.
Plesac holds numerous all-time Milwaukee pitching records (minimum 500 innings pitched). He is the career leader in ERA, H/IP, games, saves
and ERA+ (adjusted ERA). He is second in K/9 and WHIP (BB + H/IP), in both cases to Ben Sheets
, and is fifth in K/BB ratio.
He was the last Phillies pitcher in the history of Veterans Stadium
, as he struck out the only batter he faced, Ryan Langerhans
, to record the third out in the top of the ninth inning on Sept. 28, 2003. The Phillies lost to the Braves, 5-2.
Plesac worked as a news telecaster for Comcast Sportsnet
Chicago, cohosting as a highlighter for Chicago Cubs and pre and postgame shows until the end of the 2008 season. He is also a harness race horse trainer in Chicago
.
Plesac joined the MLB Network
and became an analyst January .
Plesac was recently elected to the North Carolina State Hall of Fame.
Plesac played for North Carolina State University
in the early 1980s. He was No. 26 in 1983 and 1984 with the Wolfpack.
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...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
with an 18-year career from to . He played for the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, 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...
, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Plesac is of Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
decent.
A hard thrower with a mid-90 mph fastball and nasty slider, Plesac was originally a starting pitcher before becoming the closer of the Milwaukee Brewers. Plesac served primarily as a left-handed specialist from the mid-1990s until the end of his career, pitching for the Blue Jays twice, the Diamondbacks, and the Phillies.
He was elected to the American League All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team three times (1987, 1988 and 1989). He ended with a 65-71 record and a 3.64 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 1,064 games and 1,072 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
Plesac holds numerous all-time Milwaukee pitching records (minimum 500 innings pitched). He is the career leader in ERA, H/IP, games, saves
Save (sport)
In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...
and ERA+ (adjusted ERA). He is second in K/9 and WHIP (BB + H/IP), in both cases to Ben Sheets
Ben Sheets
Ben M. Sheets is an American baseball starting pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is a four-time All-Star, but has been hampered with injury problems throughout his career.-Prep and college:...
, and is fifth in K/BB ratio.
He was the last Phillies pitcher in the history of Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, as he struck out the only batter he faced, Ryan Langerhans
Ryan Langerhans
Ryan David Langerhans is an American Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Langerhans was drafted in the third round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves...
, to record the third out in the top of the ninth inning on Sept. 28, 2003. The Phillies lost to the Braves, 5-2.
Plesac worked as a news telecaster for Comcast Sportsnet
Comcast SportsNet
Comcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
Chicago, cohosting as a highlighter for Chicago Cubs and pre and postgame shows until the end of the 2008 season. He is also a harness race horse trainer in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Plesac joined 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...
and became an analyst January .
Plesac was recently elected to the North Carolina State Hall of Fame.
Plesac played for North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in the early 1980s. He was No. 26 in 1983 and 1984 with the Wolfpack.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders
- List of most experienced baseball players never to play in a World Series