Ed Whitson
Encyclopedia
Eddie Lee Whitson is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
best remembered for his short and turbulent stint with the New York Yankees
in the mid 1980s. He batted and threw right-handed.
in the sixth round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft
out of Unicoi County High School in Erwin
, Tennessee. He went 32-41 with a 3.56 ERA in four seasons as a starting pitcher
in the Pirates' farm system before making his début with the Pirates as a September call-up in . He went 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA. His one win came on September 17, when he made an emergency start against the Montreal Expos
in place of Jerry Reuss
, who was a late scratch.
Whitson split the season between the Pirates and their triple A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
. He made seven starts with Columbus, however, was used strictly out of the bullpen
by Pirates manager Chuck Tanner
, going 5-6 with a 3.27 ERA as a relief pitcher
, and earning four saves.
The Pirates were in fourth place, 6.5 games back of the Montreal Expos on June 28, , when they sent Whitson, reliever Al Holland
, and minor-league pitcher Fred Breining to the San Francisco Giants
for third baseman
Bill Madlock
, utilityman Len Randle, and pitcher Dave Roberts
. Madlock batted .328, and was a key member of the "We Are Family
" Pirates
that surged from fourth place to win the division by two games over the Expos, and go on to win the 1979 World Series
over the Baltimore Orioles
. For his part, Whitson was 2-3 with a 4.37 ERA splitting time between the bullpen and starts for the Pirates. Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Whitson was added to his new team's starting rotation. He went 5-8 with a 3.95 ERA.
All-Star
nomination (he did not appear in the game
). He finished the season 11-13 with a 3.10 ERA, and making a career high 34 starts and pitching 211.2 innings.
Injuries limited Whitson to just 22 starts in , resulting in a 6-9 record and 4.02 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians
for infielder
Duane Kuiper
.
with the Milwaukee Brewers
on August 1, , pitching six innings and giving up just one run
to earn the win. He remained in the starting rotation for the remainder of the season, compiling a 3-1 record and 2.22 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the San Diego Padres
for Juan Eichelberger
and Broderick Perkins
.
demoted him to the bullpen. He found his way back in the starting rotation by the end of the season, and was 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA upon his return. For the season, he was 5-7 with a 4.30 ERA and one save.
Whitson had a career year in , going 14-8 with a 3.24 ERA. The Padres
ran away with the National League West
by twelve games over the Atlanta Braves
to face the Chicago Cubs
in the 1984 National League Championship Series
. The Cubs won the first two games in Chicago
. Facing elimination, Whitson pitched a gem, holding the Cubs to five hits
and one run in eight innings.
The Padres went on to win games four and five of the NLCS to face the Detroit Tigers
in the World Series
. Whitson started game two, lasting only two-third of an inning, giving up three runs on five hits. The Padres actually came back and won the game, as Andy Hawkins
and Craig Lefferts
both pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen, holding the Tigers to two hits and no runs from that point forward. It was, however, San Diego's only win as the Tigers went on to win the 1984 World Series
four games to one.
following the 1984 season, and signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $4.4 million with a sixth-year option. Whitson got off to a terrible start in New York
, going 1-6 with a 6.23 ERA in his first eleven starts, and soon became a focal point for heckling Yankee fans. He began receiving verbal abuse and hate mail, and refused to let his wife, Kathleen, attend home games at Yankee Stadium.
On June 11, , after giving up five hits and one run against the Toronto Blue Jays
in Yankee Stadium, Whitson retired the next 19 batters he faced. Fans began to cheer Whitson during the game, and although the game was lost by the bullpen in extra innings
, Whitson left the game to a standing ovation in the tenth. From there, Whitson turned his season around, going 9-1 with a 2.27 ERA over his next sixteen starts.
The Yankees were just 2.5 games back of the first place Blue Jays in the American League East
when Toronto came to town for a crucial four game series on September 12. With the Blue Jays taking two of the first three games, Yankees manager Billy Martin
handed Whitson the ball for the fourth game. Whitson gave up four earned runs in just two innings as the Jays won the game 8-5 to take a 4.5 game lead in the division.
Martin lifted Whitson from his next scheduled start on September 20. On September 22, while at a hotel bar in Baltimore, Maryland, Whitson and Martin got into a heated argument that spread to other parts of the hotel and resulted in a broken ulna in Martin's right arm and a bruised right side. While Whitson suffered a cracked rib and a split lip.
Whitson did not pitch again for the remainder of the season, finishing with a 10-8 record and 4.88 ERA. After the season, Martin was fired, which many Yankee fans suspected was because of his altercation with Whitson.
Whitson was used both as a starter and out of the bullpen by new manager Lou Piniella
in . He was 4-0 despite a high 7.36 ERA out of the bullpen, and 1-2 with a 8.71 ERA as a starter. Knowing that Whitson wanted out of New York
, the Yankees traded Whitson back to the Padres for reliever Tim Stoddard
on July 9, 1986.
with 36. Still traumatized by his experience in New York, Whitson received a death threat prior to a scheduled start against the New York Mets
at Shea Stadium
in . He made the start, after being escorted to the stadium by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti
and his security team. He was pulled from the game in the fourth inning after giving up six runs. However, he extracted some revenge on his home turf just two weeks later, beating the Mets 1-0 in San Diego.
He settled down some in , improving to 13-11, and lowering his ERA to 3.77 while allowing only seventeen home runs. His two best seasons were 1989
, where he won a career-high 16 games and with an impressive 2.66 ERA, and 1990
, where he went 14-9 with a career-best 2.60 ERA, and hit his only career home run
in a complete game victory over the Chicago Cubs
.
, Ohio for whom his son, Drew, plays first base
.
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...
best remembered for his short and turbulent stint with 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...
in the mid 1980s. He batted and threw right-handed.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Whitson was drafted by the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh 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...
in the sixth round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft
1974 Major League Baseball draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :With the number one pick of the June regular phase, San Diego tabbed infielder Bill Almon from Brown University, one of six shortstops selected in round one...
out of Unicoi County High School in Erwin
Erwin, Tennessee
Erwin is a town in and the county seat of Unicoi County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area...
, Tennessee. He went 32-41 with a 3.56 ERA in four seasons as a starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in the Pirates' farm system before making his début with the Pirates as a September call-up in . He went 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA. His one win came on September 17, when he made an emergency start against the Montreal Expos
Montreal 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 place of Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
, who was a late scratch.
Whitson split the season between the Pirates and their triple A affiliate, the 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....
. He made seven starts with Columbus, however, was used strictly out of the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
by Pirates manager Chuck Tanner
Chuck Tanner
Charles William "Chuck" Tanner was a left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979...
, going 5-6 with a 3.27 ERA as a 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...
, and earning four saves.
The Pirates were in fourth place, 6.5 games back of the Montreal Expos on June 28, , when they sent Whitson, reliever Al Holland
Al Holland
Alfred Willis Holland is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who mostly pitched in the Major Leagues from to ....
, and minor-league pitcher Fred Breining 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....
for third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Bill Madlock
Bill Madlock
Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1973 to 1987, Madlock was a right-handed hitter who won several National League batting titles. His record of four batting titles as a third baseman would be eclipsed in 1988 by Wade Boggs. Since 1970, only Tony Gwynn has...
, utilityman Len Randle, and pitcher Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts (pitcher)
David Arthur Roberts was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams from 1969 to 1981. He was second in the National League with a 2.10 earned run average in for the San Diego Padres, after which he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he spent the...
. Madlock batted .328, and was a key member of the "We Are Family
We Are Family (song)
"We Are Family" is a 1979 dance hit song by Sister Sledge, composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Rodgers and Edwards offered the song to Atlantic Records; although the record label initially declined, the track was released as a single from the album of the same name and quickly began to...
" Pirates
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates had 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East Division title by two games over the Montreal Expos. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds to win their ninth National League title, and the Baltimore Orioles to win their fifth World Series title - and also...
that surged from fourth place to win the division by two games over the Expos, and go on to win the 1979 World Series
1979 World Series
The 1979 World Series matched the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League's Baltimore Orioles , with the Pirates coming back from a three games to one deficit to win the Series in seven games...
over 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 his part, Whitson was 2-3 with a 4.37 ERA splitting time between the bullpen and starts for the Pirates. Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Whitson was added to his new team's starting rotation. He went 5-8 with a 3.95 ERA.
San Francisco Giants
Whitson began the season with an 0-5 record and 5.06 ERA. However, he bounced back, going 7-3 with a 2.32 ERA over his next thirteen starts to earn his only National LeagueNational 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...
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...
nomination (he did not appear in the game
1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 51st midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 8, 1980 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, home of the Los...
). He finished the season 11-13 with a 3.10 ERA, and making a career high 34 starts and pitching 211.2 innings.
Injuries limited Whitson to just 22 starts in , resulting in a 6-9 record and 4.02 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
Duane Kuiper
Duane Kuiper
Duane Eugene Kuiper is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, and is currently a five-time Emmy award-winning radio and television sportscaster for the San Francisco Giants...
.
Cleveland Indians
Whitson was converted back into a reliever with Cleveland, going 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA in that role. He made his first start for the Indians in the first game of a double headerDoubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
with 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...
on August 1, , pitching six innings and giving up just one run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
to earn the win. He remained in the starting rotation for the remainder of the season, compiling a 3-1 record and 2.22 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for Juan Eichelberger
Juan Eichelberger
Juan Tyrone Eichelberger is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He graduated from Balboa High School of San Francisco, California in 1971, played collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley and pitched for the San Diego Padres , Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves...
and Broderick Perkins
Broderick Perkins
Broderick Phillip Perkins is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1978 until 1984, for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians, primarily as a first baseman...
.
San Diego Padres
In , Whitson was 2-6 with a 4.73 ERA when Padres manager Dick WilliamsDick Williams
Richard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
demoted him to the bullpen. He found his way back in the starting rotation by the end of the season, and was 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA upon his return. For the season, he was 5-7 with a 4.30 ERA and one save.
Whitson had a career year in , going 14-8 with a 3.24 ERA. The Padres
1984 San Diego Padres season
-Offseason:* October 21, 1983: Sandy Alomar, Jr. was signed by the Padres as an amateur free agent.* December 6, 1983: Joe Pittman and a player to be named later were traded by the Padres to the San Francisco Giants for Champ Summers...
ran away with the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
by twelve games over the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
to face the Chicago Cubs
1984 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs' 1984 season was the 109th season for the Cubs. The team finished with a record of 96-65 in first place of the National League Eastern Division. Chicago was managed by Jim Frey and the general manager was Dallas Green...
in the 1984 National League Championship Series
1984 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 2, 1984 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IllinoisBob Dernier led off the game for the Cubs with a homer, and things went steadily downhill for the Padres as Chicago romped to a crushing 13–0 win in their first postseason game since 1945. Gary Matthews also homered in the first...
. The Cubs won the first two games 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...
. Facing elimination, Whitson pitched a gem, holding the Cubs to five hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and one run in eight innings.
The Padres went on to win games four and five of the NLCS to face the Detroit Tigers
1984 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901 and their fourth World Series championship. Detroit relief pitcher Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young Award and was chosen as the...
in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. Whitson started game two, lasting only two-third of an inning, giving up three runs on five hits. The Padres actually came back and won the game, as Andy Hawkins
Andy Hawkins
Melton Andrew "Andy" Hawkins is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics...
and Craig Lefferts
Craig Lefferts
Craig Lindsay Lefferts was a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs , San Diego Padres , San Francisco Giants , Baltimore Orioles , Texas Rangers and California Angels...
both pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen, holding the Tigers to two hits and no runs from that point forward. It was, however, San Diego's only win as the Tigers went on to win the 1984 World Series
1984 World Series
The 1984 World Series began on October 9 and ended on October 14, 1984. The American League champion Detroit Tigers played against the National League champion San Diego Padres, with the Tigers winning the series four games to one....
four games to one.
New York Yankees
Whitson became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
following the 1984 season, and signed a five-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $4.4 million with a sixth-year option. Whitson got off to a terrible start in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, going 1-6 with a 6.23 ERA in his first eleven starts, and soon became a focal point for heckling Yankee fans. He began receiving verbal abuse and hate mail, and refused to let his wife, Kathleen, attend home games at Yankee Stadium.
On June 11, , after giving up five hits and one run against the 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 ....
in Yankee Stadium, Whitson retired the next 19 batters he faced. Fans began to cheer Whitson during the game, and although the game was lost by the bullpen in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
, Whitson left the game to a standing ovation in the tenth. From there, Whitson turned his season around, going 9-1 with a 2.27 ERA over his next sixteen starts.
The Yankees were just 2.5 games back of the first place Blue Jays in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
when Toronto came to town for a crucial four game series on September 12. With the Blue Jays taking two of the first three games, Yankees manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
handed Whitson the ball for the fourth game. Whitson gave up four earned runs in just two innings as the Jays won the game 8-5 to take a 4.5 game lead in the division.
Martin lifted Whitson from his next scheduled start on September 20. On September 22, while at a hotel bar in Baltimore, Maryland, Whitson and Martin got into a heated argument that spread to other parts of the hotel and resulted in a broken ulna in Martin's right arm and a bruised right side. While Whitson suffered a cracked rib and a split lip.
Whitson did not pitch again for the remainder of the season, finishing with a 10-8 record and 4.88 ERA. After the season, Martin was fired, which many Yankee fans suspected was because of his altercation with Whitson.
Whitson was used both as a starter and out of the bullpen by new manager Lou Piniella
Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...
in . He was 4-0 despite a high 7.36 ERA out of the bullpen, and 1-2 with a 8.71 ERA as a starter. Knowing that Whitson wanted out of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Yankees traded Whitson back to the Padres for reliever Tim Stoddard
Tim Stoddard
Timothy Paul Stoddard is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is one of only two known men to have played in both a World Series and an NCAA basketball national championship game....
on July 9, 1986.
Second stint with the Padres
Used primarily as a starter, Whitson went 11-20 with a 4.89 ERA his first season and a half back in San Diego, largely due to the fact that he led the league in home runs allowed in 19871987 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres season was the 19th in franchise history. Rookie catcher Benito Santiago hit in 34 straight games, earning him the NL Rookie of the Year Award.-Offseason:* October 9, 1986: Dane Iorg was released by the Padres....
with 36. Still traumatized by his experience in New York, Whitson received a death threat prior to a scheduled start against the New York Mets
1987 New York Mets season
The New York Mets' 1987 season was the 26th regular season for the Mets. They went 92-70 and finished 2nd in the NL East. They were managed by Davey Johnson. They played home games at Shea Stadium.-Offseason:...
at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in . He made the start, after being escorted to the stadium by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti
A. Bartlett Giamatti
Angelo Bartlett "Bart" Giamatti was the president of Yale University and later the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti negotiated the agreement that terminated the Pete Rose betting scandal by permitting Rose to voluntarily withdraw from the sport, avoiding further...
and his security team. He was pulled from the game in the fourth inning after giving up six runs. However, he extracted some revenge on his home turf just two weeks later, beating the Mets 1-0 in San Diego.
He settled down some in , improving to 13-11, and lowering his ERA to 3.77 while allowing only seventeen home runs. His two best seasons were 1989
1989 San Diego Padres season
-Offseason:* October 24, 1988: Lance McCullers, Jimmy Jones, and Stan Jefferson were traded by the Padres to the New York Yankees for Jack Clark and Pat Clements.* December 8, 1988: Bruce Hurst was signed as a free agent by the Padres....
, where he won a career-high 16 games and with an impressive 2.66 ERA, and 1990
1990 San Diego Padres season
-Offseason:* November 16, 1989: Don Schulze was released by the Padres.* December 6, 1989: Fred Lynn was signed as a free agent by the Padres.* December 6, 1989: Sandy Alomar, Jr., Carlos Baerga and Chris James were traded by the Padres to the Cleveland Indians for Joe Carter.* December 12, 1989:...
, where he went 14-9 with a career-best 2.60 ERA, and hit his only career home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in a complete game victory over the 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...
.
Career statistics
Whitson serves as a volunteer baseball coach for the Dublin Jerome High School baseball team in DublinDublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
, Ohio for whom his son, Drew, plays first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
.