Lary Sorensen
Encyclopedia
Lary Alan Sorensen is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
who played for the Milwaukee Brewers
(1977–1980), St. Louis Cardinals
(1981), Cleveland Indians
(1982–1983), Oakland Athletics
(1984), Chicago Cubs
(1985), Montreal Expos
(1987) and San Francisco Giants
(1988).
s, 10 shutout
s, and a 4.15 ERA
in 346 games pitched
(235 as a starter).
that they were involved in cocaine
abuse. While seven were initially suspended for the entire season, Sorenson was given a shorter 60-day suspension. All eleven were allowed to forgo their suspension after agreeing to large anti-drug donations and community service
.
Sorensen's record of substance abuse continued after his playing days, including numerous DUI
convictions. Sorensen's sixth offense resulted in a multi-year prison
sentence
. On February 2, 2008, he was found by police unconscious in his car in a ditch off 23 Mile Road in Chesterfield, Michigan
. He had a .48 BAC
and alcohol poisoning. One expert said that half of the population would die with a BAC that high. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/SPORTS0104/802070359/1129
On October 16, 1999, he was picked up with a BAC of .35%. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/12/01/sorenson_dui_ap/ One month later, he was arrested for a .24% BAC.
. From July 1994 to February 1995 he co-hosted a morning show called The Morning Battery with Butch Stearns
on Detroit's WDFN
radio. He then went to Detroit's WJR
radio, where he partnered with Frank Beckmann to call games for the Detroit Tigers Radio Network
. Sorensen left the Tigers' job in June 1998 for undisclosed personal reasons, and was replaced by Jim Price
.
restaurant in Roseville, Michigan for three months. He also worked at a storage facility in St. Clair Shores, Michigan and had hopes to get back to broadcasting. He stated this information at East Detroit High School while speaking to health classes there about alcoholism.
His son was formerly a pitcher for the Michigan State University
baseball team. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers
in June 2008 and is currently pitching in their minor league system.
His daughter, Laura (b. 1982), formerly ran a youth program in Ferndale
, Michigan
. She has since left Michigan.
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...
who 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...
(1977–1980), 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...
(1981), 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...
(1982–1983), Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1984), 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...
(1985), 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...
(1987) and 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....
(1988).
Baseball career
In an 11-season career, Sorensen posted a 93-103 record with 569 strikeoutStrikeout
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, 10 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s, and a 4.15 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 346 games pitched
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...
(235 as a starter).
Drug and Alcohol Problems
On February 28, 1986, Sorensen and ten others were suspended for admitting during the Pittsburgh drug trialsPittsburgh drug trials
The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a baseball-related cocaine scandal which resulted in the harshest Major League Baseball penalties since the Black Sox scandal of 1919...
that they were involved in cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
abuse. While seven were initially suspended for the entire season, Sorenson was given a shorter 60-day suspension. All eleven were allowed to forgo their suspension after agreeing to large anti-drug donations and community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
.
Sorensen's record of substance abuse continued after his playing days, including numerous DUI
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
convictions. Sorensen's sixth offense resulted in a multi-year prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
sentence
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
. On February 2, 2008, he was found by police unconscious in his car in a ditch off 23 Mile Road in Chesterfield, 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"....
. He had a .48 BAC
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
and alcohol poisoning. One expert said that half of the population would die with a BAC that high. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/SPORTS0104/802070359/1129
On October 16, 1999, he was picked up with a BAC of .35%. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/12/01/sorenson_dui_ap/ One month later, he was arrested for a .24% BAC.
Broadcasting
Sorensen became a broadcaster after his career ended, initially working as a color analyst for college baseball games on ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. From July 1994 to February 1995 he co-hosted a morning show called The Morning Battery with Butch Stearns
Butch Stearns
Butch Stearns is an American television and radio personality. He is a former sports anchor for WFXT and radio host for WEEI, both located in Boston, Massachusetts.-Television:...
on Detroit's WDFN
WDFN
WDFN is a sports-talk radio station in the Detroit, Michigan, market. It broadcasts in the AM radio band at 1130 kHz. WDFN is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and until the end of the 2008-09 NBA season, was the flagship station for the Detroit Pistons....
radio. He then went to Detroit's WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
radio, where he partnered with Frank Beckmann to call games for the Detroit Tigers Radio Network
Detroit Tigers Radio Network
The Detroit Tigers Radio Network is a network of 34 radio stations that covers much of Michigan, Northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana that air Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers games and related programming. The network airs all 162 regular season games, some Spring Training games, and all...
. Sorensen left the Tigers' job in June 1998 for undisclosed personal reasons, and was replaced by Jim Price
Jim Price (baseball)
Jimmie William Price is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers from 1967 to 1973...
.
Post-broadcasting
After serving a prison sentence, Sorensen worked at a McDonald'sMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant in Roseville, Michigan for three months. He also worked at a storage facility in St. Clair Shores, Michigan and had hopes to get back to broadcasting. He stated this information at East Detroit High School while speaking to health classes there about alcoholism.
Family
Sorensen was married for twenty-four years before his alcoholism and drug addiction led to divorce.His son was formerly a pitcher for the Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
baseball team. He was drafted by 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 June 2008 and is currently pitching in their minor league system.
His daughter, Laura (b. 1982), formerly ran a youth program in Ferndale
Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....
, 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"....
. She has since left Michigan.
Highlights
- In 1978 won a career-high 18 games for the Brewers and made the American League All-Star team.