Mike Torrez
Encyclopedia
Michael Augustine Torrez (born August 28, 1946 in Topeka, Kansas
) is a former pitcher
in Major League Baseball
.
, Montreal Expos
and New York Mets
, all of the National League
, and Baltimore Orioles
, Oakland A's
, New York Yankees
, and Boston Red Sox
, all of the American League
.
He made his debut at the age of 20 with the Cardinals. He seldom pitched in his first two seasons. He had a breakthrough season in 1969, going 10-4. He was traded to the Expos mid-season in 1970. In 1972 Torrez went 16-12 with a 3.33 ERA in 240 innings. However he had control problems as he walked 103 batters. He struggled in 1973 going 9-12. Torrez rebounded in '74 with a 15-8 win-loss record in 186 innings.
In 1975 he had perhaps his best season of his career with the Orioles, going 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 270.2 innings pitched. However he also led the league in walks with 133.
Pitching with the Oakland Athletics
, Torrez had another fine season in 1976 as he went 16-12 with a career low 2.50 ERA. He was traded to Yankees early the next season.
Torrez won 2 games in the 1977 World Series
for the World Champion Yankees and won 15 or more games in 6 consecutive seasons. After the Yankees 1977 championship season, he signed as a free agent
with Boston. His 16-win season was forgotten with 1 pitch when he gave up a 3-run home run to light-hitting Yankee shortstop
, Bucky Dent
, in the late innings of the division-deciding 163rd game.
He is also known for beaning Houston Astros
infielder Dickie Thon
in 1984. At the time, Thon was considered a possible Hall of Fame player in the making but had his career permanently hampered due to the injury he sustained as a result of the beaning.
of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
.
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
) is a former 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...
in Major League Baseball
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...
.
Career
Torrez had an 18-year career from 1967 to 1984. He played for the St. Louis CardinalsSt. 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...
, Montreal Expos
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
and 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...
, all of the 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...
, and 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...
, Oakland A's
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....
, 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...
, and Boston Red Sox
Boston 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"...
, all of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
He made his debut at the age of 20 with the Cardinals. He seldom pitched in his first two seasons. He had a breakthrough season in 1969, going 10-4. He was traded to the Expos mid-season in 1970. In 1972 Torrez went 16-12 with a 3.33 ERA in 240 innings. However he had control problems as he walked 103 batters. He struggled in 1973 going 9-12. Torrez rebounded in '74 with a 15-8 win-loss record in 186 innings.
In 1975 he had perhaps his best season of his career with the Orioles, going 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 270.2 innings pitched. However he also led the league in walks with 133.
Pitching with the 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....
, Torrez had another fine season in 1976 as he went 16-12 with a career low 2.50 ERA. He was traded to Yankees early the next season.
Torrez won 2 games in the 1977 World Series
1977 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1977 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Dodgers drew first blood off Don Gullett in the first when Davey Lopes walked and scored on a Bill Russell triple. Ron Cey made it 2–0 on a sacrifice fly...
for the World Champion Yankees and won 15 or more games in 6 consecutive seasons. After the Yankees 1977 championship season, he signed as a free agent
Free 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....
with Boston. His 16-win season was forgotten with 1 pitch when he gave up a 3-run home run to light-hitting Yankee shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
, in the late innings of the division-deciding 163rd game.
He is also known for beaning Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
infielder Dickie Thon
Dickie Thon
Richard William "Dickie" Thon is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.- Early life :Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.- Professional career :He...
in 1984. At the time, Thon was considered a possible Hall of Fame player in the making but had his career permanently hampered due to the injury he sustained as a result of the beaning.
Post playing career
Torrez is currently the General Manager for the Newark BearsNewark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.