Steve Olin
Encyclopedia
Steven Robert Olin was an American right-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played for four seasons in the American League
with the Cleveland Indians
. In 195 career games, Olin pitched 273 innings
and posted a win–loss record
of 16–19, with 48 saves, 118 games finished, and a 3.10 earned run average
(ERA). He earned his final win on September 9, 1992 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Noteworthy, as that was the game in which Robin Yount recorded his 3,000th career hit, though fellow pitcher Jose Mesa
actually gave up the hit earlier in the game. Olin won the game in relief when Cleveland scored two runs in the top of the ninth.
Olin was a right-handed submarining
relief pitcher
for the Cleveland Indians
from 1988
to 1992
. He was killed in a boating accident during spring training
of 1993 on Little Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida
. The boat he was in struck a pier, killing him and fellow reliever Tim Crews
and seriously injuring Bob Ojeda
. It was the first death of active major league players since Thurman Munson
in 1979.
In response to the accident that took Olin and Crews in 1993, the Indians wore a patch on their sleeves of their jerseys. It consisted of a baseball with their numbers on it. Olin's #31 is on the left, with an arrow above. Crews' #52 is on the right, with a star above it.
and grew up in nearby Beaverton
. He graduated from Beaverton High School
in 1984, and was recruited by baseball coach Jack Dunn to attend Portland State University
.
Another song remembered by Cleveland locals is The Dance by Garth Brooks. The song was a favorite of Olin and selected to play when the Indians clinched the 1995 American League Central Division. Before the game then manager Mike Hargrove called up to the Indians scoreboard room requesting it to be played when the Indians clinched the title. "I thought it would mean a lot to anyone who was there (with the Indians at the time of the accident), said Hargrove. "For those who weren't there, it had no significance, but it was still a good song. It was a tribute to those guys, to their families. It was part of our promise to never forget them. We didn't tell anyone that we were going to do it. For those who knew, there wasn't a dry eye to be seen. I saw Charlie Nagy, tears were rolling down his face.
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...
who played for four seasons in 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...
with 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...
. In 195 career games, Olin pitched 273 innings
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...
and posted a win–loss record
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
of 16–19, with 48 saves, 118 games finished, and a 3.10 earned run average
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...
(ERA). He earned his final win on September 9, 1992 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Noteworthy, as that was the game in which Robin Yount recorded his 3,000th career hit, though fellow pitcher Jose Mesa
José Mesa
José Ramón Nova Mesa [MAY-sah] is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. His nickname was "Joe Table," the literal translation of his name in the English language....
actually gave up the hit earlier in the game. Olin won the game in relief when Cleveland scored two runs in the top of the ninth.
Olin was a right-handed submarining
Submarine (baseball)
In baseball, a submarine pitch is one in which the ball is released underhand and just above the ground, with the torso bent at a right angle and shoulders tilted so severely that they rotate around a nearly horizontal axis...
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...
for 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...
from 1988
1988 in baseball
See also: 1988 Major League Baseball season-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Oakland Athletics ; Orel Hershiser, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Dennis Eckersley...
to 1992
1992 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Atlanta Braves ; Pat Borders, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Roberto Alomar*National League Championship Series MVP: John Smoltz...
. He was killed in a boating accident during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
of 1993 on Little Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida
Clermont, Florida
Clermont is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States, west of Orlando. The population was 13,100 in 2008. The city is essentially residential in character and its economy is centered in retail trade, lodging, and food and beverage establishments, which are tourism oriented. The historic...
. The boat he was in struck a pier, killing him and fellow reliever Tim Crews
Tim Crews
Stanley Timothy Crews was a Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- to . He was granted free agency after the 1992 season and signed with the Cleveland Indians on January 22, 1993....
and seriously injuring Bob Ojeda
Bob Ojeda
Robert Michael Ojeda is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. Ojeda is best remembered as an anchor in the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets starting rotation , and for being the lone survivor of a March 22, boating accident that killed fellow Cleveland Indians pitchers...
. It was the first death of active major league players since Thurman Munson
Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...
in 1979.
In response to the accident that took Olin and Crews in 1993, the Indians wore a patch on their sleeves of their jerseys. It consisted of a baseball with their numbers on it. Olin's #31 is on the left, with an arrow above. Crews' #52 is on the right, with a star above it.
Biography
Steve Olin was born on October 4, 1965 in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and grew up in nearby Beaverton
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
. He graduated from Beaverton High School
Beaverton High School
Beaverton High School, is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon. Opened in 1902, it is the oldest high school in Beaverton.-History:...
in 1984, and was recruited by baseball coach Jack Dunn to attend Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
.
Remembrance
The Beatles song Yellow Submarine has a unique meaning in Cleveland as it was played before Olin came into pitch for the Indians.Another song remembered by Cleveland locals is The Dance by Garth Brooks. The song was a favorite of Olin and selected to play when the Indians clinched the 1995 American League Central Division. Before the game then manager Mike Hargrove called up to the Indians scoreboard room requesting it to be played when the Indians clinched the title. "I thought it would mean a lot to anyone who was there (with the Indians at the time of the accident), said Hargrove. "For those who weren't there, it had no significance, but it was still a good song. It was a tribute to those guys, to their families. It was part of our promise to never forget them. We didn't tell anyone that we were going to do it. For those who knew, there wasn't a dry eye to be seen. I saw Charlie Nagy, tears were rolling down his face.
Career statistics
| Stats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | W | L | SV | ERA | WHIP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Cleveland | MLB | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 | 35 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3.75 | 1.361 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Cleveland | MLB | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 92.1 | 96 | 41 | 35 | 26 | 64 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3.41 | 1.321 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Cleveland | MLB | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56.1 | 61 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 38 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 3.36 | 1.491 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Cleveland | MLB | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88.1 | 80 | 25 | 23 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 2.34 | 1.211 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major League Totals | 195 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 273.0 | 272 | 108 | 94 | 90 | 173 | 16 | 19 | 48 | 3.10 | 1.326 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||