Win Remmerswaal
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmus Abraham Remmerswaal (b. March 8, 1954) is a former relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
. He batted and threw right-handed. Remmerswaal was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He was the second Dutch-born Major League Baseball
player of the modern (post-1900 era), following the great Bert Blyleven
. Blyleven, however, grew up and learned the game in California, so Remmerswaal qualifies as the first home-grown Dutch baseball player
to reach the Major Leagues
.
He was signed by the Boston Red Sox
as an amateur free agent
in 1974 and made his major league debut in 1979. In a total of fifty-five and two-thirds innings of work, all in relief, Remmserswaal compiled a 3-1 record
with 36 strikeouts and a 5.50 earned run average
. Remmerswaal picked up his first major league win on August 15, 1979 when he and a series of other Boston relievers combined to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers
19-5.
In 1997, Remmerswaal lapsed into a coma
after contracting double pneumonia
with pleurisy
. He currently lives in a nursing home in the Netherlands.
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...
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...
. He batted and threw right-handed. Remmerswaal was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He was the second Dutch-born 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...
player of the modern (post-1900 era), following the great Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to , and was best known for his curveball. Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011...
. Blyleven, however, grew up and learned the game in California, so Remmerswaal qualifies as the first home-grown Dutch baseball player
Baseball in the Netherlands
Baseball in the Netherlands started in , having been introduced to the country by English teacher J.C.G Grasé of Amsterdam following a holiday to America. The first professional baseball league began in...
to reach the Major Leagues
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...
.
He was signed by the 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"...
as an amateur 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....
in 1974 and made his major league debut in 1979. In a total of fifty-five and two-thirds innings of work, all in relief, Remmserswaal compiled a 3-1 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...
with 36 strikeouts and a 5.50 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...
. Remmerswaal picked up his first major league win on August 15, 1979 when he and a series of other Boston relievers combined to defeat 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...
19-5.
In 1997, Remmerswaal lapsed into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
after contracting double pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
with pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
. He currently lives in a nursing home in the Netherlands.
External links
- Win Remmerswaal - Baseball-Reference.com