Once one of the best starters in baseball, 32 years ago this week Dennis Eckersley began a new chapter in what would become a Hall of Fame career when he was traded to the Oakland A’s and became the first modern closer. Mike and Bill cover both halves of Eckersley’s long and impressive career, and…
Tim Wakefield becomes the oldest player to win a game for the Red Sox since 1920, when the 44 year-old starter goes five innings in Boston’s 11-5 victory over Tampa Bay at Fenway Park. In 1998, Dennis Eckersley, at the age of 43 years and 349 days old, was credited with the win after getting two outs in relief in a game against Baltimore.
On the road, the Yankees top the Indians, 3 – 1. Mariano Rivera saves an Andy Pettitte win for the 58th time, setting a new record for a duo of pitchers; the old mark had been held by Dennis Eckersley and Bob Welch.
Relief pitcher Bruce Sutter is elected to the Hall of Fame. With 75% of the votes cast by BBWAA members needed for election. Sutter receives 76.9%, slugger Jim Rice is second with 64.8%, followed by reliever Goose Gossage at 64.6%. Sutter, who is credited with perfecting the split-fingered fastball, which is a pitch many major leaguers use in some form today, joins Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley as the only relief pitchers in Cooperstown. In a special election, seventeen Negro Leagues figures are also elected: Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, Frank Grant, Pete Hill, Biz Mackey, Effa Manley, Jose Mendez, Alex Pompez, Cum Posey, Louis Santop, Mule Suttles, Ben Taylor, Cristóbal Torriente, Sol White, J.L. Wilkinson, and Jud Wilson. Manley is the first woman ever elected to the Hall, and the 18 inductees are the largest class in the Hall’s history.
Bill Carrigan, skipper of the 1915-16 World Series champion teams, infielders Billy Goodman (1947-57) and Pete Runnels (1958-62), southpaw Bruce Hurst (1980-88), Pawtucket Red Sox owner Ben Mondor, and former GM Haywood Sullivan are inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Also enshrined for their contributions to the team are Cooperstown Hall of Famers Wade Boggs (1982-92), Jimmy Collins (1901-07), and right-hander Dennis Eckersley (1978-84).
On July 25, 2004, a record number of Hall of Famers return to Cooperstown to witness the Induction of Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor. In all, 53 living Hall of Fame members are on hand for the ceremony. Molitor, a member of the 3,000 hit club, and Eckersley, who appeared in the most games of…
Pitchers Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Hurst, catcher-manager Bill Carrigan and infielders Wade Boggs, Billy Goodman and Pete Runnels are selected for induction into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. The club’s Hall of Fame selection committee conducted its voting at a meeting the previous fall.
P Derek Lowe wins his 20th game as the Red Sox beat the Orioles, 6 – 4. Lowe becomes the first pitcher in history to win 20 games the season after saving 20. He is also the first to record at least 40 saves and later win 20. Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz did it the other way around.
Recording his 321st save for the San Diego Padres, Trevor Hoffman sets a new major league record for the most saves for one team, surpassing the mark set by Dennis Eckersley with the Oakland Athletics. The long-time San Diego closer, now eighth on the all-time list, was traded as a rookie by the Florida Marlins as part of the Gary Sheffield deal in 1993.
An incident that will help speed the firing of Orioles gemeral manager Frank Wren occurs today. Cal Ripken Jr. is delayed in traffic and calls the team’s traveling secretary to assure him that he’d be arriving at the airport within the next 10 minutes. At Wren’s order, however, the plane takes off without Cal, who arrives at the gate a few minutes later and has to make his own travel arrangements. When Wren is fired after the season, Orioles management blames him for operating in “such an unreasonable, authoritarian manner”. The O’s defeat the Twins, 8 – 3, as Jesse Orosco preserves Mike Mussina’s 15th win. For Orosco, it is major-league record 1,072 appearance. He had been tied with Dennis Eckersley.