Dann Paul John Howitt is a retired 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...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

. He played college baseball at Cal State Fullerton, graduating in 1986 and was drafted by 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....

 in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur draft

1986 Major League Baseball Draft

The 1986 Major League Baseball Draft was the 22nd MLB draft that took place in 1986. During this draft, five all-stars were drafted in five different teams.-First round selections:...

. He played during six seasons at the major league level for the 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....

, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

, Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

. Howitt played his first professional season with their Class A (Short Season) Medford A's in , and his last with the Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

' Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Colorado Springs Sky Sox

The Colorado Springs Sky Sox are a minor league baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team's colors are red and blue. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Colorado Rockies...

 in .

It was Howitt that got the final hit off Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....

 when he hit a grand slam home run on September 22, 1993, in Ryan's final appearance at the Seattle Kingdome. It was the last game of Ryan's legendary career and Howitt was the last batter he ever faced.

Dann Howitt is currently a contributing baseball writer for the sports section of the Grand Rapids Press.