Eddie Fisher (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Eddie Gene Fisher was an American
professional
baseball
player. He played in Major League Baseball
as a relief pitcher
for the San Francisco Giants
(1959–61), Chicago White Sox
(1962–66 and 1972–73), Baltimore Orioles
(1966–67), Cleveland Indians
(1968), California Angels
(1969–72) and St. Louis Cardinals
(1973).
pitchers with 239 innings while playing for the Tacoma Giants
in 1960. His minor league
record from 1958 to 1961 was 47-28 (.627) with a 3.23 ERA in 93 games (632 innings pitched).
Fisher's best pitch was the knuckleball
, and in 1963-1966 he worked out the White Sox bullpen with fellow flutterball specialist Hoyt Wilhelm
.
Fisher started just 63 out of the 690 games he appeared in, and completed 7 of those, two for shutouts. He is better-known, however, for his effective relief work.
In Fisher's 15-year career, 1965 stands out as his best season. He was named to the American League
All-Star
team and finished 4th in the MVP
voting. He led the league in WHIP
(0.974), games pitched
(82), and games finished
(60), and was second in earned run average
(2.40) and saves
(24). His 15-7 record gave him a winning percentage
of .682, which ranked fourth. The White Sox finished in second place that year with a record of 95-67.
He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
on June 13, 1966 and helped them win the American League pennant. In 44 appearances for the O's he was 5-3 with 13 saves and a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings. Baltimore won the 1966 World Series
, but Fisher did not appear in any of the four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers
. Jim Palmer
, Wally Bunker
, and Dave McNally
all pitched complete games, and the team needed only one relief appearance, provided in record fashion by Moe Drabowsky
. (see box score and play-by-play at http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10050LAN1966.htm)
Career totals include a record of 85-70 with 81 saves. In 1538.2 innings pitched
he had 812 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.41, and a low 1.193 WHIP. He had a lifetime batting average
of just .122 (30-for-246), but did once have three hits
in a game...September 19, 1960 vs. the Chicago Cubs
. He currently ranks 92nd on the MLB All-Time Games Pitched List (690) and 72nd on the MLB All-Time Games Finished List (344).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He played 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...
as a 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 San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1959–61), 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...
(1962–66 and 1972–73), 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...
(1966–67), 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...
(1968), California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
(1969–72) and St. Louis Cardinals
St. 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...
(1973).
Pitching career
Fisher led Pacific Coast LeaguePacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
pitchers with 239 innings while playing for the Tacoma Giants
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
in 1960. His minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
record from 1958 to 1961 was 47-28 (.627) with a 3.23 ERA in 93 games (632 innings pitched).
Fisher's best pitch was the knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
, and in 1963-1966 he worked out the White Sox bullpen with fellow flutterball specialist Hoyt Wilhelm
Hoyt Wilhelm
James Hoyt Wilhelm was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
.
Fisher started just 63 out of the 690 games he appeared in, and completed 7 of those, two for shutouts. He is better-known, however, for his effective relief work.
In Fisher's 15-year career, 1965 stands out as his best season. He was named to 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...
All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team and finished 4th in the MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
voting. He led the league in WHIP
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base...
(0.974), games pitched
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
(82), and games finished
Games finished
In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game...
(60), and was second in 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...
(2.40) and saves
Save (sport)
In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...
(24). His 15-7 record gave him a winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
of .682, which ranked fourth. The White Sox finished in second place that year with a record of 95-67.
He was traded to the 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...
on June 13, 1966 and helped them win the American League pennant. In 44 appearances for the O's he was 5-3 with 13 saves and a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings. Baltimore won the 1966 World Series
1966 World Series
The 1966 World Series matched the Baltimore Orioles against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Orioles sweeping the Series in four games to capture their first championship in franchise history...
, but Fisher did not appear in any of the four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Jim Palmer
Jim Palmer
James Alvin "Jim" Palmer , nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in .As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and...
, Wally Bunker
Wally Bunker
Wallace Edward Bunker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Bunker pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from to and Kansas City Royals from to .-Biography:...
, and Dave McNally
Dave McNally
David Arthur "Dave" McNally was a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher from until . He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles and played with them every season except for his final season with the Montreal Expos.McNally has the unique distinction as the only pitcher in Major League...
all pitched complete games, and the team needed only one relief appearance, provided in record fashion by Moe Drabowsky
Moe Drabowsky
Myron Walter Drabowsky was a Polish-American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Milwaukee Braves , Cincinnati Reds , Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Royals , St...
. (see box score and play-by-play at http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10050LAN1966.htm)
Career totals include a record of 85-70 with 81 saves. In 1538.2 innings pitched
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...
he had 812 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.41, and a low 1.193 WHIP. He had a lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of just .122 (30-for-246), but did once have three hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in a game...September 19, 1960 vs. the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. He currently ranks 92nd on the MLB All-Time Games Pitched List (690) and 72nd on the MLB All-Time Games Finished List (344).