Mark Petkovsek
Encyclopedia
Mark Joseph Petkovsek is a former 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...

 pitcher
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...

. He played for the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

 (1991 and 2001), Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...

 (1993), 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...

 (1995–98) and Anaheim 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...

 (1999–2000).

He attended the University of Texas, where he threw a seven-inning no-hitter in March of . Petkovsek was a first-round pick of the Rangers later that year, and in 1991, he made his major-league debut with the club, pitching 4-2/3 and taking the loss against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

.

The Rangers granted him his free agency following the year, and he signed with Pittsburgh for . He spent the year at AAA Buffalo
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...

, where he co-aced for the club with Tim Wakefield
Tim Wakefield
Timothy Stephen Wakefield is an American professional baseball pitcher. Wakefield began pitching with the Red Sox in 1995, making him the longest-serving player currently on the team. Wakefield is also the oldest current active player in the majors, and one of two active knuckleballers, the other...

.

After Petkovsek appeared in 23 games for Pittsburgh in '93
1993 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Toronto Blue Jays over Philadelphia Phillies ; Paul Molitor, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Dave Stewart*National League Championship Series MVP: Curt Schilling...

, the Pirates let Petkovsek walk, and the right-hander signed with the Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

 for . They assigned him to AAA Tucson
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....

 out of Spring Training, and he spent the entire year there. On May 16, 1994, Petkovsek threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in Tucson franchise history, beating the 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...

 5 - 0 in his only complete game of the year. For his effort, Petkovsek was named PCL
Pacific 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...

 Pitcher of the Week.

As had the Rangers and Pirates before them, the Astros granted Petkovsek his free agency after the 1994 season, and he found a home in the Cardinals organization, pitching at both AAA Louisville and for the major league Redbirds in . His 21 major league starts that year were a career high.

He helped the Cardinals win the National League Central Division, winning 11 times against only two defeats as a swingman. The 11 wins he had for St. Louis were a career high, regardless of professional level.

In 9 years he had a 46-28 Win-Loss record, 390 Games, 41 Games Started, 1 Complete Game, 1 Shutout, 101 Games Finished, 5 Saves, 710 Innings Pitched, 797 Hits Allowed, 410 Runs Allowed, 373 Earned Runs Allowed, 82 Home Runs Allowed, 222 Walks, 358 Strikeouts, 35 Hit Batsmen, 22 Wild Pitches, 3,086 Batters Faced, 26 Intentional Walks, 4 Balks and a 4.73 ERA.

External links

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