Pete Harnisch
Encyclopedia
Peter Thomas Harnisch is a former Major League Baseball
right-handed starting pitcher
.
, compiling a 21-3 college record, 2.29 earned run average
and 213 strikeouts in 204 innings pitched
. He was a supplemental first round pick (27 overall) for the Baltimore Orioles
in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft
. Just over a year after signing with Baltimore, Harnisch made his major league debut as a September call-up in 1988. He was 0-2 in two starts with a 5.54 ERA.
Harnisch spent two more seasons with the Orioles, splitting both seasons between Baltimore and their triple A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings
. Following the 1990 season, he, Curt Schilling
and Steve Finley
were traded to the Houston Astros
for first baseman
Glenn Davis
.
with a 2.22 ERA, his record stood at 5-7 at the 1991 All-Star break
. NL manager Lou Piniella
added Harnisch to his squad regardless of his losing record, and Harnisch pitched a scoreless sixth in the NL's 4-2 loss. On September 6, 1991, Harnisch struck out three batters on nine pitches
in the ninth inning of a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies
. Harnisch became the 17th National League pitcher and the 26th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish this feat. Harnisch went 7-2 after the break to end the season at 12-9. He led the league with a .212 batting average against and 7.020 Hits per nine innings pitched.
Astros manager Art Howe
named Harnisch his 1992 opening day starter. Harnisch pitched well, giving up just two runs
in the eighth to the Atlanta Braves
, however, the Astros were held to just two hits
by Braves starter Tom Glavine
, and Harnish took the loss. His best season was 1993, when he went 16-9 with a 2.98 ERA and 185 strikeouts while tying the Chicago White Sox
's Jack McDowell
with a major league leading four shutout
s and leading the NL for a second time with a .214 batting average against and 7.070 hits allowed per nine innings pitched.
A torn tendon in his pitching arm caused Harnisch to miss the entire month of June 1994, and limited him to just seventeen starts all season. Following the season, he was traded to the New York Mets. In four seasons in Houston, Harnisch compiled a 45-33 record and 3.41 ERA.
did not go well, as he went 2-8 with a 3.68 ERA in eighteen starts. His record improved to 8-12 in 31 starts in 1996, however, he drew an eight game suspension for his part in a brawl with the Chicago Cubs
on May 11.
Harnisch quit chewing tobacco during Spring training
1997. Shortly afterwards, he complained to Mets trainer Fred Hina of sleeplessness and a lost appetite. Hina prescribed sleeping pills for Harnisch prior to his opening day start for the Mets against the San Diego Padres
. After pitching five scoreless innings, Harnisch was pulled after starting the sixth inning by giving up consecutive home runs to Chris Gomez
, Rickey Henderson
and Quilvio Veras
. He was pulled from his next scheduled start on April 6, and sent back to New York for tests. Following which, he received a diagnosis of clinical depression
.
He revealed his condition in a conference call with sportswriters later that month, and began a rehabilitation program that kept him from the Mets' line-up for four months. He returned to the Mets on August 5, pitching six innings and giving up two runs to the St. Louis Cardinals
at Shea Stadium
. He was, however, far less effective in his next three starts, and was 0-1 with a 8.24 ERA when manager Bobby Valentine
moved him into the bullpen
. This decision led to a confrontation between Harnisch and Valentine, and eventually led to his designation for assignment and deal to the Milwaukee Brewers
. Harnisch later described Valentine as a "very low-grade person" and accused him of speaking with a "forked tongue."
appearance for Milwaukee, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds
as a free agent following the season. He enjoyed something of a renaissance with the Reds in 1998, going 14-7 with a 3.14 ERA for a team that went 77-85 and finished in fourth place in the National League Central
. The club improved considerably in 1999 with Harnisch leading the club in wins (16), innings pitched (198.1) and shutouts (2). His sixteenth victory came on October 3 in the 162nd game of the season against the Brewers to improve his club's record to 96-66, and end the season tied with the Mets for the National League's wild card. The Mets won a one game play off at Cinergy Field
the following day.
Harnisch spent two more seasons in Cincinnati. Injuries limited him to just seven starts in 2001. After sitting out the entire 2002 season, he attempted a comeback with the Reds' triple A affiliate, the Louisville Bats
in 2003, but was unsuccessful.
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...
right-handed starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
.
Baltimore Orioles
Harnisch studied accounting, and was a star pitcher at Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, compiling a 21-3 college record, 2.29 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...
and 213 strikeouts in 204 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 was a supplemental first round pick (27 overall) for 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...
in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft
1987 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1987 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental First Round Selections:-External links:*...
. Just over a year after signing with Baltimore, Harnisch made his major league debut as a September call-up in 1988. He was 0-2 in two starts with a 5.54 ERA.
Harnisch spent two more seasons with the Orioles, splitting both seasons between Baltimore and their triple A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
. Following the 1990 season, he, Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
and Steve Finley
Steve Finley
Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...
were traded to the Houston 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 first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis (baseball)
Glenn Earl Davis is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. While a member of the Houston Astros in the late 1980s, he finished three times in the top ten in National League MVP balloting . He batted and threw right-handed....
.
Houston Astros
Harnisch suffered from a lack of run support upon his arrival in Houston. Despite leading the National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
with a 2.22 ERA, his record stood at 5-7 at the 1991 All-Star break
1991 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1991 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 62nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 9, 1991 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, the home of the Toronto...
. NL manager Lou Piniella
Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He has been nicknamed "Sweet Lou," both for his swing as a major league hitter and, facetiously, to describe his demeanor as a player and manager...
added Harnisch to his squad regardless of his losing record, and Harnisch pitched a scoreless sixth in the NL's 4-2 loss. On September 6, 1991, Harnisch struck out three batters on nine pitches
Pitchers who struck out three batters on nine pitches
In Major League Baseball, 43 pitchers have thrown a nine-pitch, three-strikeout half-inning, throwing nothing but strikes...
in the ninth inning of a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Harnisch became the 17th National League pitcher and the 26th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish this feat. Harnisch went 7-2 after the break to end the season at 12-9. He led the league with a .212 batting average against and 7.020 Hits per nine innings pitched.
Astros manager Art Howe
Art Howe
Arthur Henry Howe Jr. is a former Major League Baseball infielder, coach, scout and manager. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming...
named Harnisch his 1992 opening day starter. Harnisch pitched well, giving up just two runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in the eighth to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, however, the Astros were held to just two 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....
by Braves starter Tom Glavine
Tom Glavine
Thomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...
, and Harnish took the loss. His best season was 1993, when he went 16-9 with a 2.98 ERA and 185 strikeouts while tying the 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...
's Jack McDowell
Jack McDowell
Jack Burns McDowell is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, McDowell won the American League Cy Young Award in 1993. He was nicknamed "Black Jack."...
with a major league leading four shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s and leading the NL for a second time with a .214 batting average against and 7.070 hits allowed per nine innings pitched.
A torn tendon in his pitching arm caused Harnisch to miss the entire month of June 1994, and limited him to just seventeen starts all season. Following the season, he was traded to the New York Mets. In four seasons in Houston, Harnisch compiled a 45-33 record and 3.41 ERA.
New York Mets
Harnish's first season in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
did not go well, as he went 2-8 with a 3.68 ERA in eighteen starts. His record improved to 8-12 in 31 starts in 1996, however, he drew an eight game suspension for his part in a brawl with 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...
on May 11.
Harnisch quit chewing tobacco during Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
1997. Shortly afterwards, he complained to Mets trainer Fred Hina of sleeplessness and a lost appetite. Hina prescribed sleeping pills for Harnisch prior to his opening day start for the Mets against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. After pitching five scoreless innings, Harnisch was pulled after starting the sixth inning by giving up consecutive home runs to Chris Gomez
Chris Gomez
Christopher Cory Gomez is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed.-College career:...
, Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...
and Quilvio Veras
Quilvio Veras
Quilvio Alberto Veras Perez is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is currently a roving coach for the Kansas City Royals....
. He was pulled from his next scheduled start on April 6, and sent back to New York for tests. Following which, he received a diagnosis of clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
.
He revealed his condition in a conference call with sportswriters later that month, and began a rehabilitation program that kept him from the Mets' line-up for four months. He returned to the Mets on August 5, pitching six innings and giving up two runs to the 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...
at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
. He was, however, far less effective in his next three starts, and was 0-1 with a 8.24 ERA when manager Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
moved him into the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
. This decision led to a confrontation between Harnisch and Valentine, and eventually led to his designation for assignment and deal to 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...
. Harnisch later described Valentine as a "very low-grade person" and accused him of speaking with a "forked tongue."
Cincinnati Reds
Harnisch made three starts and one reliefRelief 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...
appearance for Milwaukee, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
as a free agent following the season. He enjoyed something of a renaissance with the Reds in 1998, going 14-7 with a 3.14 ERA for a team that went 77-85 and finished in fourth place in the National League Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
. The club improved considerably in 1999 with Harnisch leading the club in wins (16), innings pitched (198.1) and shutouts (2). His sixteenth victory came on October 3 in the 162nd game of the season against the Brewers to improve his club's record to 96-66, and end the season tied with the Mets for the National League's wild card. The Mets won a one game play off at Cinergy Field
Cinergy Field
Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...
the following day.
Harnisch spent two more seasons in Cincinnati. Injuries limited him to just seven starts in 2001. After sitting out the entire 2002 season, he attempted a comeback with the Reds' triple A affiliate, the Louisville Bats
Louisville Bats
The Louisville Bats, which play in Louisville, Kentucky, are the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team, formerly known as the Louisville RiverBats, plays in the International League...
in 2003, but was unsuccessful.