Rod Beck
Encyclopedia
Rodney Roy "Rod" Beck nicknamed "Shooter", was 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...

 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...

 who played 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....

 (-), 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...

 (-), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (1999-) and 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...

 (-). He batted and threw right handed.

San Francisco Giants

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....

 drafted Beck as a starting pitcher in the 13th round (327th pick) of the 1986 Major League Baseball 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:...

. Prior to the 1988 season, he was traded to 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....

 organization. In , while with the San Jose Giants
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. Home games are played at San Jose Municipal Stadium...

 of the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

, he posted a record of 11-2 between opening day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...

 and June 14, when he was promoted to the Shreveport Captains of the Double A Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...

. Beck made his Major League
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...

 debut on May 6, 1991, against the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

. His performance was forgettable (2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER), but his season numbers were more impressive. He had a 3.78 ERA
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...

, pitched 52⅓ innings in 31 games, and struck out 38 while walking 13. In , Beck took over as the regular closer from Dave Righetti
Dave Righetti
David Allan Righetti is a former left-handed pitcher for various Major League Baseball teams, primarily the New York Yankees. He is currently the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants and was the first player in history to both pitch a no-hitter and also lead the league in saves in his career...

 and posted a record of 3-3 with 17 saves and a 1.76 ERA. He pitched 92 innings over 65 games and struck out 87 while walking only 15. In he recorded 48 saves, including 24 consecutive. At the time, both marks were Giants franchise records.

September 18th, 1997

On Sept 17th and 18th, 1997
1997 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Florida Marlins over Cleveland Indians ; Liván Hernández, MVP*American League Championship Series MVP: Marquis Grissom**American League Division Series*National League Championship Series MVP: Liván Hernández...

, 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...

 came to San Francisco to play a two-game series at Candlestick Park. The Dodgers were leading the National League
National 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...

 West with a record of 84-67. The Giants were in 2nd place with a record of 82-69; 2 games behind. The Giants won the first game 2-1 behind lefty Kirk Reuter. In that contest, Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...

 hit a two run homer
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

 in the 1st inning for the Giants while Raul Mondesi
Raúl Mondesí
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a former Major League Baseball player and the current mayor of San Cristóbal Province in the Dominican Republic. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1994 as a right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers...

 hit a solo shot in the 5th for the Dodgers. Beck did not pitch in the game.

On September 18, he came into the game in the top of the 10th with the score tied 5-5. As the season had progressed, Beck had lost his closer's
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...

 job to Roberto Hernandez. In fact, Beck had blown a save three days earlier in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 while trying to close that game. He had given up 4 earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Beck got into trouble immediately by giving up consecutive singles to Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....

, Eric Karros, and Raul Mondesi
Raúl Mondesí
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a former Major League Baseball player and the current mayor of San Cristóbal Province in the Dominican Republic. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1994 as a right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers...

. With the bases loaded, nobody out and the crowd booing loudly, manager Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 came out to talk to Beck, who was obviously struggling. Baker told Beck, "You're the guy."

Baker left Beck in, and Beck proceeded to strike out Todd Zeile
Todd Zeile
Todd Edward Zeile is a former catcher, third baseman, and first baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1989 to . After graduating from UCLA, where he played as a catcher, Zeile played for 11 Major League teams during his career: the St...

 looking at an inside-corner fastball. When he got pinch hitter Eddie Murray
Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray , nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He was known as one of the most reliable and productive hitters of his era. Murray is regarded as one of the best switch hitters ever to play the game...

 to bounce a splitter into an inning-ending double play, the crowd of 52,188 went crazy. Two innings later, Giants reserve catcher Brian Johnson led off with a home run to left field giving Beck a 6-5 win. The Giants, now tied with the Dodgers for the division lead, would go on to win the Western Division crown.

Chicago Cubs

After the 1997 season, the Giants felt Beck's best years were behind him, and allowed him to leave as a free agent to sign with the Chicago Cubs, replacing him with Robb Nen
Robb Nen
Robert Allen Nen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front office as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean.Nen is best...

. Beck set a career high in saves in 1998, his first season with the Cubs, converting 51 of 58 chances. However, in the 1999 season, Beck battled injury, and was traded by Chicago to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for reliever Mark Guthrie
Mark Guthrie
Mark Andrew Guthrie is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins....

 and a player to be named later, who turned out to be Cole Liniak
Cole Liniak
Cole Liniak is a retired Major League Baseball player who played infielder from - for the Chicago Cubs. Liniak is most known in sports circles as the man the Cubs acquired for relief pitcher Rod Beck in 1999....

.

Boston Red Sox

Beck pitched well for the surging Red Sox, although he struggled in the postseason (giving up a Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...

 walkoff home run in Game One of the 1999 ALCS) and was not as good in his two full seasons with the team as he had been in the past. After the 2001 season, Beck had Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...

.

Back to the Minors

Beck successfully recovered from Tommy John surgery and floated around in the minors before being signed by the Cubs. While pitching for the team's AAA affiliate Iowa Cubs
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs are a Triple-A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, that plays in the Pacific Coast League. Their home games are played in Des Moines, Iowa, at Principal Park.-Franchise history:...

 during his comeback, Beck gained national attention for living in a mobile home behind the team's Sec Taylor Stadium (now Principal Park
Principal Park
Principal Park, formerly Sec Taylor Stadium, is a minor league baseball stadium located in Des Moines, Iowa. It is the home field of the Pacific Coast League's Iowa Cubs....

) in Des Moines. Beck warmly welcomed fans to drop by and visit, signed autographs and offered free beer. He was later traded to the San Diego Padres.

San Diego Padres

In 2003, Beck returned to the Major Leagues with the Padres, filling in for the injured Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman
Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...

. He converted 20 saves in 20 chances, while posting a 1.78 ERA. His statistics earned him the National League Comeback Player of the Year
Players Choice Award
The Players Choice Awards are annual Major League Baseball awards, given by the Major League Baseball Players Association .The Players Choice Awards are given following a secret ballot by players. Four awards go to a player in each league, while two awards each go to one player in all of Major...

 award. In 2004, Beck dealt with personal problems 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...

 and struggled in a seventh inning role for the Padres. Beck was released by San Diego in August.

Death

On June 23, , Beck died alone at his home in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. The Maricopa County medical examiner has not publicly disclosed the cause of death and the Phoenix police did not suspect foul play. Beck's ex-wife stated she believed Beck's death to be drug related. Cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

 was found in his home and bedroom.

Beck was buried in Phoenix wearing his Chicago Cubs uniform despite only pitching two seasons for the team. He was added to the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame, earlier than the typical retirement rule due to his death and received two votes.

External links

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