Baseball Reporter- A look back at the remarkable career of Dennis Eckersley

To say Dennis Eckersley had a unique career on and off the baseball diamond is an understatement!

'The Eck' retired as the greatest closer in MLB history and went into HOF as soon as becoming eligible...

Eckersley broke in with the Indians at the tender age of 20 and was immediately inserted into the rotation as a regular starter his first season, he played on the same team as player/manager Frank Robinson (that's how long ago Eckersley broke in!) Teammate with Frank Robinson!

Off the field was just as bizarre for Eckersley, his first wife ended up leaving him for his best friend and Indians teammate Rick Manning, while Eckersley was on the road, Manning, injured at the time, and you get the idea,...he was dealt away soon after that, the Indians never admitted it but they realized they couldn't keep both players and dealt Eckersley to Boston, one of the many bad moves the Indians made in the 1970's......

His first year in Boston at age 23 was a great one, winning 20 games and playing for a much better club , the Red Sox teams were full of promise, Eckersley seemed ready to blossom into a great pitcher, following up his 20 win season with a 17-10 season in 1978, but off the field Eckersley never got over losing his wife to Rick Manning, a guy he trusted and was best friends with...

Alcohol became a big part of Eckersley's daily habit, and soon after, his career that looked so promising was heading south , never re-capturing the magic he had his first two seasons in Boston he became just an average pitcher over the next several seasons...approaching his 30's his career was drying up, just another arm, nothing special any longer....

to be continued :digit:

Some of Dennis Eckersley's remarkable statistics....

He pitched for 24 seasons...broke in as a teammate (1975) of HOF'er Frank Robinson

freakish control, or control freak??? he was known to smoke cigarettes like a mad man, while waiting to enter the games, always afraid his next outing was his last, he was a nervous wreck...

In 1989 he walked just 9 batters while striking out 87! (nearly a 10-1 K-BB ratio!)

In 1990 he saved 48 games, ERA 0.61

His career took an even more bizarre twist off the field, involving his brother and attemtped kidnapping murder charge conviction...

Many forget Eckersley was traded to Chicago, for the infamous Bill Buckner.

It is in Oakland, of course, that Eckersley earned his Hall of Fame credentials.

Manager Tony LaRussa, ever the progressive innovator of the game, moved a reluctant Eck to the bullpen, where he became possibly the most dominant closer of all time, redefining the position, ultimately saving 390 games (third most all-time) and being the only pitcher with 100 complete games and 200 saves. He won both the Cy Young Award and the MVP in 1992, and even though he gave up the famous home run to Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, he came back the next year to win the Fall Classic with Oakland in the second year of a remarkable run of three straight American League pennants.

It turns out he also seperated from his 2nd wife who was incredible attractive..

Eckersley's story is not about the luxuries and privileges of fame and the charmed life of a major league baseball star; rather, it is a shockingly human story of loss, pain, adversity, and subsequent triumph. Listening to Eck speak at Cooperstown, breaking into tears every couple of minutes, seemingly talking directly to his parents who made the difficult journey from California to upstate New York to share this moment, one couldn't help but feel anything but pride and compassion for this man who has endured so much, and remains standing tall.

Only the most cynical and heartless of observers couldn't empathize with the passion for life in general and for the game of baseball in particular that Eck demonstrated on stage.

He showed that he understands how lucky he was to be one of the fortunate few to play Major League Baseball, and how God's gift of a golden right arm doesn't come with a guarantee of easy happiness - a lesson that many athletes and celebrities seem to forget once they achieve fame.

His career on and off the field, for the 24 years he was around the game of baseball was one that very few have come close to, tragedy, triumph, perserverance, he had a little of everything...

One thing is for sure, in those years with Oakland when you saw Deniis Eckersley warming, you knew two things, he was coming right at you and you couldn't hit him...it was like the ball disappeared when it got to the plate, straight gas in perfect locations...he was the best ever



Game Over!

Journeyman said:

One thing is for sure, in those years with Oakland when you saw Deniis Eckersley warming, you knew two things, he was coming right at you and you couldn't hit him...it was like the ball disappeared when it got to the plate, straight gas in perfect locations...he was the best ever

Game Over!

Click to expand...

unless you're a gimpy kirk gibson

Or Robbie Alomar!!! Still my favourite Eck!!

Eck best ever? no shot. Rivera is the best closer ever. Eck was a druggie and a drunk. compare eck's numbers with Mo's and see for yourself.

http://otrsportsonline.com/2009/07/31/could-dennis-eckersely-be-hall-of-fames-juicer/
Could Dennis Eckersley be Hall of Fame’s Juicer?

July 31, 2009 by Benjamin Pavlovic

<SCRIPT src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-content/plugins/adverts/adsense.js?1" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>Say what you will about Canseco, but hasn’t he been pretty right so far? “Major League Baseball is going to have a big, big problem on their hands when they find out they have a Hall of Famer who’s used.” That’s what the Bash Brother told ESPN’s Pedro Gomez last night.

No, it’s not Rickey Henderson. That would be way too obvious, right? Plus Canseco already put that rumor to rest. So what other HOF member crossed paths with the Bash Brother? The list shouldn’t be long, but it is distinguished. Canseco began his career with Oakland in 1985. You know who would make some sense? Dennis Eckersley. Stay tuned. Nothing but pure speculation for now.