Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Eckersley Eckersley at the 2008 All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade Pitcher Born: (1954-10-03) October 3, 1954 (age 60) Oakland, California Batted: Right Threw: Right MLB debut April 12, 1975 for the Cleveland Indians Last MLB appearance September 26, 1998 for the Boston Red Sox Career statistics Win–loss record 197–171 Earned run average 3.50 Strikeouts 2,401 Saves 390 Teams Cleveland Indians (1975–1977) Boston Red Sox (1978–1984) Chicago Cubs (1984–1986) Oakland Athletics (1987–1995) St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1997) Boston Red Sox (1998) Career highlights and awards 6× All-Star (1977, 1982, 1988, 1990–1992) World Series champion (1989) AL MVP (1992) AL Cy Young Award (1992) ALCS MVP (1988) 2× AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1992) 2× AL saves champion (1988, 1992) Pitched a no-hitter on May 30, 1977 Oakland Athletics #43 retired Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Major League Baseball All-Time Team Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 2004 Vote 83.2% (first ballot) Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of two pitchers in MLB history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. He is also noted as the pitcher who gave up a dramatic walk-off home run (a phrase Eckersley coined) to the injured Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. He works as a studio analyst for Red Sox games on the NESN network.