Pat Hentgen

American baseball player
Baseball player
Pat Hentgen
Pitcher
Born: (1968-11-13) November 13, 1968 (age 55)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 3, 1991, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
July 21, 2004, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
Win–loss record131–112
Earned run average4.32
Strikeouts1,290
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2016

Patrick George Hentgen (born November 13, 1968) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, and currently a special assistant with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and Baltimore Orioles from 1991 to 2004. In 1996, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award.

Early life

Hentgen was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1968. He attended Fraser High School in Fraser, Michigan, and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Blue Jays in June 1986.[1]

Professional baseball career

Hentgen pitched in the minor leagues from 1986 to 1990. He then split the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League and the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in September 1991.[2]

Hentgen spent the 1993 season with Toronto. He was an All-Star and finished the year with a 19–9 win–loss record and a 3.87 earned run average. He won his only start in the 1993 World Series and helped the Blue Jays win the championship. The following season, Hentgen was an All-Star again and went 13–8 with a 3.40 ERA.[1] In 1995, he pitched poorly, going 10–14 with a 5.11 ERA and leading the AL with 236 hits allowed and 114 earned runs allowed.[1][3]

In 1996, Hentgen went 8–6 before the All-Star break and then went 12–4 after the All-Star break. He won back-to-back AL pitcher of the month awards in July and August. Hentgen finished the season with a 20–10 win–loss record and a 3.22 ERA, ranking second in the AL in wins and ERA. He led the league with 265.2 innings pitched, 10 complete games, and 3 shutouts. For his efforts, he won the AL Cy Young Award, the first in Blue Jays franchise history.[1][3]

The following year, Hentgen was an All-Star for the third and final time. He went 15–10 with a 3.68 ERA and led the AL with 264 innings pitched, 9 complete games, and 3 shutouts. In 1998, he went 12–11 with a 5.17 ERA. In 1999, he went 11–12 with a 4.79 ERA.[1]

In November 1999, the Blue Jays traded Hentgen to the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent the 2000 season with the Cardinals, going 15–12 with a 4.72 ERA.[1] In December 2000, Hentgen signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. In 2001, he went 2–3 with a 3.47 ERA and had Tommy John surgery in August.[1][4] He went 0–4 with a 7.77 ERA in 2002 and 7–8 with a 4.09 ERA in 2003.[1]

Hentgen signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays in November 2003. In 2004, he went 2–9 with a 6.95 ERA and then announced his retirement in July.[1][5] Hentgen finished his MLB career with a 131–112 record, a 4.32 ERA, and 1,290 strikeouts in 2,075.1 innings pitched.[1]

Post-playing career

Hentgen rejoined the Toronto Blue Jays under new manager John Farrell as their new bullpen coach for the 2011 season.[6] It was Hentgen's first coaching assignment. He stepped down in November 2011 due to family reasons, and was given the title of Special Assistant to the Organization.[7] On December 10, 2012, Hentgen was again appointed as the Blue Jays bullpen coach.[8]

On January 4, 2014, the Blue Jays announced that Bob Stanley would be replacing Hentgen as their bullpen coach. Hentgen continued to work with the Blue Jays, as a special assistant to the organization.[9][10]

Hentgen was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2016.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Pat Hentgen Stats". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pat Hentgen Minor Leagues Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b McGrath, Kaitlyn. "Chasing 20 wins and overcoming Yankees mystique: Pat Hentgen's improbable 1996 AL Cy Young award". theathletic.com. November 12, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  4. ^ Dodd, Mike (July 28, 2003). "Tommy John surgery: Pitcher's best friend". usatoday.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  5. ^ Zwolinski, Mark (March 5, 2015). "Pat Hentgen, the first Blue Jay to win Cy Young award". thestar.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  6. ^ "Blue Jays complete coaching staff for 2011 | Toronto Blue Jays". Mlb.com. 2016-01-20. Archived from the original on 2018-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  7. ^ "Walker to replace Hentgen as Jays' bullpen coach". November 7, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  8. ^ http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121210&content_id=40594580&vkey=pr_tor&c_id=tor[dead link]
  9. ^ "Coaching changes". Toronto Blue Jays. January 4, 2014. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  10. ^ "Front Office". MLB.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.

External links

  • Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
  • Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
  • v
  • t
  • e
American League Cy Young Award
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • v
  • t
  • e
Toronto Blue Jays 1993 World Series champions
1 Tony Fernández
2 Rob Butler
4 Alfredo Griffin
9 John Olerud
10 Pat Borders
11 Darnell Coles
12 Roberto Alomar
19 Paul Molitor (World Series MVP)
21 Willie Cañate
22 Dick Schofield
24 Rickey Henderson
25 Devon White
27 Randy Knorr
28 Al Leiter
29 Joe Carter
30 Todd Stottlemyre
31 Duane Ward
33 Ed Sprague Jr.
34 Dave Stewart (ALCS MVP)
40 Mike Timlin
41 Pat Hentgen
48 Mark Eichhorn
49 Tony Castillo
50 Danny Cox
66 Juan Guzmán
Manager
43 Cito Gaston
Coaches
First Base Coach 3 Bob Bailor
Third Base Coach (1) 7 Rich Hacker
Bullpen Coach 8 John Sullivan
Bench Coach 18 Gene Tenace
Hitting Coach 39 Larry Hisle
Pitching Coach 42 Galen Cisco
Third Base Coach (2) 45 Nick Leyva
General Manager Pat Gillick
Regular season
American League Championship Series
  • v
  • t
  • e
St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles Opening Day starting pitchers
  • v
  • t
  • e
Members of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Players, managers,
and coaches
Miscellaneous
Groups