Mike Scott (baseball)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mike Scott | |
|---|---|
| Starting pitcher | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB Debut | |
| April 18, 1979 for the New York Mets | |
| Final game | |
| April 13, 1991 for the Houston Astros | |
| Career Statistics | |
| Record | 124-108 |
| ERA | 3.54 |
| Strikeouts | 1469 |
| Teams | |
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| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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Michael Warren Scott (born April 26, 1955 in Santa Monica, California) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets and - most notably - the Houston Astros. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1986 and is remembered for pitching incredibly well in the 1986 National League Championship Series, although his team lost. He is part of a select group of pitchers that have thrown a no-hitter and struck out 300 batters in the same season.
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[edit] Early career
Scott made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1979. The Mets traded Scott to the Astros for Danny Heep on December 11, 1982. By the end of the 1982 season, Scott had compiled a 14-27 major league record and was happy to be traded away from the poorly-managed Mets that featured a four-man starting pitching rotation. Scott continued to struggle in his first two seasons with the Astros, going 15-17.
The turning point in Scott's career came in 1985, when he became a student of legendary pitching coach Roger Craig. Craig taught Scott the split-finger fastball, a pitch he had made famous while coaching the pitchers of the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers. Scott became an 18-game winner in 1985 and was rewarded with a new three-year deal with the Astros, valued at around two million dollars.
[edit] 1986
Shortly after this, in the 1986 season, rumors began to float around the league that Scott had been cheating by marking his baseballs with sandpaper. Accusations came from everywhere, including former mentor Roger Craig. While everyone, including the Mets, tried their best to catch him (including videotaping and ball confiscating), no concrete proof has ever surfaced that Scott had been cheating.
In what would be his greatest season, Scott posted an 18-10 record with a 2.22 ERA. On September 25, he threw a 2-0 no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants at the Astrodome to clinch the National League West division title for the Astros. This game was voted one of the top-5 games played in the Astrodome after it was closed following the 1999 season.[1]
In the NLCS, Houston faced the Eastern Division champion Mets, who had cruised to a 108-54 record, easily the best in all of baseball. In a hard-fought, nail-biting series, the Mets triumphed over the Astros four games to two, scoring a 7-6 victory in the 16-inning marathon that was Game 6. The specter of Mike Scott pitching in Game 7 loomed large over the game, as detailed in the books "One Pitch Away" (about the entire 1986 postseason) and "The Bad Guys Won", by Jeff Pearlman (about the 1986 Mets season). Several Mets later said that they were terrified of facing Scott (who had already twice beaten them in the NLCS), and one stated that they knew that if it had gone to the Game 7, they would have lost. Scott was awarded the 1986 NLCS MVP Award, the first National League player from a losing team to be so honored. Fred Lynn was the first player from a losing team in either league to be awarded the LCS MVP. The California Angels lost to the Milwaukee Brewers in five games in the 1982 ALCS.
In recognition of his fantastic season, Scott was awarded the 1986 National League Cy Young Award as the league's best pitcher.
[edit] Later career
In 1987, Scott was the National League starter in the All-Star game, and threw two scoreless innings. He was the opening day starter for the Astros.
In 1988, Scott came within one out of his second no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves. He was the opening day starter for the Astros.
In 1989, Scott won 20 games and finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting, behind reliever Mark Davis. He was the opening day starter for the Astros.
Injuries began to plague him shortly thereafter. Scott retired after the 1991 season. As of the 2006 season, Mike is third all-time for the Astros in wins (110) and fourth in strikeouts (1318).
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- 14K at the post season
| Preceded by Dwight Gooden |
National League Cy Young Award 1986 |
Succeeded by Steve Bedrosian |
| Preceded by Ozzie Smith |
National League Championship Series MVP 1986 |
Succeeded by Jeff Leonard |
