Andy Hawkins

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Andy Hawkins
Pitcher
Born: January 21, 1960 (1960-01-21) (age 48)
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 17, 1982
for the San Diego Padres
Final game
August 4, 1991
for the Oakland Athletics
Career statistics
Record     84-91
Strikeouts     706
ERA     4.22
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Melton Andrew "Andy" Hawkins (born January 21, 1960 in Waco, Texas) is a former major-league pitcher. A right-handed starter, Hawkins spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres, and also played for the New York Yankees and briefly for the Oakland Athletics. He is currently the pitching coach of the Oklahoma RedHawks.

He is known for being the only San Diego Padres pitcher to ever win a World Series game. Hawkins earned a victory pitching in relief in Game 2 of the 1984 World Series, which the Padres lost to Detroit in five games. Hawkins' best season was 1985, when he threw a career-high 228 2/3 innings, compiled an 18-8 record, (winning his first 10 starts) and finished with a 3.15 ERA. Hawkins is the only pitcher to win his first 10 starts since the advent of divisional play in Major League Baseball which started in 1969.

[edit] Unusual no-hitter

On July 1, 1990, Hawkins pitched a no hitter for the Yankees against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park but lost the game. Hawkins dominated the White Sox into the eighth inning, where he retired the first two batters. After that, Sammy Sosa reached on a throwing error by Yankees thirds baseman Mike Blowers. Hawkins then walked the next two batters. That brought up Robin Ventura, who lofted a fly ball to left field. The blustery winds buffeted the ball, and rookie Jim Leyritz, normally a third baseman, booted it, allowing all three baserunners to score. The next batter, Ivan Calderón, hit a fly ball to right field, which was lost in the sun and dropped by Jesse Barfield. The final count for the inning: four runs, no hits, three errors. The Yankees, who had not scored all game, were unable to score in the 9th inning, giving Hawkins the loss.

The 4-0 loss was the largest margin of a no-hitter loss in the 20th century, and Hawkins became the first Yankees pitcher to lose a no-hitter. On Sept. 4, 1991 the Committee for Statistical Accuracy, appointed by Commissioner Fay Vincent, changed the definition of a no-hitter to require that a pitcher throw at least nine full innings and a complete game. Since Hawkins played for the visiting team in the game in question, the White Sox never batted in the ninth inning, Hawkins lost the credit for a no-hitter.

A high-priced free agent in the second year of a three-year deal, Hawkins had struggled terribly for a poor Yankees team in 1990. On May 8, with just one win and an ERA of 8.56, Hawkins was offered his outright release, which he accepted. But an injury that night to pitcher Mike Witt changed his mind. Hawkins pitched much better in his next three starts, although he still had only a 1-4 record prior to the no-hitter.

In his next appearance, he faced the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium in the opening game of a doubleheader. Hawkins pitched a shutout into the twelfth inning but wound up losing 2-0. In his following appearance, the Yankees lost a six-inning no-hitter to Melido Perez and the White Sox.

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