| Terry Puhl | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: July 8, 1956 Melville, Saskatchewan |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 12, 1977 for the Houston Astros | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 29, 1991 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .280 |
| Home runs | 62 |
| Runs batted in | 435 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Terry Stephen Puhl (born July 8, 1956 in Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball, mostly for the Houston Astros. He is currently the head coach of University of Houston–Victoria's baseball team and manager of the Canada national baseball team.
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Puhl was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Astros in 1973. He made his professional debut with the rookie-league Covington Astros the following season, batting .284. Over the next three seasons, he advanced through the Astros' farm system, playing with the single-A Dubuque Packers in 1975, then splitting the season between the double-A Columbus Astros and the triple-A Memphis Blues in 1976, and finally with the triple-A Charleston Charlies in 1977.
Puhl was called up to the majors in July 1977, and never returned to the minor leagues. He was quickly installed as the club's regular left fielder, replacing Jim Fuller. In his first major league game on July 12, Puhl entered as a defensive replacement for Fuller. The following day he got his first hit in the 13th inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers off relief pitcher Elías Sosa. Later that inning, he scored the winning run on Bob Watson's double.[1] He finished the 1977 season with a .301 batting average in 60 games.
The following year he was the sole Astro selected as a National League All-Star. In the 1980 championship series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Puhl set a then NL-championship series record with a .526 batting average in a losing cause, the best performance ever by a hitter in a play-off series (It has since been superseded). As of 2010, Puhl has the ninth-best for lifetime fielding percentage by an outfielder (.993).[2] In 1981, he was named Canadian Baseball player of the year.
A pulled hamstring in 1985 and an ankle injury in 1986 reduced his playing time, but he returned in 1987 as an effective pinch hitter. In 1988 he hit a career high .303.
Puhl was granted free agent status in 1990, and signed with the New York Mets on December 13, 1990. He was released by the Mets during spring training on April 1, 1991, and subsequently signed by the Kansas City Royals on April 25, 1991. His final MLB game was on May 29, 1991, and he was released from the Royals on June 9, 1991, ending his MLB career.
His career statistics included a .280 batting average, 62 home runs, 435 RBIs, and 217 stolen bases. He accumulated 1,361 hits in 1,531 games. He was particularly effective in postseason play, batting .372 in 13 games over three series.
After Puhl's retirement in 1991, he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. In November 2006, Puhl was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.
His son, Stephen Puhl, was selected in the 17th round (514th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets.
In August 2006, Puhl coached the Canadian National Senior team at the Olympic Qualifier in Cuba, that saw Canada successfully advance to the next round of qualifiers in 2007. Puhl made a hands-on impact in his coaching debut for Canada. In a 15-12 defeat of Panama, Puhl replaced catcher David Corrente with pinch hitter Reed Eastley in the 8th inning, despite the fact that Corrente had four hits in four at bats. Eastley hit a 3-run home run to tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth Reed Eastley came to bat for a second time, this time with the bases loaded and the game on the line. Manager Puhl instead called on pinch hitter Jeremy Ware, whose grand slam won the game for Canada.[3]
| Terry Puhl | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Baseball |
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | UHV |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 96–44 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 8, 1956 |
| Place of birth | Melville, Saskatchewan |
| Playing career | |
| 1977–1990 1991 |
Houston Astros Kansas City Royals |
| Position(s) | Outfielder |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007–present | UHV |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 96–44 |
| Tournaments | 10–5 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Association of Independent Institutions (2008) Association of Independent Institutions (2009) |
|
| Awards | |
| NL All-Star (1978) Canadian Baseball Player of the Year (1981) Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (1994) Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (1995) Texas Baseball Hall of Fame (2006) |
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In January 2007, it was announced that Puhl was hired as the first head baseball coach at the University of Houston–Victoria.[4] Puhl has remained at the university in that capacity since then. The UHV Jaguars are an independent team of the NAIA. As a member of the Association of Independent Institutions, the Jaguars participate in a conference tournament, in which the winner is allowed a berth in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
| Season | Team | Overall | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UHV Jaguars (Independent) (2008–present) | |||||||||
| 2008 | UHV | 29–5 | |||||||
| 2009 | UHV | 34–17 | NAIA 1st Round | ||||||
| 2010 | UHV | 33–22 | NAIA 1st Round | ||||||
| UHV Jaguars: | 96–44 | ||||||||
| Total: | 96–44 | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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