Darrell Porter

Darrell Porter
Catcher
Born: January 17, 1952(1952-01-17) Joplin, Missouri
Died: August 5, 2002(2002-08-05) (aged 50) Sugar Creek, Missouri
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 1971 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1987 for the Texas Rangers
Career statistics
Batting average	.247
Home runs	188
Runs batted in	826
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (1971–1976) Kansas City Royals (1977–1980) St. Louis Cardinals (1981–1985) Texas Rangers (1986–1987)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star selection (1974, 1978, 1979, 1980) World Series champion (1982) 1982 World Series MVP 1982 NLCS MVP

Darrell Ray Porter (January 17, 1952 – August 5, 2002) was a former American professional baseball catcher.^[1] He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.^[1] He was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting.^[2] He was also known for being one of the first American professional athletes to publicly admit he had a problem with substance abuse.

Biography

Playing career

Born in Joplin, Missouri, Porter was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft.^[3] He made his debut on September 2, 1971 with the Brewers at age 19.^[1] He finished third in the 1973 Rookie of the Year voting.^[4] Porter was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1974, but had his best years after he was traded in 1976 to the Kansas City Royals, where he was selected to the All-Star team four times.^[1] In 1979, Porter became only the sixth catcher in Major League history to score 100 runs and have 100 runs batted in.^[5] The feat had previously been accomplished by Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk, all in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only Porter and Cochrane had 100 walks, runs and RBI in a single season.^[6] He became a fan favorite for his intensity;^{[citation needed]} teammate George Brett once said of Porter, "Darrell always played like it was the seventh game of the World Series."

Drug problems

Porter told the Associated Press that during the winter of 1979-1980, he became paranoid, convinced that baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, known to be tough on drug use, knew about his drug abuse, was trying to sneak into his house, and planned to ban him from baseball for life. Porter found himself sitting up at night in the dark watching out the front window, waiting for Kuhn to approach, clutching billiard balls and a shotgun.

During spring training in 1980, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe paid a visit to the Kansas City clubhouse. He asked the players 10 questions, the point of which being if a player answered three or more of the questions with an affirmation, the player might have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Porter affirmed all 10 questions and checked himself into a rehabilitation center, admitting he had abused alcohol, cocaine, Quaaludes, and marijuana.^[2]

Later career

After checking in to the rehab center, Porter became a born-again Christian, married, and became a spokesman for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; but his production on the field declined, never again approaching his 1979 levels. He went on to play in three World Series, in 1980 with the Royals and in 1982 and 1985 with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning the 1982 League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award and the World Series MVP Award in 1982.^[1][7] After the 1985 season, the Cardinals released him, and he wound up his career with two seasons with the Texas Rangers as a part-time player.

Over 17 major league seasons, Porter had a career batting average of .247 with 188 home runs, 826 RBIs and a .982 fielding percentage.^[1] As of the 2009 season, he ranked 21st on the all-time list for home runs by a catcher, and 20th for RBIs by a catcher.^[8][9] Porter caught two no-hitters during his career (Jim Colborn in 1977, Bob Forsch's second career no-hitter in 1983).^[10][11] Porter was also notable for being one of the few major league catchers of his time to wear eyeglasses behind the plate, at a time when most players needing vision correction were using contact lenses.

Personal life

Porter was married twice. His first marriage, to the former Teri Brown in 1972, ended in divorce in 1976. On November 29, 1980, he married Deanne Gaulter, who survived him in death. The couple had three children: Lindsey, Jeffrey, and Ryan.

In 1984, Porter wrote an autobiography titled Snap Me Perfect!, in which he detailed his life in baseball and his struggles with substance abuse.^[2]

Later life and death

Porter dabbled in broadcasting late in his life, and also in the antique business on and off during his post-baseball years. But on August 5, 2002, he left home, saying he was going to buy a newspaper and go to the park. He was found dead in Sugar Creek, Missouri, outside his vehicle that evening.^[2] An autopsy said he had died of "toxic effects of cocaine;" the level of cocaine in his system, consistent with recreational use, induced a condition called excited delirium that caused his heart to stop.^[12]

See also

Biography portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Darrell Porter at Baseball Reference
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Darrell Porter Obituary at The New York Times
3. ^ 1970 Amateur Baseball Draft at Baseball Almanac
4. ^ 1973 American League Rookie of the Year voting results at Baseball Reference
5. ^ Darrell Porter Joins a Select Group of Catchers, by Larry F. Rasmussen, Baseball Digest, January 1980, Vol. 39, No. 1, ISSN 0005-609X
6. ^ Darrell Porter at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
7. ^ Post-Season World Series MVP Awards & All-Star Game MVP Award Winners at Baseball Reference
8. ^ Home runs by catchers at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
9. ^ RBIs by catchers at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
10. ^ May 14, 1977 Rangers-Royals box score at Retrosheet
11. ^ September 26, 1983 Expos-Cardinals box score at Retrosheet
12. ^ Doctor says Porter did not die of an overdose, ESPN.com, August 13, 2002

Bibliography

• Snap Me Perfect!: The Darrell Porter Story, T. Nelson, 1984. ISBN 0-8407-5367-5. (With William Deerfield.)

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Dallas News: "Darrell Porter's Sad Final Chapter"
• Autopsy: Porter had cocaine in system when he died
• Photo of Porter at Find a Grave

Preceded by Burt Hooton	National League Championship Series MVP 1982	Succeeded by Gary Matthews
Preceded by Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager	World Series MVP 1982	Succeeded by Rick Dempsey

Persondata
Name	Porter, Darrell
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 17, 1952
Place of birth	Joplin, Missouri
Date of death	August 5, 2002
Place of death	Sugar Creek, Missouri