- John Wetteland
Infobox MLB retired
name=John Wetteland
position=Closer
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1966|8|21San Mateo, California
debutdate=May 31
debutyear=by|1989
debutteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
finaldate=September 20
finalyear=by|2000
finalteam=Texas Rangers
stat1label=Games pitched
stat1value=618
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=2.97
stat3label=Saves
stat3value=330
teams=
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1989-by|1991)
*Montreal Expos (by|1992-by|1994)
*New York Yankees (by|1995-by|1996)
* Texas Rangers (by|1997-by|2000)
highlights=
* 3x All-Star selection (1996, 1998, 1999)
*World Series champion (1996)
* 1996World Series MVP
* 1996AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year John Karl Wetteland (born
August 21 ,1966 inSan Mateo, California ) is a formerMajor League Baseball pitcher , who pitched as a closer for theLos Angeles Dodgers ,Montreal Expos ,New York Yankees , and Texas Rangers.Wetteland was signed by the Dodgers as their second choice in the June
1985 amateur draft. He was later claimed by theDetroit Tigers in December1987 as aRule 5 draft pick, but was soon returned to the Dodgers. While playing in thePacific Coast League , he earned notice by earning 20 saves in 20 chances. He made his major league debut onMay 31 1989 . After struggling with his first five starts in 1990, Wetteland asked to be switched to thebullpen , and became a full-time closer in1992 .After the
1991 season, Wetteland was traded twice; first to theCincinnati Reds for Eric Davis, and then to the Expos forDave Martinez . OnApril 5 ,1995 he was traded to the Yankees forFernando Seguignol .During the
1996 season, he led the American League in saves, with 43, and appeared in the All-Star Game. Wetteland was given theWorld Series MVP Award that year, when he led the Yankees to the World Championship. His four saves during the Series tied the record for the most saves in a single postseason series, and his seven saves in the full postseason were the most ever. He was awarded with the 1996Rolaids Relief Man Award .He was signed by the Texas Rangers as a
free agent onDecember 16 ,1996 , signing a 4-year contract worth $23 million. Before the 1999 season, Wetteland underwent elbow surgery. Although this robbed him of some of hisfastball speed, it allowed him to expand his repertoire to include a slider, curveball, and change-up. Wetteland was again named to the All-Star team for the 1999 season, where he pitched a scoreless 9th inning, and became the first Rangers pitcher to earn an All-Star save. His 43 saves that year set a new Rangers record. His final game was onSeptember 20 ,2000 , and he retired after his Rangers contract expired during the 2000 offseason.Wetteland was awarded the Rolaids Reliever of the Decade, and earned the most saves of any pitcher during the 1990s, and the Rangers all-time saves leader. His final win/loss percentage was .516, with 48 wins and 45 losses.
In
2005 , Wetteland was inducted into theTexas Rangers Hall of Fame .Wetteland, met his wife, Michele, while playing for the AA
San Antonio Missions . They, along with their four children, live inTexas . He was known for wearing the samebaseball cap throughout the entire season.On
January 27 , by|2006, John was hired to be the bullpen coach of theWashington Nationals . However, onJune 15 , by|2006, Wetteland was relieved of his duties by managerFrank Robinson , and offered another position within the organization.On May 18, 2007, Wetteland, a
born-again Christian , was introduced as an assistant baseball coach and Bible teacher atLiberty Christian School inArgyle, Texas , where he currently lives.ee also
*
List of Major League Baseball saves champions
*List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders External links
*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=w/wettejo01 |fangraphs=1013815 |cube=W/john-wetteland
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