Tony Saunders
Tony Saunders | |
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Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 5, 1997, for the Florida Marlins | |
Last MLB appearance | |
May 26, 1999, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 13–24 |
Earned run average | 4.56 |
Strikeouts | 305 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Anthony Scott Saunders (born April 29, 1974) is an American former
Career
Saunders initially signed with the
Florida Marlins
Saunders joined the Marlins' opening day roster in 1997, and despite a knee injury which cost him seven weeks in the middle of the season finished with a 4–6 record in 22 starts, with his first three wins coming against the Atlanta Braves.[1] The Marlins earned a wild card berth in the 1997 playoffs, and after being left off the Division Series roster, Saunders was placed on the LCS roster against the Braves. He started Game 3 of the series, which Liván Hernández won in relief of Saunders.
In the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Saunders was one of many members of that team who left the Marlins following that season, joining the Rays for their inaugural season after being the first pick in the
Injury
On May 26, 1999, while pitching against the Texas Rangers, Saunders suffered a significant arm injury while pitching to Juan González.[2] As he delivered a 3–2 pitch to the Rangers slugger, his pitching arm suddenly snapped with enough force that the sound of it could be heard throughout the stadium. Saunders subsequently collapsed on the mound, screaming in pain and smacking his right arm on the ground. Within moments, team trainer Jamie Reed and teammates John Flaherty and Kevin Stocker rushed to his side. Saunders had to be carted off the field, as the pain was too much for him to walk. He was diagnosed with a humerus fracture and torn ligaments in his arm, an injury severe enough to end his season.[3][4]
Saunders attempted to rehab the injury and make a comeback, and was sent on a rehabilitation assignment in August 2000. He successfully pitched in two games for the
After baseball, Saunders worked as a stockbroker.[9] In 2005, Saunders announced a comeback, signing a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, and making their spring training roster. He pitched one inning against the St. Louis Cardinals before he was reassigned to the minor leagues. He remained listed on the Bowie Baysox roster for the whole 2005 season, but never pitched in a game, although he did appear in nine games for the Mesa Miners of the Golden Baseball League.
References
- ^ a b Kubatko, Roch (September 1, 1997). "Saunders, long-shot Marlin, has hometown team in sights Glen Burnie left-hander still can't 'believe I'm here'". Baltimore Sun.
- ^ "Tony Saunders Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
- ^ "Rays' Saunders leaves hospital". CBS News. May 26, 1999.
- ^ "Video: Tony Saunders breaks arm while throwing a pitch". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "Saunders shines in third rehab start". Tampa Bay Times. August 13, 2000. p. 43. Retrieved May 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Readling, Mike (August 25, 2000). "Saunders breaks arm again". Tampa Bay Times. p. 44. Retrieved May 21, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pitcher Tony Saunders packs it in after breaking arm again". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. August 26, 2000.
- ^ "Oakland A's outfielder Stephen Piscotty wins 2018 Tony Conigliaro Award". MLB.com. December 14, 2018.
- ^ Skolnick, Ethan (September 30, 2003). "1997 Marlins: Where are they now". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)