Mark Eichhorn

Mark Anthony Eichhorn (born November 21, 1960, in San Jose, California) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher best known for his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1980s and the early 1990s when he often served as a middle reliever/set-up man for All-Star closer, Tom Henke. He was the 1986 American League Rookie Pitcher of the year for the Blue Jays, a campaign in which he set team records for rookie relief in ERA, games, wins, and strikeouts. He would have easily won the AL ERA title had he pitched five more innings to qualify.

Mark Eichhorn made his major league debut for the Blue Jays in 1982 but suffered a severe shoulder injury and would not return to the majors until 1986. The shoulder injury had robbed Eichhorn of most of his fastball velocity and had forced him to turn to an unconventional sidearm motion in which his arm angle was well below the belt when he released the ball. He was notable for an exceptionally low velocity for a major league pitcher but his control and unusual delivery made him an effective player.

Eichhorn played for four different ballclubs during his career: the Toronto Blue Jays (1982, 1986–1988, 1992–1993), Atlanta Braves (1989), California Angels (1990–1992, 1996), and Baltimore Orioles (1994). He made his Major League Baseball debut on August 30, 1982. He would return to the minor leagues after the '82 season and not resurface in the Major Leagues again until 1986. Eichhorn played his final game on September 14, 1996.

Eichhorn is currently the pitching coach for Aptos High School in Aptos, California.

Children

Mark coached his 12-year-old son, Kevin, on the Aptos Little League team that won the Little League West Regional and played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA in 2002 as chroniceled by the movie Small Ball.

Kevin was drafted in the third round, number 104 overall, by the Arizona Diamonbacks in the 2008 MLB Draft. He has decided to sign with the D-backs instead of attending Santa Clara University, where he has been collegiately committed since his junior year of high school. On January 24, 2011, Kevin was traded to the Detroit Tigers in a deal for pitcher Armando Galarraga.

External links

Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

Toronto Blue Jays 1992 World Series Champions

2 Manuel Lee 4 Alfredo Griffin 9 John Olerud 10 Pat Borders (World Series MVP) 11 David Cone 12 Roberto Alomar (ALCS MVP) 14 Derek Bell 15 Pat Tabler 17 Kelly Gruber 22 Jimmy Key 23 Candy Maldonado 24 Turner Ward 25 Devon White 29 Joe Carter 30 Todd Stottlemyre 31 Duane Ward 32 Dave Winfield 33 Ed Sprague 36 David Wells 40 Mike Timlin 47 Jack Morris 48 Mark Eichhorn 50 Tom Henke 66 Juan Guzmán

Manager 43 Cito Gaston Coaches 3 Bob Bailor 7 Rich Hacker 8 John Sullivan 18 Gene Tenace 39 Larry Hisle (Hitting) 42 Galen Cisco (Pitching)

Regular season American League Championship Series

Toronto Blue Jays 1993 World Series Champions

1 Tony Fernández 2 Rob Butler 4 Alfredo Griffin 9 John Olerud 10 Pat Borders 12 Roberto Alomar 16 Turner Ward 19 Paul Molitor (World Series MVP) 21 Willie Cañate 24 Rickey Henderson 25 Devon White 27 Randy Knorr 28 Al Leiter 29 Joe Carter 30 Todd Stottlemyre 31 Duane Ward 33 Ed Sprague 34 Dave Stewart (ALCS MVP) 40 Mike Timlin 41 Pat Hentgen 44 Scott Brow 47 Jack Morris 48 Mark Eichhorn 49 Tony Castillo 50 Danny Cox 66 Juan Guzmán

Manager 43 Cito Gaston Coaches 3 Bob Bailor (First Base) 7 Rich Hacker (Third Base) 8 John Sullivan (Bullpen) 18 Gene Tenace (Bench) 39 Larry Hisle (Hitting) 42 Galen Cisco (Pitching) 45 Nick Leyva (Third Base)

Regular season American League Championship Series

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