Eric Show
| Eric Show | |
|---|---|
| File:Eric Show BaseBallCard.jpg | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 19, 1956 Riverside, California | |
| Died: March 16, 1994 (aged 37) Dulzura, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 2, 1981, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last appearance | |
| September 30, 1991, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win-Loss record | 101-89 |
| Earned run average | 3.66 |
| Strikeouts | 971 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Eric Vaughn Show (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈʃaʊ/; May 19, 1956 – March 16, 1994) was a Major League Baseball player who played for most of his career with the San Diego Padres. The pitcher holds the Padres record for most career wins, and he was a member of the first Padres team to play in the World Series. On September 11, 1985, he surrendered Pete Rose's record-breaking 4,192nd career hit. Show's career and life were affected by drug abuse.
Early life
Show was born in Riverside, California. He played college baseball at University of California, Riverside.[1]
Playing career
1981–1984
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2011) |
Show made his debut in late September of 1981, and the following year went 10-6 while splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. In 1983 he won 15 games. In 1984, he followed with a 15-9 record. However, he struggled in the postseason, going a combined 0-2 with a 12.38 earned run average in three games.
"The Hit"
On September 11, 1985, Show became famous for giving up Pete Rose's 4,192nd hit, which surpassed Ty Cobb's all-time career record of 4,191 hits. Show sat on the mound and folded his arms during the delay to honor Rose.[1] Mike Shatzkin in The Ballplayers: Baseball's Ultimate Biographical Reference wrote that Show was "disgruntled (perhaps rightly so) at the lengthy interruption of the contest."[2] Padre Garry Templeton later call Show's actions "bush."[citation needed] Then he got into a dugout shoving match with left fielder Carmelo Martínez, over a ball that fell for a single and led to the game-winning run. Finally, Show refused to stay to answer the post-game questions, leaving his teammates to criticize him in his absence.
"I'm tired of hearing about his unlucky luck," said Tim Flannery. "That's been at the root of the problem all year. If something goes wrong, he quits. That's why runs aren't scored for him. Guys don't want to play for him. One guy got tired of hearing it."[citation needed]
Before the game, when Show had been asked about the possibility of giving up "The Hit", he responded: "I guess it doesn't mean as much to me as it does to other baseball enthusiasts. I mean, in the eternal scope of things, how much does this matter? I don't like to say this, but I don't care. ... Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not putting down Pete. It's a fantastic accomplishment."[1]
"Gosh, he felt so bad after that, and he didn't know how to articulate it,” said teammate Dave Dravecky. “Sometimes when you're brilliant like he was, the simplest of things are the hardest of things to express."[1] Show later offered, "We have a choice – to think or not to think – and I've come to the conclusion that most of these guys don't want to think about anything but baseball, and I'm kind of ostracized for that."[1]
Graig Nettles said, "The Birch Society is going to expel Eric for making a Red famous." [3]
Later career
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2011) |
Show made his last appearance on the National League leaderboard in 1988, a season in which he went 16-11 with 13 complete games and pitched 234 2/3 innings. His effectiveness diminished significantly after that season and by 1990 he had lost his regular spot in San Diego's rotation. The Padres did not pick up his option and bought out his contract for $250,000.[4] He signed with Oakland as a free agent the following year and was cut the following season. He also played in 1990-91 with the Mayaguez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Controversial moments
On July 7, 1987, Show hit the year's eventual MVP Andre Dawson in the left cheekbone with a fastball during a game. Dawson had homered in 3 of his last 5 plate appearances at that point, and the Cubs reacted with a bench-clearing brawl. Show and his manager, Larry Bowa, later denied that the pitch was purposeful, while Bowa acknowledged that he could understand why the Cubs would think it was.[5]
Personal life
In 1984, he revealed that he was a member of the far-right John Birch Society.[6] He was also a jazz musician.
He was once arrested by the police in downtown San Diego while yelling that someone was trying to kill him. Placed inside the police car, he kicked out the window and fled on foot. He was apprehended later that same day. Show additionally showed up at the Oakland A's training camp with bandaged hands after police had pursued him on another occasion after reports were made of his acting oddly inside an adult bookstore.[7]
Death
After his retirement from baseball, Show fell victim to drug abuse. He died on March 16, 1994 of a heart attack after taking a speedball (i.e. injecting a mixture of cocaine and heroin) in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Dulzura, California.[8]
See also
References
- Dravecky, Dave and Yorkey, Mike (2004). Called Up: Stories of Life and Faith from the Great Game of Baseball. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-25230-6.
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Sources
- ^ a b c d e Schrotenboer, Brent (May 18, 2008). "Mystery man". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011.
- ^ Shatzkin, Mike (1990). The Ballplayers: Baseball's Ultimate Biographical Reference. Arbor House Pub Co. p. 999. ISBN 0877959846.
- ^ "Inside Pitch Statistics Through Sept. 15". CNN. September 23, 1985. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Kernan, Kevin (October 12, 1990). "Clark insists he can play with Gwynn 'We're both pros,' says conciliatory 'bad guys'". The San Diego Union.
The Padres did not pick up the option on Show's contract, electing instead to buy out the contract of the club's all-time winningest pitcher for $250,000
- ^ [1] New York Times
- ^ Berkow, Ira (1994-03-27). "Eric Show's Solitary Life, and Death". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ [2]
- ^ "Rules of Abuse", The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080524/news_lz1ed24middle.html, 24 May 2008
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- Retrosheet
- An account of the game that featured a bench-clearing brawl after Show hit Dawson with a pitch
- [3] "All's Right With His World" Sports Illustrated. August 6, 1984.
- Frank Russo (April 01, 2003). "Eric Vaughn Show". Baseball player. Find a Grave. Retrieved July 01, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help) - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5543839
- Ill-formatted IPAc-en transclusions
- UC Riverside Highlanders baseball players
- 1956 births
- People from Riverside, California
- Baseball players from California
- San Diego Padres players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Hawaii Islanders players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- 1994 deaths
- John Birch Society
- Cocaine-related deaths in California