Scott Radinsky
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| Scott Radinsky | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | ||
| Born: March 3, 1968 Glendale, California |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 9, 1990 for the Chicago White Sox |
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| Final game | ||
| October 5, 2001 for the Cleveland Indians |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Win-Loss | 42-25 | |
| Earned run average | 3.44 | |
| Saves | 52 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
Scott David Radinsky (born March 3, 1968 in Glendale, California) is a left-handed former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, who had an 11-year career from 1990-1993 and 1995-2001. Radinsky is also the lead singer of the punk rock band Pulley.
Radinsky finished his career with a 42-25 record, a 3.44 ERA and 358 strikeouts in 481-2/3 innings pitched. Radinsky also only gave up 33 home runs throughout his career, an average of 1 every 14.5 innings.
He was one of the best Jewish pitchers in major league history, first career-wise in games pitched (555; ahead of Ken Holtzman), 4th in ERA (3.44; behind Barney Pelty, Sandy Koufax, and Erskine Mayer),[1] and 11th in wins (directly behind Jason Marquis).[2]
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[edit] Baseball career
Radinsky was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round in 1986 out of Simi Valley High School in Simi Valley, California.
[edit] Minor Leagues
Radinsky played in the minor leagues from 1986-1989, and parts of later years. In 1989, he had 31 saves, a 1.75 ERA, and averaged 5.7 hits and 12.1 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched.
[edit] Chicago White Sox (1990-93; 1995)
He made his major league debut for the White Sox on April 9, 1990. From this point through 1993, he was a fixture in a tough White Sox bullpen that also included hardthrowing Bobby Thigpen and Roberto Hernández.
In 1991, Radinsky enjoyed his finest year with the White Sox, going 5-5 with a 2.02 ERA. He was 10th in the league with 67 games. He held batters to a .116 Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position.
In 1992, he was 7th in the AL, pitching in 68 games, and had a 2.73 ERA and 15 saves.
In 1993, he was 2nd in the league, pitching in 73 games.
During the 1993-1994 off-season, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. The treatment for the disease forced Radinsky to miss the entire 1994 baseball season. "Oh, it sucks to have a doctor tell you that you have cancer, but in the same breath, he told me that with aggressive treatment they can treat this particular disease," he remembers. "Thank God I didn’t have Internet back then, so I couldn’t get all wrapped up in it. I didn’t have access to see how bad it could be. They told me I had to go through six months of this and five weeks of that, and that’s all I really looked at: the end."[3]
His 1995 return to the White Sox was bittersweet. Although he was able to return to baseball, his normally low ERA ballooned to 5.45, prompting the White Sox to release him after the season.
[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers (1996-98)
His release from the Sox paved the way for his return home to Southern California to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he signed as a free agent in January 1996. He turned down other major league contracts for a minor-league deal with the team he followed throughout his childhood, just a 30-minute drive from his driveway to the stadium.[4] He enjoyed three excellent years (1996-1998) in Los Angeles, with his ERA never exceeding 2.89. Out of the bullpen, he worked as a set-up pitcher for Todd Worrell and Jeff Shaw, the Dodgers' closers. Radinsky's home-town status, excellent on-the-field performance, blue collar attitude, and at times fiery personality made him an instant fan favorite in Los Angeles.
In 1997, he pitched in 75 games, 7th in the NL, with a 2.89 ERA.
However, after the 1998 season, the Dodgers and Radinsky decided to cut ties.
[edit] St. Louis Cardinals (1999-2000)
He went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he signed as a free agent in November 1998.
[edit] Cleveland Indians (2001)
He then pitched for the Cleveland Indians, with whom he signed as a free agent in January 2001. He injured his pitching elbow in his first game with the Indians, requiring Tommy John surgery. After rehabilitating the elbow, he then returned to make two major league appearances in 2001 before retiring.
He never again experienced the same baseball success that he had enjoyed with the White Sox and Dodgers.
He played his final major league game for the Indians on October 5, 2001.
[edit] Significant batters' career stats against Radinsky
- Barry Bonds-- 3 for 7 (.429), 1 HR
- George Brett-- 2 for 18 (.111 batting average)
- Ken Griffey, Jr.-- 1 for 16 (.063)
[edit] Life after baseball-playing career
[edit] Music
Besides baseball, Radinsky's other passion is punk rock. A fixture in the 1980s "Nardcore" (Oxnard, California hardcore) scene, he sang for Scared Straight, who later changed their name to Ten Foot Pole and subsequently kicked Radinsky out, due to his time-consuming baseball career. He currently sings as the lead vocalist for the punk rock band Pulley, which has toured three continents and opened for bands such as Green Day. As of June 2005, its most recent album had sold nearly 50,000 copies.
[edit] Coaching
Radinsky rejoined the Cleveland Indians organization in 2005 as a pitching coach for the South Atlantic League's Lake County Captains. He held the same post in 2006 with the Double-A Akron Aeros. In 2007, he was promoted by the Cleveland Indians to serve as the pitching coach for the Buffalo Bisons.[5]
[edit] Skateboard park
Radinsky is also the owner of Skatelab in Simi Valley, California.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Baseball Cube stats
- Fangraphs stats
- BR Bullpen profile
- Jewish Major League career leaders
- "Bisons pitching coach Scott Radinsky is also a punk rocker and a cancer survivor," 8/16/07
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