| Dan Spillner | |
|---|---|
 Spillner in 1978 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1951-11-27)November 27, 1951 (age 73) Casper, Wyoming, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 21, 1974, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1985, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 75–89 |
| Earned run average | 4.21 |
| Strikeouts | 878 |
| Saves | 50 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Daniel Ray Spillner (born November 27, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He was apitcher inMajor League Baseball from 1974 to 1985. He played for theSan Diego Padres,Cleveland Indians andChicago White Sox. He led the Padres pitching staff in strikeouts in 1975.
Spillner attendedFederal Way High School inFederal Way, Washington. He played for theSan Diego Padres,Cleveland Indians, andChicago White Sox. His first career win was a 5–4 victory over Cincinnati on May 23, 1974. He threw a three-hit, ten-strikeout complete game shutout against Houston on September 11, 1974. He led the Padres in strikeouts in 1975 (104).
After suffering through three losing seasons as a Padre starter, he was part of the major leagues' busiest bullpen in 1977: He andDave Tomlin each had 76 appearances;Rollie Fingers, 78. A Cleveland starter in 1980, Spillner was 16–11 despite a 5.29 ERA. He was two outs away from a no-hitter on August 20 before rookieLeo Sutherland had a single off him in a 3-0 victory over the White Sox; the no-hitter would have been the first in the AL sinceBert Blyleven's on September 22, 1977.[1] He had one fine year as an Indians reliever, going 12–10 (2.49) with 21 saves in 1982. On July 29 of that year, he entered a game with two outs and the bases loaded in the eleventh, inducedPaul Molitor to fly out to end the inning, and picked up the win in a 12-inning, 5-1 victory over theMilwaukee Brewers.[2] At the end of July that year,The Toledo Blade called him "one of the league's best" relief pitchers, after he had a 1.93 ERA and 12 saves to that point.[3]
For his career, he compiled a 75–89 record, with a 4.21 ERA, 878 strikeouts and 50 saves in 556 appearances. Spillner, who relied mostly on a fastball, was prone to giving up home runs.
Baseball authorBill James wrote that Spillner was the worst hitting pitcher of the 1970s.[4] For his career, Spillner had a .077batting average, with 10 hits in 130 at bats, no home runs, and one run batted in.[5]