| Denny Neagle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Neagle with theYarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 1988 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1968-09-13)September 13, 1968 (age 57) Gambrills, Maryland, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 27, 1991, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 20, 2003, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 124–92 |
| Earned run average | 4.24 |
| Strikeouts | 1,415 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. (/ˈneɪɡəl/; born September 13, 1968) is an American former professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handedpitcher from 1991 to 2003 for six teams over a 13-year span. A two-timeAll-Star, Neagle was the 1997 National Leaguewins leader while with theAtlanta Braves and, won aWorld Series with theNew York Yankees in2000. During the 1990s, he was one of the top pitchers in baseball, but his career and personal life deteriorated in the early 2000s.
Neagle attended Arundel Senior High School in Gambrills, Maryland and played on the baseball team.
Neagle attended theUniversity of Minnesota and played on thebaseball team. In 1988, he playedcollegiate summer baseball in theCape Cod Baseball League for theYarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[1]
Neagle was drafted in the 3rd round of the1989 amateur draft by theMinnesota Twins. He saw some action in the summer of1991 for the Twins, but was not on their postseason roster when the club won the1991 World Series.
Neagle was dealt to thePittsburgh Pirates duringspring training in1992,[2] and became a full-timestarter for the Pirates in1994. The following season, Neagle posted a 13–8 record with a 3.43ERA and became the ace of a mediocre Pittsburgh staff. That year, Neagle represented the Pirates at theAll-Star Game and led the National League in innings pitched (209+2⁄3) and hits allowed (221). He got off to an impressive 14–6 start in1996. On August 27, 1996, he pitched eight innings giving up only tworuns to the first placeAtlanta Braves. The next day, the Braves traded a youngJason Schmidt to Pittsburgh for Neagle in the midst of their playoff run.
Neagle was given the opportunity to start in Game 4 of the1996 World Series, earning a no-decision.
Remaining with the Braves in1997, Neagle had his best season, going 20–5 with a 2.97 ERA. Neagle made the start for the Braves in the first regular season game atTurner Field, taking place on April 4, 1997.[3] He earned anotherAll-Star selection and finished third inCy Young Award voting. In Game 4 of the1997 National League Championship Series, Neagle pitched a complete-gameshutout.
Neagle's 16–11 record and 3.55 ERA in1998 were still solid numbers, but the emergence ofKevin Millwood made him expendable and he was traded to theCincinnati Reds after the season.
Injuries limited Neagle to 19 starts in1999, but he stormed out to an 8–2 record in2000.
The playoff-boundNew York Yankees traded prospectsDrew Henson,Jackson Melián andEd Yarnall to acquire Neagle along with outfielderMike Frank on July 12, 2000. He only registered a 7–7 record over the rest of the season with the Yankees, and his playoff performance was shaky, but his team triumphed in the2000 World Series and Neagle earned aWorld Series ring.
In December 2000, theColorado Rockies signed Neagle and fellowleft-handerMike Hampton to expensive contracts. Neagle's contract was for five years and $51 million,[4] and his 17–19 record and 5.31 ERA over the2001 and2002 seasons spelled disaster for the Rockies. Due to injuries, Neagle only started seven games in2003. He went 2–4 with a 7.90 ERA, pitching what was to be his last Major League game on July 20, 2003.
Neagle missed the2004 season due to ligament and elbow surgeries. Then, in late November 2004, a Lakewood, Colorado, police officer ticketed him for soliciting a woman for oral sex. Less than a week later, the Rockies canceled the final year of his lucrative contract, citing a morals clause in his contract.[5] The incident ultimately led to the end of Neagle's marriage.
He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the 2005 season, but did not play due to injury.
Denny Neagle was born and raised in theAnnapolis, Maryland, suburb ofGambrills to Denny Sr. and Joanne Neagle. He has two sisters, Debbie and Diana, and a brother, Doug. He graduated fromArundel High School.
Neagle married hairstylist Jennifer Gray in 1996.[6] They have three children, Denny III ("Trey") (b. January 6, 2000), and twins Chase and Avery (b. September 17, 2004). They divorced in 2006 after his court case.
On January 24, 2006, Neagle pleaded guilty inJefferson County, Colorado, on one charge of patronizing a prostitute.[7] Although the sentence can carry a maximum of a $500 fine and up to six months in jail, Neagle was sentenced to only 40 hours of community service.
On August 27, 2007, Neagle was arrested for and later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.[8]
On December 13, 2007, Neagle was mentioned in theMitchell Report in connection withsteroids.
In 2012, he sued his financial adviser, William S. Leavitt, for placing 80% of his money in “alternative investments” without his consent. These investments incurred huge losses.[9]