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| Larry Andersen | |
|---|---|
 Andersen atCitizens Bank Park inPhiladelphia in 2010 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1953-05-06)May 6, 1953 (age 72) Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1975, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 31, 1994, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 40–39 |
| Earned run average | 3.15 |
| Strikeouts | 758 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Larry Eugene Andersen (born May 6, 1953) is an American formerrelief pitcher inMajor League Baseball and current radiocolor commentator for thePhiladelphia Phillies. From1975 through1994, Andersen played for theCleveland Indians (1975,1977,1979),Seattle Mariners (1981–1982), Philadelphia Phillies (1983–1986,1993–1994),Houston Astros (1986–1990),Boston Red Sox (1990), andSan Diego Padres (1991–1992).
Andersen possessed an averagefastball and outstandingslider. He was drafted out of high school in the seventh round (157th overall) of the1971 Major League Baseball draft by theCleveland Indians.[1] Andersen made his professional debut that year, posting a record of 1–3 with a 5.31 ERA in 11 games (five starts) with theGulf Coast League Indians and the Single-AReno Silver Sox of theCalifornia League.[2] He pitched in his first full season for Single-A Reno in 1972, going 4–14 with a 6.53 ERA in 124 innings, with a 1.80 WHIP in 27 games (19 starts).[2]
On September 5, 1975, Andersen made his major league debut for Cleveland, tossing a perfect seventh inning in an 11–2 loss to theDetroit Tigers.[3] In parts of three seasons with Cleveland, he appeared in a combined 22 games, and was 0–1 with a 5.40 ERA.[4]
On December 21, 1979, Andersen was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates in exchange for John Burden andLarry Littleton.[4] He spent the entire 1980 season with the Triple-APortland Beavers, going 5–7 with 15 saves and a 1.74 ERA in 52 relief appearances.[2]
After the 1980 season, Andersen was sent to theSeattle Mariners on October 29 as theplayer to be named later to complete an earlier trade for pitcherOdell Jones.[4] In his first full major league season, Andersen went 3–3 with five saves and a 2.66 ERA in 41 games with the Mariners.[4] However, his numbers took a turn in 1982, as he finished with one save and a 5.99 ERA in 40 relief appearances.[4]
During the 1982 season, Andersen pulled a prank on Mariners managerRene Lachemann during a series in Chicago. Referred to as the ‘Mr. Jello’ caper, Andersen, along with teammatesRichie Zisk andJoe Simpson moved all the furniture in the hotel suite into a bathroom, filled both toilets with jello and removed the mouthpiece from the phone. The trio were not revealed as the culprits until after the season ended.[5]
Andersen spent most of the 1983 season with Triple-A Portland, going 7–8 with 22 saves and a 2.05 ERA in 52 appearances.[2] On July 29, Andersen's contract was sold to thePhiladelphia Phillies for future considerations.[6] He was immediately added to the Phillies' roster, and remained with the team for the rest of the season. In 17 games, Andersen was 1–0 with a 2.39 ERA. He pitched in Game 2 and 4 of the1983 World Series (while Philadelphia lost in five games), pitching two innings each; he allowed a run in Game 2.[4]
In 1984, Andersen became a mainstay in the Phillies' bullpen, and finished with a 3–7 record, four saves and a 2.38 ERA in 64 relief appearances.[4] Andersen began the 1986 season with a 4.26 ERA in 10 games.[4] On May 13, 1986, he was released by the Phillies.[7]
Three days after he was released by the Phillies, Andersen was signed as a free agent by theHouston Astros.[4] On June 23, Andersen was the winning pitcher in a game in which he did not throw a strike to a single batter. While pitching toCincinnati Reds catcherBo Díaz in the top of the ninth inning, Andersen threw a wild pitch, and then tagged outBuddy Bell at home plate to end the inning. The Astros went on to win in the bottom of the ninth inning on a two-run home run byGlenn Davis.[8] Andersen appeared in 38 games to end the season, finishing 2–1 with one save and a 2.78 ERA.[4] Andersen also made two appearances during the1986 NLCS, tossing five scoreless innings.[4]
On December 19, 1986, Andersen re-signed with the Astros as a free agent.[9] In1987, Andersen arguably had his best season in the majors up to that point. He finished with a record of 9–5, a 3.45 ERA, 94strikeouts, and 1012⁄3innings pitched in 67 games. He set career highs in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.[4] In 1989, Andersen recorded a career-low 1.54 ERA in 60 relief appearances.[4]
On August 30, 1990, Andersen was traded to theBoston Red Sox for minor league prospectJeff Bagwell.[10] He made 15 relief appearances for the Red Sox in September, recording one save and a 1.23 ERA.[4] The trade is often regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history; Andersen spent one month with the Red Sox before becoming a free agent, while Bagwell went on to spend 15 seasons with the Astros and was later inducted into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2017.[11] In the1990 American League Championship Series, he pitched an inning each in Game 1, 2, and 4. In Game 1, he was summoned in the seventh with the Sox leading 1-0. He gave up a walk and a hit before a flyball to center was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to tie the game. In the eighth, he gave up a leadoff single toJosé Canseco and was immediately pulled. The next two pitchers (Tom Bolton and Jeff Gray) proceeded to give up the run in the eighth and then seven more in the ninth as the Red Sox lost 9-1 that marked Andersen with the loss. The Athletics won the series in a sweep.[12]
On December 21, 1990, Andersen signed a two-year, $4.35 million contract with theSan Diego Padres.[13] In 1991, he was 3–4 with a career-high 13 saves and a 2.30 ERA in 38 relief appearances. In 1992, Andersen was 1–1 with two saves and a 3.34 ERA in 34 relief appearances.[4]
On December 18, 1992, Andersen returned to the Phillies as a free agent, signing a one-year, $700,000 contract.[14] He enjoyed a productive season out of the Phillies bullpen, going 3–2 with a 2.92 ERA in 64 relief appearances. However, Andersen struggled in the postseason, recording a 15.43 ERA in the1993 NLCS and a 9.82 ERA in the1993 World Series.[4] On January 18, 1994, he returned to the Phillies on a minor league contract.[15] In his final major league season, Andersen went 1–2 with a 4.41 ERA in 29 relief appearances.[4]
In a 17-season career, Andersen posted a 40–39 record with 49saves and a 3.15ERA in 699games pitched.[4] He is the only member of the Phillies to play in both the1983 World Series and the1993 World Series (Darren Daulton had been called up in September 1983, but did not make the post-season roster that year).
In1995, Andersen was a player/coach for theReading Phillies after he failed to make the Major League club out ofSpring Training. He spent the following two seasons as the pitching coach for theScranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.
Andersen joined thePhiladelphia Phillies' broadcast team as a color commentator prior to the1998 season, filling the position left vacant by the death ofRichie Ashburn late in the1997 campaign. Andersen worked on both television and radio from 1998 to2006 before moving exclusively to radio in2007. Early in his broadcasting tenure, Andersen occasionally provided television color commentary when the Phillies were featured regionally onFox Saturday afternoon telecasts. During the 2007 season, he began doingplay-by-play work on Phillies radio broadcasts during the fifth and sixth innings, but returned to full-time color commentary in2008.
In 2012, Andersen was ranked #12 on theMLB Network Countdown of the Top 25 personalities inMajor League Baseball history.[16]
| Preceded by | Philles Baseball commentator (withHarry Kalas) 1998–2006 | Succeeded by |
