| Tony Fossas | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1957-09-23)September 23, 1957 (age 68) Havana,Cuba | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 15, 1988, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 14, 1999, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 17–24 |
| Earned run average | 3.90 |
| Strikeouts | 324 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Emilio Antonio Fossas Morejon (born September 23, 1957)[1] is a Cuban formerleft-handed professionalbaseballpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1988 to 1999 for theTexas Rangers,Milwaukee Brewers,Boston Red Sox,St. Louis Cardinals,Seattle Mariners,Chicago Cubs, andNew York Yankees.
Fossas attended St. Mary's High School inBrookline, Massachusetts, and was selected as a 12th round pick by theTexas Rangers during the1979 Major League Baseball draft. The previous year he had been drafted by theMinnesota Twins, but decided not to sign with the team, instead finishing his college studies and collegiate career atUniversity of South Florida in Tampa. In 1978, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theFalmouth Commodores of theCape Cod Baseball League.[2]
At the age of 31, Fossas received a promotion to the majors in 1988 with the Rangers,[3] who released him during the offseason. Although he only pitched5+2⁄3 innings that initial year, Fossas eventually became an entrenched yeomansetup pitcher with theMilwaukee Brewers from 1989 to 1990, theBoston Red Sox from 1991 to 1994, and theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1995 to 1997.
Fossas' greatest success came as a left-handed specialist reliever, orLOOGY, a pitcher who was brought in expressly to face one or two particularly dangerous left-handed batters (during Fossas's tenure, this included such players asFred McGriff,Ken Griffey Jr.,Barry Bonds, andGeorge Brett). For example, against the hall of famers, Brett and Griffey, Fossas held them to only 6 hits in 42 at bats, which is a .143 batting average. As a left-handed reliever with an unorthodox delivery, he was well-suited to this role, and often faced only one or two batters in each appearance. With Boston in 1992, Fossas made 60 appearances, but due to his specialized use he pitched a total of less than 30 innings. Fossas amassed 7 career saves; five of those required him to only retire one batter (a left handed hitter) for the final out.
In 1998 he pitched for theSeattle Mariners,Chicago Cubs and returned to theTexas Rangers in what would be his last full year before finishing his career with theNew York Yankees in 1999.
Fossas became a pitching coach forFlorida Atlantic University Owls in 2005. He became the pitching coach for the minor leagueDayton Dragons in 2009.[4]
On November 19, 2024, Fossas was hired to serve as the pitching coach for theGastonia Ghost Peppers of theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.[5]
Fossas lives in Florida with his wife Pura, daughter Keila, and son Mark.[6]