| Chuck Finley | |
|---|---|
 Finley with the California Angels in 1996 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1962-11-26)November 26, 1962 (age 62) Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 29, 1986, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2002, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 200–173 |
| Earned run average | 3.85 |
| Strikeouts | 2,610 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Charles Edward Finley (born November 26, 1962) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He pitched from 1986 to 2002 for three teams inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily with theCalifornia Angels. After a 14-year tenure with the Angels, he played for theCleveland Indians for two-and-a-half seasons, then was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals and played there for a half-season. Listed at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg), he threw and batted left-handed. During a 17-year major-league career, Finley compiled 200 wins, 2,610strikeouts, and a 3.85earned run average. He holds multipleAngels team records for a career, including games started (379), wins (165), losses (140), andinnings pitched (2,675).
Finley was born inMonroe, Louisiana, and pitched forWest Monroe High School.[1] After first playingcollege baseball forLouisiana Tech University, he transferred toNortheast Louisiana University.[1] His ability to pitch for more than two or three innings was initially limited by mechanical issues, as his delivery at this time was "crude" and inconsistent.[1] He was selected by theCalifornia Angels in the 15th round of the1984 MLB draft, held in June, but he did not sign.[1][2] The Angels chose Finley again with the fourth overall pick of the secondary phase of the draft, held in January 1985.[2] After pitching for Northeast Louisiana during the spring, he signed with the Angels by late May.[3]
Finley began his professional baseball career in 1985 with theminor leagueSalem Angels, aClass A Short Season team in theNorthwest League.[4] In 18 appearances, all in relief, he recorded a 4.66earned run average (ERA) and a 3–1win–loss record while earning fivesaves.[4] In 1986, he made 10 relief appearances for theQuad Cities Angels of theClass AMidwest League, allowing only fourhits and noearned runs in 12innings pitched whilestriking out 16 batters and notching six saves.[4] He was called up to the major-league Angels in late May.[5]
Finley made his MLB debut with the Angels on May 29, 1986, during a 7–4 loss to theDetroit Tigers.[6] In relief of starting pitcherDon Sutton, Finley allowed two runs on two hits in oneinning pitched.[6] He also recorded his first major-league strikeout, coming againstPat Sheridan.[6] Finley made a total of 25 appearances, all in relief, with the1986 Angels, pitching to a 3.30 ERA and a 3–1 record while striking out 37 batters in46+1⁄3 innings.[7] In his only postseason appearances with the Angels, Finley played in three games of the1986 American League Championship Series against theBoston Red Sox, allowing one hit in two innings pitched.[7]
Finley pitched to a 2–7 record with a 4.67 ERA in 1987, appearing in 35 games including three starts at the end of the season.[8] The 32 relief appearances he made were the last of his major league career, as he was subsequently used exclusively as a starter.[7] During 1988, Finley made 31 starts, accruing a 9–15 record with 4.17 ERA.[7] His first MLB win as a starting pitcher came on April 13, a 5–2 win over theChicago White Sox,[9] and later that month he recorded his firstcomplete game, a 6–1 win over theToronto Blue Jays on April 30.[10][11]
Finley was selected to theMLB All-Star Game in both 1989 and 1990.[7] In the former season, he was 16–9 in 29 starts with a 2.57 ERA, while in the latter season he was 18–9 with a career-low 2.40 ERA in 32 starts.[7] He received one vote in 1990Cy Young Award balloting for theAmerican League (AL), with the award going toBob Welch of theOakland Athletics.[12] Finley again was 18–9 in 1991, albeit with a higher ERA of 3.80.[7] His ERA further increased to 3.96 in 1992, and his record fell to 7–12.[7]
Finley led the major leagues in complete games in 1993, with 13, en route to a 16–14 record with a 3.15 ERA in a career-high251+1⁄3 innings pitched.[7] In thestrike-shortened 1994 season, he led the AL in starts (25) and innings pitched (183+1⁄3) while going 10–10 with a 4.32 ERA.[7] Finley was selected to his third and fourth MLB All-Star Games in 1995 and 1996, winning 15 games each season, against 12 losses in 1995 with a 4.21 ERA, and 16 losses in 1996 with a 4.16 ERA.[7] Finley became afree agent for the first time following the 1995 season, and was re-signed by the Angels.[2]
In 1997, the team changed its name from California Angels to Anaheim Angels. Duringspring training, Finley was struck by a bat and sustained a brokenorbital bone under his right eye.[13] He made two rehabilitation starts, with theClass A-AdvancedLake Elsinore Storm of theCalifornia League.[14][4] For the major-league season, he registered a 4.23 ERA and 13–6 record with the Angels.[7] In 1998, he was 11–9 with a 3.39 ERA.[7] During the 1999 season, Finley made 33 starts, compiling a 12–11 record with a 4.43 ERA.[7] Finley also became the first pitcher in major league history to recordfour strikeouts in a single inning more than once, accomplishing the feat for the Angels on May 12 and August 15; he later accomplished it for a third time on April 16, 2000. He remains the only player to do it 3 times in his career.[15]
After the 1999 season, Finley again became a free agent, and did not return to the Angels.[2] In his 14 seasons with the team, he accrued an overall record of 165–140 with 3.72 ERA in 2,675 innings pitched; he won 15 or more games six times and pitched over 200 innings eight times.[7]
Finley signed with theCleveland Indians in mid-December 1999.[2] In 2000, he went 16–11 with a 4.17 ERA and was named an MLB All-Star for the fifth and final time of his career.[7] In January 2001, Finley underwentarthroscopic knee surgery, and went on thedisabled list twice during the season for neck and shoulderspasms.[16] He made two rehabilitation appearances with theAkron Aeros of theDouble-AEastern League,[17][4] and in 22 appearances with Cleveland posted an 8–7 record with a 5.54 ERA. In the2001 American League Division Series, Finley started two games against theSeattle Mariners, losing both and pitching to a 7.27 ERA.[7] In 2002, he was 4–11 in 18 starts for Cleveland with a 4.44 ERA before being traded.[7]
Finley was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals on July 19, 2002, for minor-league outfielder Luis Garcia and aplayer to be named later.[2][18] OutfielderCoco Crisp was sent to Cleveland in early August to complete the deal,[2] making his MLB debut later that month.[19] Finley went 7–4 with a 3.80 ERA in 14 starts through the remainder of the season.[7] In the 2002 postseason, Finley started one game of the2002 National League Division Series, getting ano decision as the Cardinals swept theArizona Diamondbacks.[7] In the2002 National League Championship Series, he won his only start, a 5–4 win over theSan Francisco Giants in Game 3,[7][20] as the Cardinals were eliminated in five games.
In November 2002, Finley filed for free agency.[21] He remained unsigned into the 2003 season,[22] and did not play again professionally.[7] Overall, during his 17 seasons in MLB, Finley compiled a record of 200–173 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.376WHIP.[7] Defensively, he had a .907fielding percentage, while offensively he had three hits in 53at bats for an .057batting average.[7] He was onlyejected from two MLB games, one each in 1990 and 1991.[2]
Finely became eligible for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame on the2008 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, but only received one vote and fell off the ballot.
As of 2021[update], Finley lives inNewport Beach, California.[23]
Finley was married to actressTawny Kitaen from 1997 to 2002. They had two daughters.[24] Finley and Kitaen were featured together in the 1999Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[25][26]
On April 4, 2002, Finley filed for divorce three days after Kitaen was charged with committingdomestic violence against him, twisting his ear and having beaten him repeatedly with astiletto heel in the arm, leg and foot while he was driving a car inOrange County, California, two weeks earlier. In the divorce filings, he stated, "I am fearful that (Kitaen)... will harm herself or will harm others, including me or including my children." He received a temporaryrestraining order preventing her from seeing him and he received temporary custody of the children. During hearings on the domestic violence charge of spousal abuse, Kitaen initially pleaded not guilty but admitted that she was addicted to prescription medications which she had taken for two years formigraines, and voluntarily entered both substance abuse treatment andanger management classes for 52 weeks to get the charges dropped.[27][28][29][30] Tawny Finley, in a declaration to the Orange County Superior Court, claimed Finley usedsteroids, among other drugs. She also claimed he bragged about being able to circumventMLB's testing policy.[31] When told of his wife's accusations, which also included heavymarijuana use and alcohol abuse, Finley replied: "I can't believe she left out thecross-dressing."[32]
So prevalent was his personal life troubles that in April 16, 2002, road game against theChicago White Sox, theComiskey Park musical director took a subtle dig at Finley's messy divorce,[28] and played "Here I Go Again" by the bandWhitesnake, referencing Kitaen's appearance in that band's videos and her previous marriage to the band's lead singer,David Coverdale. Lasting only1+2⁄3 innings, Finley gave up nine runs (eight earned) including two home runs.[33] The musical director was later fired, and the White Sox apologized.[34]
Finley's third daughter Briena was born in 2007 from a relationship at the time.[35]
In 2016, staff at the East Lake County Library inSorrento, Florida, created a fictitious patron named “Chuck Finley” to manipulate the library’s circulation records. The name, borrowed from retired Major League Baseball pitcher Chuck Finley, was used to check out over 2,600 books within a nine-month period.[36] The scheme was designed to prevent the library’s automated weeding system from discarding titles that had not been borrowed for an extended time. Library officials claimed this practice helped retain popular books that would otherwise have been removed and later repurchased.
Following an anonymous tip, an investigation by the Lake County Clerk of Courts’ inspector general’s office uncovered multiple fabricated accounts, leading to the suspension of staff involved and a system-wide audit of the county’s libraries. While the librarians did not personally benefit from the scheme, their actions as an attempt to “teach the system” how to better reflect reader interest rather than rely solely on circulation metrics. The former major league pitcher was not involved in the scandal.[37]
Finley became eligible for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame as of2008; he received one vote,[38] and was dropped from future consideration for falling below the 5% threshold required to remain on the ballot.
Finley was inducted to theLouisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[39][40] In November 2007, theLouisiana–Monroe Warhawks baseball program (known as Northeast Louisiana when Finley played there) retired Finley's no. 31 jersey; he was previously inducted to the university's hall of fame in 1996.[41] Finley was inducted to theAngels Hall of Fame on August 27, 2009.[42]
In the showBurn Notice, the characterSam Axe, played byBruce Campbell, frequently uses the alias Chuck Finley (or Charles Finley for more sophisticated circumstances),[43] which is said to be chosen by Sam because he successfully bet on Chuck Finley many times.[44] Reportedly, Campbell's father was once friends with a coworker also named Chuck Finley.[45]
And to hear Bruce Campbell (who plays Sam) tell it, Chuck Finley was a friend of his dad's back in the day.
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