| Kevin Tapani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1964-02-18)February 18, 1964 (age 61) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 4, 1989, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2001, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 143–125 |
| Earned run average | 4.35 |
| Strikeouts | 1,482 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kevin Ray Tapani (born February 18, 1964) is an American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher who played for theNew York Mets,Minnesota Twins,Los Angeles Dodgers,Chicago White Sox, andChicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.
Tapani was raised inEscanaba in the Upper Peninsula ofMichigan. His surname is a Finnish name: his great-grandparents had emigrated from Finland to the Upper Peninsula.[1] He quarterbacked Escanaba High School to the 1981 MHSAA Class A State Football Championship. Tapani then went on to attendCentral Michigan University, where he was a star pitcher for the Chippewas from 1983 to 1986, finishing with a career record of 23–8, helping the Chippewas to three Mid-American Conference titles, and tossing a no-hitter againstEastern Michigan University in 1986.[2] In 1985, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theFalmouth Commodores of theCape Cod Baseball League.[3]
Tapani was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the1985 MLB June amateur draft, but did not sign. He was then selected on June 2, 1986, in the second round of the1986 MLB June amateur draft by theOakland Athletics.[4] Tapani signed five days later and was assigned toMedford A's of the low Single-ANorthwest League. However, he did not stay at Medford long, as after stops inModesto andHuntsville, he made his final start of his first season in professional baseball pitching for the Triple-ATacoma Tigers and finished the year a combined 8–2 with a 2.84 ERA and 47 strikeouts in85+2⁄3 innings.[5] In 1987, Tapani began at Single-A Modesto, despite dominating at the level the previous year, and turned in another good season with a 10–7 record, a 3.76 ERA, and 121 strikeouts in148+1⁄3 innings. On December 11, a three-team trade was completed that saw Tapani and fellow A's minor league pitcherWally Whitehurst move to the New York Mets, starterBob Welch and relieverMatt Young move from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the A's, minor league pitcherJack Savage go from the Dodgers to theNew York Mets, shortstopAlfredo Griffin and closerJay Howell move from the A's to the Dodgers, and relieverJesse Orosco go from the Mets to the Dodgers.
Following the trade, Tapani was again sent to single-A to start the 1988 season, but after three starts with theSt. Lucie Mets in which he only allowed three earned runs in 19 innings, he was promoted to the Double-AJackson Mets, where he went 5–1 in 24 appearances, including five starts. As fellow future TwinRick Aguilera would see in his own climb to the major leagues, with no openings in the 1988 Mets starting rotation ofDwight Gooden,Bob Ojeda,Sid Fernandez,Ron Darling, and young phenomDavid Cone, even promising starters were groomed in minor league bullpens since this was the only way to crack the big league pitching staff. In 1989, Tapani went 7–5 with a 3.47 ERA for the Triple-ATidewater Tides before being called up to the Mets in July.
Tapani made his major league debut on July 4,1989. He entered the game in the first inning after starterBob Ojeda had given up eight runs to theHouston Astros while only getting two outs. Thrown into the fire, Tapani completed4+1⁄3 innings while giving up two hits and three walks, and only allowing one more run.[6] Over the next four weeks, he would only get into two more games, pitching a total of7+2⁄3 innings in relief. On July 31, just prior to the end of the non-waiver trade deadline, Tapani was included in the blockbuster trade that sent 1988A.L.Cy Young Award winnerFrank Viola from the Minnesota Twins to the Mets in exchange for major league swingmanRick Aguilera, minor league relieversTim Drummond and Jack Savage, and young starterDavid West. Tapani was then thrown into the Twins' starting rotation and finished the 1989 season 2–2 with a 3.86 ERA in32+2⁄3 innings.
After his promising debut, Tapani was made a fixture of the rotation in 1990 and finished the season 12–8 with 4.07 ERA – good enough for fifth place in theAL Rookie of the Year balloting, a distant 131 votes behind the winner,Cleveland Indians' catcherSandy Alomar Jr. He would follow up his rookie season with perhaps his best overall season in 1991, finishing 16–9 with only 40 walks and 135 strikeouts in 244 innings with 2.99 ERA – the only sub-3.00 ERA of his career. He garnered enoughCy Young votes that year to finish a distant seventh behind winnerRoger Clemens, as well as his own teammatesScott Erickson andJack Morris, who finished second and fourth respectively; he also won the1991 World Series with the Twins. Over his seven seasons with the Twins, Tapani was a workhorse starter for the Twins, averaging more than 13 wins and over 200 innings in his five full seasons. After suffering through three poor seasons (the beginning of what would be eight consecutive losing seasons) and looking at losing the soon-to-be free agent Tapani after the 1995 season, the Twins traded him on July 31 to the Los Angeles Dodgers forRon Coomer,Chris Latham,José Parra, andGreg Hansell.
After finishing 4–2 down the stretch for the Dodgers, Tapani pitched in Game 3 against theCincinnati Reds in the National League Divisional series and gave up three runs and four walks in1⁄3 of an inning in relief of starterHideo Nomo in a 10–1 loss that capped off the Reds' 3–0 sweep.[7] After being granted free agency in December 1995, Tapani signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 3, 1996, and turned in another typical "Tapani" season for the Sox – finishing 13–10 with a 4.59 ERA and 150 strikeouts in225+1⁄3 innings.
After again being granted free agency following the 1996 season, Tapani moved across town and signed a five-year contract with the Cubs on December 13. On July 20, 1998, while playing for the Cubs, Tapani had perhaps the most memorable day of his career. Throwing eight innings against the Braves, he allowed three runs and topped it off by hitting a third-inning grand slam off former Twins teammateDenny Neagle in an 11–4 romp over theAtlanta Braves.[8]
Tapani played his last game on September 27,2001. His career record: 143 wins, 125 losses, and anERA of 4.35. In1998 with theChicago Cubs, Tapani earned his best record of 19–9, though his ERA was 4.85. In1991, with the Twins, Tapani had his lowest ERA of 2.99 to go with a 16–9 record and seventh place in the 1991Cy Young Award voting.
After retirement, Tapani returned to his home inMinnetonka, Minnesota, to live with his wife, Sharon, and three children, Sarah (b 1991), Ryan (b 1994), and Luke (b 1996).[9] Ryan is also a pitcher. He pitched for theCreighton Bluejays in college, and was also drafted by theWashington Nationals in the 21st round of the2018 Major League Baseball draft. Ryan spent 3 years pitching in the Nationals minor league farm system, along with one for theKane County Cougars of theAmerican Association of Professional Baseball. In 1999, Tapani was elected as a member of the Central Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame.[2] He has been involved with little league and youth baseball since his retirement including coaching both of his sons' teams.[10]
Currently[as of?] Kevin is a high school baseball coach at Providence Academy in Plymouth, Minnesota.[citation needed]