| Rick Rhoden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1953-05-16)May 16, 1953 (age 71) Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 5, 1974, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1989, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 151–125 |
| Earned run average | 3.59 |
| Strikeouts | 1,419 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Richard Alan Rhoden (born May 16, 1953) is an Americanprofessional golfer and formerMajor League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. During his 16-year baseball career, he played for theLos Angeles Dodgers (1974–1978), thePittsburgh Pirates (1979–1986), theNew York Yankees (1987–1988), and theHouston Astros (1989).
Rhoden was born and raised inBoynton Beach, Florida. Rhoden overcame a childhood bone disease,osteomyelitis, and he wore a brace until age 12. He attendedSeacrest High School inDelray Beach, Florida, where he was the star pitcher for the school's baseball team.
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TheLos Angeles Dodgers selected Rhoden in the first round of the1971 Major League Baseball draft. He playedMinor League Baseball with theDaytona Beach Dodgers,[1]El Paso Dodgers, andAlbuquerque Dukes from 1971 to 1974.
At the age of 21, Rhoden broke into the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 5, 1974. He was elected to theAll-Star team twice (1976 with the Dodgers and 1986 with the Pirates) and won threeSilver Slugger Awards (1984–1986). His teams made it to the postseason twice during his career, both with the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978. In both of those years, the Dodgers reached the World Series against theNew York Yankees but lost in six games each year.
Rhoden appeared in 413 major league games and was mostly a starting pitcher (380 games started). However, on April 17, 1983, he picked up his one and only major league save. Rhoden pitched the final 3 innings of a Pirates 7-0 victory over the Cubs, allowing 1 hit and no runs. He saved the game for starting pitcherJohn Candelaria.[2]
Rhoden earned a reputation as an outstanding hitting pitcher. He had an eleven-gamehitting streak in 1984, one of the longest all-time for a pitcher. On June 11, 1988,New York Yankees managerBilly Martin made him the Yankees' starting designated hitter, and he went 0–1 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly. He batted seventh in the lineup, ahead ofRafael Santana andJoel Skinner. He was the first pitcher to start a game at DH since theAL's adoption of the DH rule in 1973.[3]José Cruz pinch hit for Rhoden in the Yankees' 8–6 victory over theBaltimore Orioles.[4]
Rhoden's final game was September 29, 1989, for the Houston Astros. In 413 career games, Rhoden compiled a 151–125 record, a 3.59 ERA, 1,419 strikeouts, and 1 save. Rhoden batted .238 with 9 home runs and 75 RBI. He also was an excellent fielding pitcher, compiling a career .989 fielding percentage, committing only six errors in 565total chances.[5]
Since retiring from baseball in 1989, Rhoden has spent a lot of time on the golf course. He has qualified for theU.S. Senior Open and has become a dominant player on the Celebrity Players Tour.
Rhoden has also played a number ofChampions Tour events and has three career top 10 finishes: T-5 in the 2003Allianz Championship, T-6 in the 20063M Championship, and T-8 in the 2005Constellation Energy Classic. His career earnings on the Champions Tour exceed $250,000. He became conditionally exempt for the 2006 season. Rhoden's 2007 season was scuttled due to neck surgery, forcing him into the Tour's 2007qualifying school. He finished joint first place over the four-day event, earning him a spot into open qualifiers at all regular Champions Tour events in 2008.[6]
Rhoden is a regular competitor at theAmerican Century Championship, the annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities. He won the tournament in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2008, and 2009, and he has a total of 22 top 10 finishes.[7] The tournament, televised by NBC in July, is played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course inLake Tahoe, Nevada.[8]