| Tom Henke | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1957-12-21)December 21, 1957 (age 67) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 1982, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1995, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 41–42 |
| Earned run average | 2.67 |
| Strikeouts | 861 |
| Saves | 311 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2011 |
Thomas Anthony Henke (born December 21, 1957[1]), nicknamed "the Terminator",[2] is an American formerMajor League Baseballrelief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for theTexas Rangers (1982–1984, 1993–1994),Toronto Blue Jays (1985–1992), andSt. Louis Cardinals (1995).
On themound, Henke was easily recognizable by the large-rimmedglasses he wore at a time when many players began usingcontact lenses.[3] At a height of 6' 5", he cast an imposing figure and dominated batters with his hardfastball early in thecount, and hisforkball for thestrikeout. Henke struck out 9.8 batters per 9 innings pitched over his career.
Tom Henke was born inKansas City, Missouri, and started out throwing every night to his father, who caught his pitches while sitting on a five-gallon bucket. "Every kid should have a dad like that", Henke said. He grew up inTaos, Missouri and attended Blair Oaks High School. After high school, Henke played atEast Central Junior College.[4] In 1980, a couple of friends, who believed Henke had pro-caliber stuff, told him they would buy thebeer if he showed up at a talent evaluation opportunity; he did and was noticed.[5]
Henke was drafted on June 5, 1979, by theSeattle Mariners in the 20th round of the1979 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. On January 11, 1980, he was drafted by theChicago Cubs in the first round (24th pick) of the1980 Major League Baseball draft (January Secondary) but again did not sign. Henke signed with theTexas Rangers after being selected in the fourth round of the 1980 amateur draft (June Secondary).[6]
After signing with the Rangers, Henke was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Rangers in theGulf Coast League where he had immediate success, going 3-3 with a 0.95ERA in 38 innings, earning a promotion to the Single-AAsheville Tourists in theSouth Atlantic League.[7] In 1981, Henke started the season back at Asheville, where his 8-6 record with 3 saves and 2.93 ERA in 92 innings earned him a promotion to the AATulsa Drillers in theTexas League. Henke spent the entire 1982 minor league season back at Tulsa, despite putting up similarly impressive numbers (14 saves with a 2.67 ERA and 100 strikeouts in87+2⁄3 innings). He did, however, see time with the Rangers at the end of the season and made his major league debut on September 10. In 1983, Henke was finally promoted to theOklahoma City 89ers in theAmerican Association, but again his development stalled and he spent much of the next three seasons at AAA. Despite strong numbers in the minors and similar numbers during his intermittent times in Texas, Henke was labeled as a pitcher who had trouble finding the strike zone (finishing with 20 walks in28+1⁄3 innings with the Rangers in 1984) and appeared to be the odd man out in the Rangers' bullpen.[8]
However, Henke was selected by theToronto Blue Jays from the Rangers on January 24, 1985, as a free agent compensation pick. After blazing through the hitters at AAASyracuse to the tune of a 0.88 ERA and 18 saves in51+1⁄3 innings over 38 appearances, he won theInternational League Most Valuable Pitcher Award in 1985. Henke was promoted to Toronto during the 1985 pennant drive[9] and never looked back, not allowing a run in his first 11 appearances and finishing the season with 13 saves.[citation needed] Henke was then made the team's closer in 1986, and played a major role in the Toronto Blue Jays' successful run from the mid-1980s to early 1990s, finishing with 217 saves with the team[10] and helping Toronto to its first championship, a six-game defeat of theAtlanta Braves in the1992 World Series.
In 1993, as a free agent, Henke signed with theTexas Rangers for two years. Henke had a career-high 40 saves in 1993. In 1994, he had only 15 saves due to spending time on the disabled list.[9]
Henke, age 37, signed with the Cardinals for the 1995 season after two years with the Texas Rangers. The closer converted his first 22 saves for the team in 1995 ending with 36 total saves for the year.[11] Henke was honored with the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association (BBWAA) J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year Award.[9] Despite having just finished one of the best seasons of his career and 22nd in MVP voting,[12] Henke decided to retire at the end of the 1995 season. "I've always admired guys who have gone out at the top of their game," Henke said. "Sometimes you have to look at what's the most important thing in life. I'd like to see my kids grow up."[13]
Over his 14-year career, Henke was named to theAll-Star team twice: 1987, when he led theAmerican League with 34saves and 62games finished, and 1995, his last season, and only season in theNational League. He also won theRolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1995.[14]
Henke was the seventh reliever to eclipse the 300 saves plateau and when he retired his 311 career saves ranked 5th on the all-time career list.[15]
Other career accomplishments are:
Henke lives on his 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) farm inTaos, Missouri, with his family: wife Kathy and children Linsay, Ryan, Kim, and Amanda (who hasDown syndrome).[8][16][17]
Henke met his wife Kathy in college. "My catcher one day said, 'Let's go to McDonald's' and Kathy was working there at the time", Henke said. "She sold me a Big Mac and I was done. She was tall and athletic and I was pretty shy. Turns out we had a class together and started talking".[5]
Coming from a small town with a population under 900, Henke admitted he initially had to overcome a fear of big cities. "I hated going to New York City", he said. "I felt like a fish out of water there. I'd go from the hotel to Yankee Stadium and that's it. It took me two or three years before I went out to visit the Statue of Liberty and I never took the subway." On living in Toronto, Henke said "I rented an apartment downtown for two or three years and that wasn't for me. I'm just a guy from a small town and that's where I'm most comfortable".[5]
Since 1995, Henke has teamed with theJefferson City, Missouri Cosmo Club to hold the annual Tom Henke Charity Classic Golf Tournament which raises money for the Special Learning Center, a school for handicapped children.[18] He also volunteers with Down syndrome charities, theSpecial Olympics and the Cancer Society, and is on the board of directors with the Missouri Department of Mental Health.[17]
Henke's nickname, "the Terminator", was given to him by teammateJohn Cerutti in 1985 after they saw the movieThe Terminator together.[19]
"The Ballad of Tom Henke" was written as a tribute to Henke's life story and "termination" of opposing batters.[20] The45 was released in 1985. Side 2 has "The Tom Henke Rag", an instrumental.[21]
Henke appeared in a TV commercial forAqua Velva.[22]
In 2000, Henke was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
On August 9, 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays honored Henke with a figurine giveaway bearing his likeness.[23]
On August 28, 2009, Henke threw out the ceremonial first pitch atBusch Stadium during theWashington Nationals vs St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.[3]
On January 24, 2011, Henke was named to theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Hall during a ceremony atSt Marys, Ontario, on June 18, 2011.[10][24]
On August 14, 2016, a final ceremony of three with Blue Jays' all-time greats was held to celebrate the club's 40th Anniversary. Henke represented the bullpen along withDuane Ward andMike Timlin. Former Blue Jays startersRoy Halladay,Dave Stieb,Pat Hentgen andJuan Guzman were welcomed back too. The entire group exemplified top arms in club history.[25]
In November 2018, Henke was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.
· Baseball Almanac
