| Keith Atherton | |
|---|---|
 Atherton in 1987 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1959-02-19)February 19, 1959 (age 66) Newport News, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 14, 1983, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1989, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 33–41 |
| Earned run average | 3.99 |
| Strikeouts | 349 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Keith Rowe Atherton (born February 19, 1959), is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher, who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily inrelief, from1983–1989. Atherton played for theOakland Athletics (1983–1986),Minnesota Twins (1986–1988), andCleveland Indians (1989).
Atherton attended Mathews High School in Virginia and was drafted in the 2nd round of the1978 Major League Baseball draft by Oakland. He debuted with the A's on July 14, 1983, and appeared in 29 games that season. He continued with Oakland for two more seasons pitching over 100 innings in both 1984 and 1985, all in relief. In May 1986, Oakland traded Atherton to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later and cash.[1] He finished the season with a 6–10 record, but notched 10 saves, which led the Twins that year.[2]
Atherton earned a World Series ring with the Twins in1987. He appeared in two games in relief. Atherton andLes Straker both committed balks in the Series, which tied the record for most balks in a World Series.[3]
In 1989, Atherton was traded to Cleveland forCarmen Castillo. Atherton struggled in Cleveland which led to the Indians sending him to the minor leagues for a short period. After his recall to the majors, Atherton suffered another rough outing in August that saw Cleveland offer him a chance to return to the minors to work on his pitching. He declined and was released by the club.[4]
After leaving Cleveland, he signed with theDeltaville Deltas semi-pro club while he sought another opportunity in the majors.[4] He signed a minor-league contract with theMontreal Expos in 1990 and later had a tryout with the Twins but left the tryout because of arm problems.[5][6]
He currently resides inMathews, Virginia, with his wife Christine.
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