Mark Wohlers
Encyclopedia
Mark Edward Wohlers is a former right-handed relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves
from to . He is the third fastest recorded pitcher in baseball history, having thrown a pitch recorded at 103 miles per hour during a spring training
session in ; the record was broken by Detroit Tigers
pitcher
Joel Zumaya
with a 104 mi/h pitch.
Wohlers was selected in the eighth round of the 1988 amateur draft
by the Braves. He went on to make his major league debut with the organization on August 17, 1991. Less than a month later, on September 11, Wohlers teamed with fellow Braves hurlers Kent Mercker
and Alejandro Peña
for a combined no-hitter
against the San Diego Padres
; Wohlers pitched two innings in relief of Mercker.
After spending the following three seasons as a setup pitcher, Wohlers was given the job as a closer
in 1995. He went on to record 97 saves over the next three seasons, also saving the 1-0 victory in the clinching Game 6 of the 1995 World Series
, establishing himself as one of the best closers in the majors.
Wohlers' success would not last forever. In Game 4 of the 1996 World Series
against the New York Yankees
, Wohlers gave up a stunning 3-run home run
to Jim Leyritz
that tied the game at 6. After this, the momentum of the Series shifted and the Yankees won it in six games. Many observe that Wohlers was never the same after that. In , he seemed to lose all ability to control
his pitches. He spent part of the season at Triple-A Richmond
, but still finished the season with a major league earned run average
of 10.18. His control problems were dramatic. In 20-1/3 major league innings, Wohlers walked
33 batters. After being sent down to Triple-A, Wohlers walked 36 batters in only 12-1/3 innings. His symptoms were a prime example of what is commonly known as Steve Blass disease - a psychological block which manifests itself when baseball players overthink the act of throwing a baseball and consequently become unable to throw with any sort of control.
He began the following season in a similar fashion: in two outings he recorded an ERA of 27.00 in 2/3 of an inning, with 6 walks. The Atlanta faithful, although frustrated with Wohlers' seemingly constant fastballs to the backstop or behind batters, rallied behind the embattled pitcher and would fervently cheer him on whenever he was in the game. After being recalled from Richmond, he entered a game and recorded a strikeout
, his first in months, and received a rousing standing ovation from the crowd at Turner Field
.
On April 16, 1999, the Braves traded Wohlers to the Cincinnati Reds
in return for John Hudek
. The day after signing for the Reds he was put on the disabled list
with an anxiety
disorder. While undergoing treatment for his anxiety, Wohlers had Tommy John surgery
on his elbow, which ended his season. Wohlers returned to baseball for the season in his old role as a setup man. He split the following season between the Reds and the Yankees before being traded to the Cleveland Indians
prior to the season.
In his first season with the Indians, Wohlers recorded an ERA of 4.79, with seven saves, three win
s, four losses, and a much improved walk ratio. After experiencing pain in his right elbow in spring training before the season, Wohlers had an operation to remove several bone chips, ruling him out for the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, his season ended in the second game of his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Akron
when he ruptured the tendon graft he had had in his elbow in 1999. He had Tommy John surgery for the second time in August of that year, which should have allowed him to return for the season. However, Wohlers decided not to return due to personal reasons and was released by the Indians. He did not return to baseball, although he never formally announced his retirement. His career record is 39-29 with an ERA of 3.97 and 119 saves.
In the early morning of March 1, 2011, Mark's home in Alpharetta, Georgia, caught fire, burnt down in under an hour, and was considered a "total loss" by the local fire department. However, some of Mark's sports memorabilia was recovered from his basement. He has credited his wife, Kimberly, with getting him, his two sons, and daughter out of the house in time.http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Mrs-Mark-Wohlers-gets-save-for-waking-family-as?urn=mlb-328594
He and his wife currently run an Atlanta real estate business called Team Wohlers, a Keller Williams realty. http://www.teamwohlers.com/atj/user/HomePageGetAction.do
when he made a cameo appearance alongside teammates Gerald Williams and Pedro Borbón, Jr.
on the December 19, 1997, episode hosted by Helen Hunt
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1179705/.
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
from to . He is the third fastest recorded pitcher in baseball history, having thrown a pitch recorded at 103 miles per hour during a spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
session in ; the record was broken by Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Joel Zumaya
Joel Zumaya
Joel Martin Zumaya is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his record-breaking fastballs.-Baseball career:...
with a 104 mi/h pitch.
Wohlers was selected in the eighth round of the 1988 amateur draft
1988 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1988 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental First Round Selections:-External links:*...
by the Braves. He went on to make his major league debut with the organization on August 17, 1991. Less than a month later, on September 11, Wohlers teamed with fellow Braves hurlers Kent Mercker
Kent Mercker
Kent Franklin Mercker is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career....
and Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña
Alejandro Peña Vásquez [PEH-nya] in Cambiaso, Dominican Republic, is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Peña batted and threw right-handed...
for a combined no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
; Wohlers pitched two innings in relief of Mercker.
After spending the following three seasons as a setup pitcher, Wohlers was given the job as a closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
in 1995. He went on to record 97 saves over the next three seasons, also saving the 1-0 victory in the clinching Game 6 of the 1995 World Series
1995 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta ace Greg Maddux pitched a two-hit complete game victory in his first World Series appearance ....
, establishing himself as one of the best closers in the majors.
Wohlers' success would not last forever. In Game 4 of the 1996 World Series
1996 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...
against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Wohlers gave up a stunning 3-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
to Jim Leyritz
Jim Leyritz
James Joseph Leyritz is a former catcher and infielder in Major League Baseball.-Early years:Leyritz attended Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Middle Georgia Jr...
that tied the game at 6. After this, the momentum of the Series shifted and the Yankees won it in six games. Many observe that Wohlers was never the same after that. In , he seemed to lose all ability to control
Strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...
his pitches. He spent part of the season at Triple-A Richmond
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
, but still finished the season with a major league earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 10.18. His control problems were dramatic. In 20-1/3 major league innings, Wohlers walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
33 batters. After being sent down to Triple-A, Wohlers walked 36 batters in only 12-1/3 innings. His symptoms were a prime example of what is commonly known as Steve Blass disease - a psychological block which manifests itself when baseball players overthink the act of throwing a baseball and consequently become unable to throw with any sort of control.
He began the following season in a similar fashion: in two outings he recorded an ERA of 27.00 in 2/3 of an inning, with 6 walks. The Atlanta faithful, although frustrated with Wohlers' seemingly constant fastballs to the backstop or behind batters, rallied behind the embattled pitcher and would fervently cheer him on whenever he was in the game. After being recalled from Richmond, he entered a game and recorded a strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
, his first in months, and received a rousing standing ovation from the crowd at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...
.
On April 16, 1999, the Braves traded Wohlers to the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in return for John Hudek
John Hudek
John Raymond Hudek is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in the majors, from until , for five different teams. He appeared in a total of 194 major league games, all in relief, making the 1994 NL All-Star team as a rookie. He is currently a baseball coach...
. The day after signing for the Reds he was put on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
with an anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
disorder. While undergoing treatment for his anxiety, Wohlers had Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
on his elbow, which ended his season. Wohlers returned to baseball for the season in his old role as a setup man. He split the following season between the Reds and the Yankees before being traded to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
prior to the season.
In his first season with the Indians, Wohlers recorded an ERA of 4.79, with seven saves, three win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
s, four losses, and a much improved walk ratio. After experiencing pain in his right elbow in spring training before the season, Wohlers had an operation to remove several bone chips, ruling him out for the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, his season ended in the second game of his rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Akron
Akron Aeros
The Akron Aeros are a minor league baseball team based in Akron, Ohio, USA. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.The Aeros play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 9,097 fans...
when he ruptured the tendon graft he had had in his elbow in 1999. He had Tommy John surgery for the second time in August of that year, which should have allowed him to return for the season. However, Wohlers decided not to return due to personal reasons and was released by the Indians. He did not return to baseball, although he never formally announced his retirement. His career record is 39-29 with an ERA of 3.97 and 119 saves.
In the early morning of March 1, 2011, Mark's home in Alpharetta, Georgia, caught fire, burnt down in under an hour, and was considered a "total loss" by the local fire department. However, some of Mark's sports memorabilia was recovered from his basement. He has credited his wife, Kimberly, with getting him, his two sons, and daughter out of the house in time.http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Mrs-Mark-Wohlers-gets-save-for-waking-family-as?urn=mlb-328594
He and his wife currently run an Atlanta real estate business called Team Wohlers, a Keller Williams realty. http://www.teamwohlers.com/atj/user/HomePageGetAction.do
Miscellaneous
Wohlers was one of three Atlanta Braves to appear on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
when he made a cameo appearance alongside teammates Gerald Williams and Pedro Borbón, Jr.
Pedro Borbón, Jr.
Pedro Félix Borbón Marté, generally known in English as Pedro Borbón, Jr. , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for nine seasons for four teams, including four seasons for the Atlanta Braves, and three seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays...
on the December 19, 1997, episode hosted by Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1179705/.