Kent Mercker

From SoSH

Kent Franklin Mercker (born February 1, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a well-traveled left-handed reliever who pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 1999. He most recently pitched for the Cincinnati Reds.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Steroids 3 Mercker's Moments in the Sun 4 Awards 5 Trivia 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

Mercker was drafted in the first round (5th pick overall) of the 1986 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves. He made his Major League debut with the Braves on September 22, 1989 and appeared in two games that season.

During his seven seasons with the Braves, Mercker split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. After being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1995 offseason, Mercker bounced around the majors, playing for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

On August 24, 1999, the Red Sox, wanting to add a veteran left-hander for the stretch run, acquired Mercker from the Cardinals in exchange for Mike Matthews and David Benham. Mercker started 5 regular season games for the Red Sox, posting a 2-0 record with a 3.51 ERA in 25.2 innings. His stellar performance down the stretch earned him a spot on the postseason roster. Despite a short outing against the Cleveland Indians in Game 4 of the ALDS, in which he surrendered 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched, Mercker started both Game 1 and Game 5 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees. Mercker wound up the losing pitcher in Game 5, giving up two runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

Mercker missed the entire 2001 season after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while pitching for the Anaheim Angels in 2000. He finally made his way back to the majors in 2002 with the Colorado Rockies before splitting 2003 with the Braves and Reds. As a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2004, Mercker reportedly called the broadcast booth to complain about commentary by Steve Stone and, along with Moises Alou, confronted Stone on a team flight. On December 20, 2004, Mercker signed with the Cincinnati Reds for a third time in his career.

Despite contemplating retirement after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the 2006 offseason, Mercker recently announced that he still plans on pitching in 2007.

Steroids

Mercker was named in the December 13, 2007 Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball. According to former clubhouse attendant and admitted steroids distributer Kirk Radomski, he sold one kit of human growth hormone to Mercker in October 2002. Mercker had recently undergone surgery and, according to Radomski, was seeking human growth hormone because he believed it might accelerate his recovery. Radomski sent the growth hormone by overnight mail; Mercker paid by check.

Mercker's Moments in the Sun

• September 11, 1991: Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena combine to throw a no-hitter as the Braves defeat the San Diego Padres 1-0. [1]
• April 8, 1994: While pitching for the Braves, Mercker no-hits the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in a 6-0 victory. To date, this no-hitter is the last to be pitched by a Brave. [2]

Awards

• 1988 Carolina League All-Star
• 1988 Carolina League Most Valuable Pitcher (Co-winner)
• 2000 Tony Conigliaro Award

Trivia

• Member of the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves in 1995.
• On May 11, 2000 Mercker was hospitalized following a cerebral hemorrhage. As a result, Mercker missed the entire 2001 season while recuperating.
• Suffered injuries to his right chest in a game against the Seattle Mariners after a collision with Wilton Veras in foul territory in the bottom of the third inning. As a result, Mercker spent 16 days on the disabled list with a right rib cage strain.

Transactions

• June 2, 1986: Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round (5th pick) of the 1986 amateur draft. Player signed June 3, 1986.
• December 17, 1995: Traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Baltimore Orioles for Joe Borowski and Rachaad Stewart (minors).
• July 21, 1996: Traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Cleveland Indians for Eddie Murray.
• November 4, 1996: Granted Free Agency.
• December 10, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
• October 27, 1997: Granted Free Agency.
• December 16, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.
• August 24, 1999: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Boston Red Sox for Mike Matthews and David Benham (minors).
• November 8, 1999: Granted Free Agency.
• January 26, 2000: Signed as a Free Agent with the Anaheim Angels.
• November 8, 2000: Granted Free Agency.
• January 5, 2001: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox.
• March 28, 2001: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
• February 7, 2002: Signed as a Free Agent with the Colorado Rockies.
• November 1, 2002: Granted Free Agency.
• January 14, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
• August 12, 2003: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later. The Atlanta Braves sent Matt Belisle (August 14, 2003) to the Cincinnati Reds to complete the trade.
• October 30, 2003: Granted Free Agency.
• December 19, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.
• November 1, 2004: Granted Free Agency.
• December 20, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
• January 12, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds to a minor league contract.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis