Dave Baldwin (baseball) explained

Dave Baldwin
Position:Pitcher
Birth Date:30 March 1938
Birth Place:Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Bats:Right
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:September 6
Debutyear:1966
Debutteam:Washington Senators
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:August 7
Finalyear:1973
Finalteam:Chicago White Sox
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Win–loss record
Stat1value:6–11
Stat2label:Earned run average
Stat2value:3.08
Stat3label:Strikeouts
Stat3value:164
Stat4label:Saves
Stat4value:23
Teams:

David George Baldwin (born March 30, 1938) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.

Life and career

Born in Tucson, Arizona, on March 30, 1938, Baldwin pitched for three years for the University of Arizona. In the 1959 College World Series, he beat Fresno State 5 to 1 on a two-hitter and lost the final game of the series 5 to 3 to Oklahoma State.[1] He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959 and pitched on three pennant winners in his first four years of pro ball.[2]

Later, he was a relief specialist for the Washington Senators (1966–69), Milwaukee Brewers (1970), and Chicago White Sox (1973). In 176 games he compiled a record of 6 wins and 11 losses, with 23 saves and an ERA of 3.08. The combined batting average of opponents against him was .234 In 1967, he ranked 3rd in the American League and 5th in the major leagues (of pitchers with 10 or more appearances) with an ERA of 1.70.[3] That season he ranked 5th in the American League for relief runs saved (11.8), ranked 7th in saves (12), and ranked 9th in pitching appearances (58).[4] In 1970, Baldwin led major league pitchers in range factor per nine innings (a measure of fielding proficiency) with a value of 5.094, the seventh highest value ever compiled.[5]

In 1974, Baldwin, at age 36, was the second oldest player in both the Pacific Coast League and the American Association.[6] Baldwin did not commit an error during his six-year major league career, handling 64 total chances (15 putouts, 49 assists) and committed only three errors throughout the 16 years he played professional baseball.

After he retired from baseball in 1974 he earned a Ph.D. in genetics and an M.S. in systems engineering from the University of Arizona.[7] He worked as a geneticist, engineer, and artist until his retirement in 2003.[8] Subsequently, he has collaborated with other researchers studying the physics, physiology, and psychology of baseball.[9] In addition, he has published his baseball memoir, Snake Jazz, and (under the pen name "DGB Featherkile") a collection of his poetry, Limbic Hurly-Burly. Many of his poems have appeared in such journals as American Poetry Journal, Blue Unicorn, and Evansville Review.[10] His poetry won the Atlanta Review's 2007 International Publication Prize and the 2009 Fluvanna Prize from The Lyric.

Baldwin's painting "Fugue for the Pepper Players" is in the collection of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and was featured in Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame by John Thorn (1998) pp. 188–189.[11] [12]

Baldwin has been inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2015) and the Pima County, Arizona, Sports Hall of Fame (class of 2011). He received the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Arizona Alumni Association in 2009.

Selected publications

Selected solo art exhibits

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Greg Hansen . Ex-pitcher authors a gem . 29 April 2008 . Arizona Daily Star . 28 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081201214212/http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/236512 . 1 December 2008 .
  2. News: Ian Quillen. Author Dave Baldwin recalls his Williamsport Grays days. 28 June 2008 . Williamsport Sun-Gazette . Williamsport, Pennsylvania .
  3. Shecter . Leonard . 17 July 1967 . A side-door entrance to the major leagues . Sports Illustrated . 27 . 3 . 61–66 . https://archive.today/20121202230338/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080077/index.htm . dead . 2 December 2012 . 5 July 2009 .
  4. Book: Thorn, John . Total Baseball . registration . John Thorn . Pete Palmer . 1989 . Warner Books . New York . 0-446-51389-X. 875, 1585.
  5. Web site: Range Factor / 9 Innings. Baseball-Reference.com. 3 February 2011.
  6. Web site: Dave Baldwin. Baseball-Reference.com. 4 July 2009.
  7. Web site: Paul White . Intelligence report: Baseball's whiz kids stand out, to a degree . 31 August 2009 . USA Today . 3 September 2009.
  8. Mirsky . Steve . May 2000 . Fields of dreams . Scientific American . 282 . 5 . 122 . 5 July 2009 . 10.1038/scientificamerican0500-122. 2000SciAm.282e.122M .
  9. Web site: Dan Raley . Where are they now? Dave Baldwin, former Seattle Pilot . 15 April 2008 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5 July 2009.
  10. Web site: DGB Featherkile. Stillman & Hyla. 28 June 2009.
  11. Web site: Art by David G. Baldwin . 28 June 2009.
  12. Cohen . Joanna . 12 August 1996. A Hall of Fame career . Sports Illustrated . 85 . 7 .