Bob Welch

Bob Welch was born in Detroit and attended Hazel Park High School, where he dazzled in both basketball and baseball, drawing Major League attention. The Cubs called Welch’s name in the 14th round of the 1974 Draft; he turned them down and headed to Eastern Michigan University.

As a freshman, Welch not only earned a slot in the starting rotation but also posted a microscopic 1.29 ERA to lead the Hurons to the College World Series, where they finished fifth. As a sophomore, Welch no-hit Central Michigan, tossed a perfect game against the University of Detroit, and went 10-2 with a 1.82 ERA. The Hurons returned to the College World Series, finishing runner-up. In the two years combined, Welch went 17-6 with a 1.84 ERA, the second-best career ERA in Eastern program history.

An arm ailment bothered Welch in 1977, but didn’t stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from drafting him 20th overall. In 1978, he was in the Major Leagues, tossing three shutouts and recording a 2.02 ERA in 111 1/3 innings. Welch was in the Dodgers’ bullpen for the postseason, earning the win in Game 1 of the NLCS en route to a series victory over Philadelphia, and then making a dramatic appearance in relief in Game 2 of the World Series. Tommy Lasorda brought in the rookie with one out in the ninth inning and the Dodgers holding a 4-3 lead. Welch retired Thurman Munson on a lineout, then struck out Reggie Jackson in a nine-pitch battle, closing out the win.

Welch pitched for the Dodgers from 1978-1987, making the National League All-Star Team in 1980. In December of 1987, however, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in a three-team, eight-player swap. Welch went on to win 17 games for the A’s in both 1988 and 1989, then topped the Majors with a magnificent 27-win season in 1990 to capture the American League Cy Young Award.

In all, Bob Welch pitched 3,092 innings in the Major Leagues spanning 17 seasons, and finished with a career record of 211-146. After retiring, he was the pitching coach for the 2001 MLB champion Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2006 World Baseball Classic Team Netherlands.