Paul John Quantrill (born November 3, 1968) is a Canadian former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, from 1992 to 2005; his longest tenure was six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. Quantrill appeared in 80 or more games during a season five times, led his league in pitching appearances for four consecutive seasons, and did not walk more than 25 batters in a season from 1996 onwards.
| Paul Quantrill | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: November 3, 1968 London, Ontario, Canada | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 20, 1992, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 2005, for the Florida Marlins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 68–78 |
| Earned run average | 3.83 |
| Strikeouts | 725 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2010 |
Career
editQuantrill was drafted in 1986 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 26th round, 660th overall, but did not sign. After three years at the University of Wisconsin he was drafted again, by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 1989 MLB draft, 161st overall, and made his major league debut on July 20, 1992.
Originally considered a starter, Quantrill eventually found consistency as a reliever after several years of splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation for several teams. Some of his best years came for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team located in his home province of Ontario. Quantrill earned a reputation for being very durable and having impeccable control; commentators[who?] often joked that he had a "rubber arm".
Before the 2004 season, Quantrill signed a two-year, $6.8-million deal with the New York Yankees. Quantrill pitched effectively for the Yankees as a set-up man for most of the season, leading Yankees announcer Michael Kay to create the nickname “Quan-Gor-Mo” for the “three-headed monster” that made up the Yankees usual bullpen progression of Quantrill, Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera (known as “Mo”).[1]
Due to poor performance, arguably due to overuse by manager Joe Torre,[according to whom?] in late 2004 and early 2005, Quantrill was designated for assignment on July 1, 2005. The next day he was traded to the San Diego Padres for pitchers Tim Redding and Darrell May.[2] Quantrill was then traded to the Florida Marlins and spent the rest of the year in the bullpen. While playing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Quantrill announced that he would retire at the end of the event.
Quantrill served as a coach for Team Canada during the World Baseball Classics in 2009, 2013, and 2017.
On June 19, 2010, Quantrill was inducted, along with former Blue Jay Roberto Alomar, into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario.[3]
Accomplishments
edit- All-Star (2001)
- 4× led his league in appearances (2001 AL, 2002 NL, 2003 NL, 2004 AL)
- Career 3.83 earned run average (ERA)
- Holds New York Yankees record for most games pitched in a season (86 in 2004)
Personal life
editSince retirement, Quantrill has lived in Port Hope, Ontario.[4]
Quantrill has a son and two daughters. His son, Cal, was a pitcher at Stanford University[5][6] and was selected in the first round, eighth overall, in the 2016 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres and currently plays for the Colorado Rockies.[7]
As of June 2016[update], Quantrill serves as a special assistant to the Toronto Blue Jays organization.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kepner, Tyler (August 2004). "BASEBALL; Late-Inning Relievers Come to Rescue Once Again". The New York Times.
- ^ "Yanks Trade Quantrill To San Diego For Pair Of Pitchers". WPXI. July 2, 2005. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ "Alomar inducted as greatest Jay ever | Baseball | Sports | London Free Press". June 23, 2010. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010.
- ^ "Cal Quantrill having a successful first season at Stanford University".
- ^ Baseball: Freshman Quantrill hopes to follow dad to the big leagues
- ^ "Cal Quantrill - Baseball". Stanford University Athletics.
- ^ Ben Nicholson-Smith (June 9, 2016). "Padres select Canadian Cal Quantrill in 1st round of MLB draft". Sportsnet.ca.
- ^ "Toronto Blue Jays Front Office Directory". Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet