Charles William Lea (December 25, 1956 – November 11, 2011) was a starting pitcher in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. From through , Lea played for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

(1980–84, 1987) and Minnesota Twins (1988). He batted and threw right-handed.

Career

Lea was drafted three times, by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

(1975),

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

(1976) and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1977), but did not sign and decided to go on to

Memphis State University } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

. He signed with the Montreal Expos after being selected in the 1978 draft. Lea played for the Double-A

Memphis Chicks Memphis Chicks may refer to: *Memphis Chicks (Southern Association), a Minor League Baseball team that played from 1901 to 1960 *Memphis Chicks (Southern League) The Memphis Chicks were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Southern Lea ...

in the Southern League from 1978–80 and was selected an All-Star in 1979 and 1980. After a 9-0 mark and a 0.84

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in his last season at Memphis, Lea was called to the majors and debuted with the Expos in the 1980 midseason. He finished his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season with a 7-5 record. On May 10 of the strike-shortened 1981 season, Lea

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

4-0 in the second game of a doubleheader at

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

. He was one of only three Expos to throw a no-hitter, the others being

Bill Stoneman William Hambly Stoneman III (born April 7, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and executive who, during his eight-year (–) pitching career in Major League Baseball, threw two no-hitters; then, as general manager of the Ana ...

, twice, in 1969 and 1972, and

Dennis Martínez José Dennis Martínez Ortiz (born May 14, 1955), nicknamed "El Presidente" (The President), is a Nicaraguan professional baseball pitcher. Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, Cleveland India ...

, who pitched a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

in 1991. In 1982, Lea finished with a 12-10 mark and a 3.24

. His most productive season came in 1983, when he collected career-highs in victories (16), strikeouts (137), and starts (33), posting a 3.12 ERA. Then, in 1984 Lea was 15-10, set personal marks in ERA (2.89) and innings pitched (), and was selected as a National League All-Star where he was the starting and winning pitcher in the All-Star game. Lea suffered arm and shoulder injuries and could not pitch at all in 1985 and 1986. He spent most of 1987 rehabilitating in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

and appeared in one inning for the Expos. A

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

before the 1988 season, he signed with the Minnesota Twins, finishing 7-7 with a 4.85 ERA. In a seven-season career, Lea posted a 62-48 record with 535 strikeouts and a 3.54 ERA in innings. He added 22 complete games and eight

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s in 152 games pitched (144 as a starter). Lea was inducted to the Tennessee Sports of Hall of Fame in 1999. Lea died on November 11, 2011 in

Collierville, Tennessee Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. With a population of 51,324 in the 2020 census, Collierville is the third largest municipality in the county after Memphis ...

, after an apparent heart attack at the age of 54.

References

External links

Charlie Lea
- Baseballbiography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lea, Charlie 1956 births 2011 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Memphis, Tennessee Denver Bears players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from France Memphis Chicks players Memphis Tigers baseball players Minnesota Twins players Montreal Expos players National League All-Stars People from Collierville, Tennessee Southwest Tennessee Saluqis baseball players Sportspeople from Orléans West Palm Beach Expos players

Career

See also

References

External links