Christopher Andrew Hammond (born January 21, 1966) is a former
left-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
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), ...
.
Hammond was drafted by the
Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success until his revival as a relief pitcher with the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
. Hammond's career went through two distinct phases, one as a struggling
starting pitcher/
swingman and one as a reliever. Hammond used techniques common to
"junkball" or finesse pitchers. His pitches included the
changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
(Hammond's ranged from 58 - 71 mph), his mostly flat
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
, and his low 80s
four-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...
. Hammond was also a relatively good left-handed hitter as shown by his career .202
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, .285
on-base percentage, and four career
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s.
Professional baseball career
Cincinnati Reds
Hammond first appeared in the Major Leagues in where he pitched three games for the Reds. The following season was his official
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 and he
started 18 games posting a 7-7 record with a respectable 4.06
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 ...
. His first stint with the Reds would come to a close in late March as he was traded to the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
for
Héctor Carrasco
Héctor Pacheco Carrasco (born October 22, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He bats and throws right handed.
In a twelve-season career, Carrasco has posted a 44–50 record with 19 saves and a 3.99 ERA in 637 relief ap ...
and
Gary Scott.
Florida Marlins
Hammond was a member of the inaugural Marlins team that began play in Major League Baseball in
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
. In his inaugural season as a Marlin, he hit two home runs (one a
pinch-hit
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
), and pitched his way to a 4.66 ERA in 191 innings. In , he experienced somewhat more success (a 3.07 ERA) in a season shortened by injuries. After a mediocre season, Hammond's career seemed to hit a nosedive. His first stint with the Florida Marlins would end in , where he totaled a 6.56 ERA and would face a demotion to the
bullpen.
Boston Red Sox
Hammond signed with the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
in , intending to return to his role as a starter. Instead, Hammond was utilized as a relief pitcher. In an interview in Yankees' magazine during 2002, Hammond revealed that the Red Sox offered this promise as a ruse to sign him. While Hammond's career was seemingly reaching its end, the Florida Marlins won the
1997 World Series
The 1997 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National L ...
.
Return and retirement
Hammond made a comeback attempt in . After being signed to a contract by the
Kansas City Royals, he was granted his release towards the end of
spring training. Just as they did in 1993, the Marlins signed him to be a starting pitcher. Hammond returned to the Major Leagues for three starts, compiling a 6.56 ERA in 13.2 innings. After this brief comeback attempt, Hammond had shoulder surgery and he retired for the first time. Hammond returned to a quiet family life in
Randolph County, Alabama
Randolph County is a county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Alabama.
"ACES Randolph County Office" (links/history),
Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpage:
ACES-Randolph
As of the 2020 census, t ...
, where he purchased a 200+ acre horse-ranch with a lake.
Comeback: Atlanta Braves
Hammond returned in 2001 as a
minor league player for the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
. At mid-season, he was released by the Indians and then signed to a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. Hammond was on Atlanta's major league roster in 2002. In 2002, Hammond pitched 76.0 innings in 63 games while posting a 0.95 ERA. Hammond became the fourth pitcher at that point in time to ever post an ERA below 1.00 while pitching over a full season with over an inning an appearance. Hammond also had a streak of nearly thirty consecutive scoreless innings during the season that helped him achieve this historic mark. At the end of the season, the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
signed Hammond to a multi-year contract. While with the Braves, he continued to live in
Randolph County, Alabama
Randolph County is a county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Alabama.
"ACES Randolph County Office" (links/history),
Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpage:
ACES-Randolph
As of the 2020 census, t ...
and commuted back and forth to Atlanta.
New York Yankees
Hammond replaced the incumbent
Mike Stanton as the left-handed
setup man
In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth.
A ...
in the Yankees' bullpen.
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...
tried to use Hammond as a left-handed specialist because the bullpen lacked other left-handed pitchers. Hammond allowed the lowest percentage of inherited runners to score in the 2003 Yankees bullpen while posting a 2.86 ERA. He only had one appearance during the 2003
postseason
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
, pitching two innings without allowing an
earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...
during the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
while facing the Marlins.
Oakland Athletics
Hammond was traded to the
Oakland Athletics during the 2003 off-season. Hammond missed some time during the season due to a recurrence of shoulder injuries, but was able to post a 2.68 ERA in 41 appearances.
San Diego Padres
In , Hammond signed with the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
. Hammond had posted a
WHIP under 1.00 until shoulder injuries nagged him once again. Hammond would finish the season with an ERA of 3.84 in 55 appearances.
Reds: 2006
Hammond returned to Cincinnati in 2006, where his career started; however, this was short-lived, as he was released on July 12. Hammond would end his 2006 season with a 6.91 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched.
Personal life
Chris resides in
Oxford, Alabama
Oxford is a city in Calhoun, Talladega, and Cleburne counties in the State of Alabama. The population was 22,069 at the 2020 census,. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
with his wife, Lynne. They have two sons and one daughter, Andy, Jake, and Alex. He has started the Chris Hammond Youth Foundation, a Christian-based charity, and is active in his church.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Chris
Baseball players from Atlanta
Atlanta Braves players
Boston Red Sox players
Cincinnati Reds players
Florida Marlins players
New York Yankees players
Oakland Athletics players
San Diego Padres players
Major League Baseball pitchers
1966 births
Living people
People from Randolph County, Alabama
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Nashville Sounds players
Charlotte Knights players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Richmond Braves players
Sacramento River Cats players
Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Brevard County Manatees players
Gulf Coast Reds players
Gulf Coast State Commodores baseball players
UAB Blazers baseball players
People from Oxford, Alabama
Charlotte 49ers baseball players