David Von Ohlen (born October 25, 1958) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

. Von Ohlen pitched in all or part of five seasons 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 1983 through 1987. He appeared in 181 Major League games, all in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

Early career

Von Ohlen was selected 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 ...

out of

Flushing High School Flushing High School is a four-year public high school in Flushing, in the New York City borough of Queens. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education. As of the 2020-21 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1, ...

in the 17th round of the

1976 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...

. He spent six seasons in the Mets farm system without making it to the majors, and he was granted

free agency 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 ...

after the 1982 season.

Major League career

Von Ohlen signed as a free agent with the

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 ...

in December 1982, and made his major league debut with the team on May 13, 1983, working 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief against the Montreal Expos. He pitched two seasons for St. Louis, appearing in 73 games with an ERA of 3.23. He was released by the Cardinals on November 9, 1984, and signed with 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 F ...

on January 9, 1985. In 1985, Von Ohlen put up an ERA of 2.91 in 26 appearances, but was released after the 1985 season. Von Ohlen started the 1986 season with the

Miami 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 franc ...

, an independent team in the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. He was purchased from them on June 1, 1986, by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, where he pitched in 28 games between 1986 and 1987 before again being released. On June 21, 1987, in his final major league appearance, Von Ohlen pitched the final three innings of Oakland’s 13-3 loss to the Texas Rangers in the second game of a double header at the

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...

. Von Ohlen returned to the Marlins to start the 1988 season before being re-signed by Oakland (but did not appear in another major league game), finishing his professional career with the Tacoma Tigers in the A's organization.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Von Ohlen, Dave Major League Baseball pitchers St. Louis Cardinals players Cleveland Indians players Oakland Athletics players Wausau Mets players Marion Mets players Lynchburg Mets players Jackson Mets players Tidewater Tides players Louisville Redbirds players Maine Guides players Miami Marlins (FSL) players Tacoma Tigers players Flushing High School alumni 1958 births Living people Baseball players from Queens, New York