David William Palmer, Jr. (born August 19, 1957) is a former professional baseball

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 ...

who played in the Major Leagues in parts of ten seasons spanning 1978–1989, with 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 ...

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) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Early life

Palmer was a star

for the Glens Falls High School Indians baseball team until he graduated in 1976. He pitched alongside fellow future

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), ...

pitcher

Dave LaPoint David Jeffrey LaPoint (born July 29, 1959) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the manager of the Rockland Boulders, an American professional baseball team based in Pomona, New York and member of the Canadian American Association o ...

Montreal

Palmer was drafted by the

in the 21st round (489th overall) of the 1976 amateur entry draft. He pitched in the Expos organization until 1985. Although he made his major league debut in 1978, he pitched only a handful of minor league games in 1981 due to injuries, and had to fight his way back from Triple-A in 1982, where he made nine minor league starts. Additionally, he did not throw a single pitch in 1983 due to further injuries. On April 21, 1984, Palmer pitched an unusual moment in baseball history when he threw a five-inning perfect game in the second game of a doubleheader at

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

against the St. Louis Cardinals. Officials called the game on account of rain, and major-league baseball officials later struck the game from baseball's official list of perfect games since it only lasted five innings. He was granted free agency on November 12, 1985.

Atlanta

Palmer was signed by the

on February 13, 1986, shortly before

pitchers 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 ...

and

catchers Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

were to report to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. Having his best season statistically, Palmer was granted free agency on November 12, 1986. After testing the free agent waters for the second time in his career, Palmer decided to sign back with the Braves on December 19, 1986. However, his second season in Atlanta did not prove to duplicate his first, and he was granted free agency on November 9, 1987.

Philadelphia

Palmer was signed as a free agent by the

on December 18, 1987. Although Palmer pitched reasonably well for the Phillies, he was released on October 13, 1988. His tenure in Philadelphia was best remembered for a blooper in which he tripped over his foot and the third base bag and landed on his face

Detroit and beyond

Palmer was signed as a free agent by the

on February 25, 1989, shortly before the exhibition season began in spring training. Although Palmer broke camp with the Tigers, he pitched poorly and was demoted after making five starts. After making 10 minor league starts, Palmer was released by the Detroit Tigers on July 13, 1989. On July 27, 1989 Palmer signed a minor league contract 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 ...

. Palmer finished the season in the minor leagues, and never pitched in the major leagues with the Indians. He was released on October 26, 1989.

Personal life

Palmer lives in the Atlanta area and was the pitching coach for Parkview High School,

Gwinnett County, Georgia Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020 United States census, 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the secon ...

for a number of years. Palmer has a son, John Brandon "Chili" Palmer and two daughters, Liza Michelle Palmer and Leah Victoria Palmer. His son-in-law is David Allen.

References

Sources

Baseball ReferenceBaseball Reference (Minors)Baseball GaugeVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, David 1957 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from New York (state) Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers players Greenville Braves players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Lethbridge Expos players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Chicks players Montreal Expos players Philadelphia Phillies players Reno Silver Sox players Sportspeople from Glens Falls, New York Toledo Mud Hens players West Palm Beach Expos players