Donald Elliott Heinkel (born October 20, 1959) is a retired
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
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 ...
. He played during two seasons at the Major League level for the
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 ...
and
St. Louis Cardinals. Heinkel notched his lone major league save on April 29, 1988. He went 2 scoreless innings to preserve a 9–6 victory over the Mariners. He was drafted by the Tigers in the 30th round of the 1982 amateur draft. Heinkel played his first professional season with their Rookie league
Bristol Tigers, Class A-Advanced
Lakeland Tigers, and Double-A
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...
in 1982, and his last with the
San Diego Padres' Double-A
Wichita Wranglers in 1993.
Heinkel now resides in Alabama with his wife and 11 children. He practices medicine in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area.
References
Sources
Baseball GaugeVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
1959 births
Living people
Alacranes de Campeche players
All-American college baseball players
Birmingham Barons players
Bristol Tigers players
Canton-Akron Indians players
National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Detroit Tigers players
Evansville Triplets players
Glens Falls Tigers players
Lakeland Tigers players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Nashville Sounds players
Rimini Baseball Club players
American expatriate baseball players in Italy
St. Paul Saints players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Baseball players from Racine, Wisconsin
Toledo Mud Hens players
Wichita State Shockers baseball players
Wichita State University alumni
Wichita Wranglers players
Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players
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