Gregory Wade Harris (born December 1, 1963), is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1988 through 1995.
Greg Harris was drafted by 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 ...
out of
Elon University
Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctora ...
in the 10th round of the
1985 amateur draft. Harris threw a no-hitter while playing for the
Wichita Pilots
Wichita ( ) may refer to:
People
*Wichita people, a Native American tribe
*Wichita language, the language of the tribe
Places in the United States
* Wichita, Kansas, a city
* Wichita County, Kansas, a county in western Kansas (city of Wichita i ...
, the AA affiliate of the Padres in 1987, and was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Primarily a relief pitcher in his early days with the Padres, he transitioned back into the starting rotation in 1991. His go-to pitch was a big, sweeping curveball, the best in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
at the time. His career 2.95 ERA with the Padres is still one of the best ERAs in team history, only surpassed by
Trevor Hoffman
Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego ...
.
Harris and fellow pitcher
Bruce Hurst
Bruce Vee Hurst (born March 24, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason, where he won two games while allowing only two run ...
were shipped off to the
Colorado Rockies during the Padres 1993 fire sale, and later finished his career in Minnesota.
Harris' post-career
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
superior court cases detailed scams and conspiracies that led to financial mismanagement and botched surgeries on his pitching arm and shoulder. The first case, against his surgeon, ended in 1999 with a $6 million verdict in Harris' favor.
Baseball pitcher claims surgical malpractice
/ref>
During his career, Harris was often known as Greg W. Harris to differentiate him from fellow pitcher Greg A. Harris, whose career (1981–1995) entirely overlapped his.
Pitching stats
* 243 Games
* 45 Wins
* 64 Losses
* 16 Saves
* 605 Strikeouts
* 3.98 ERA
References
External links
1963 births
Living people
San Diego Padres players
Colorado Rockies players
Minnesota Twins players
Baseball players from North Carolina
Major League Baseball pitchers
Spokane Indians players
Charleston Rainbows players
Wichita Pilots players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
High Desert Mavericks players
Fort Myers Miracle players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
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