John Paul Wehner (pronounced "Way-ner") (born June 29, 1967) is an American former

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

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), ...

(MLB) and a current broadcaster for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. His nickname is "Rock".

Career

A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Carrick High School, Wehner was drafted out of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

by the Pirates in the 7th round of the 1988 MLB draft and made his MLB debut on July 17,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. He was in the Pirates' organization, splitting his time between MLB and their minor league affiliates, through the 1996 season. In 1997 he joined 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 franc ...

as a bench player, staying there for two seasons before rejoining the Pirates in 1999. He retired from playing in 2001. He is known for hitting the final home run (in the bottom of the 5th), and also grounding into the final out in the history of

Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Built ...

, both on 10-1-2000. In 11 seasons in MLB, Wehner compiled a .249 batting average with four home runs and 54 RBI in 461 games. He played every position except pitcher at least 3 times. He also shares the MLB record of 99 consecutive errorless games at third base with

Jeff Cirillo Jeffrey Howard Cirillo (born September 23, 1969) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball. In a 14-season career, Cirillo was a .296 hitter with 112 home runs and 727 RBI in 1617 games. He was named an All-Star in and . He ...

and has a

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

with the Florida Marlins for the 1997 season.

Broadcasting

After retiring from playing, Wehner took a job as

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

for the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

, a Pirates minor league affiliate, and held that position from

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

through

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

he began working as a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

for

AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is an American regional sports network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks and is an affiliate of Bally Sports. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the chann ...

and the Pirates Radio Network.

References

External links

MLB.comThe Baseball GaugeVenezuela Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wehner, John 1967 births Living people Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania Baseball players from Pittsburgh Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Calgary Cannons players Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Florida Marlins players Harrisburg Senators players Indiana Hoosiers baseball players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball coaches Nashville Sounds players Pittsburgh Pirates announcers Pittsburgh Pirates players Salem Buccaneers players Sportspeople from Pittsburgh Watertown Pirates players

Career

Broadcasting

See also

References

External links