Paul John Quantrill (born November 3, 1968) is a Canadian 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
right-handed
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...
. He played 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), ...
(MLB) for 14 seasons, from 1992 to 2005; his longest tenure was six seasons with the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. Quantrill appeared in 80 or more games five times, led his league in pitching appearances for four consecutive seasons, and did not
walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
more than 25 batters in a season from 1996 onwards.
Career
Quantrill was drafted in
1986 MLB draft by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in the 26th round, 660th overall, but did not sign. After three years at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
he was drafted again, by the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
in the sixth round of the
1989 MLB draft
First-round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft on June 5.
Supplemental first round selections
Other notable players
* Brian Hunter, 2nd round, 35th overall by the Houston Astros
* Ti ...
, 161st overall, and made his major league debut on July 20, 1992.
Originally considered a
starter, Quantrill eventually found consistency as a
reliever
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...
after several years of splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation for several teams. Some of his best years came for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, a team located in his home province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. Quantrill earned a reputation for being very durable and having impeccable control; commentators often joked that he had a "rubber arm".
Before the 2004 season, Quantrill signed a two-year, $6.8-million deal with the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
. Quantrill pitched effectively for the Yankees as a set-up man for most of the season, leading Yankees announcer
Michael Kay to create the nickname “Quan-Gor-Mo” for the “three-headed monster” that made up the Yankees usual bullpen progression of Quantrill,
Tom Gordon
Thomas Flynn Gordon (born November 18, 1967), nicknamed "Flash," is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher and current radio color commentator for the Boston Red Sox. Gordon played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Ka ...
and
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...
(known as “Mo”).
Due to poor performance, arguably due to overuse by manager
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...
, in late 2004 and early 2005, Quantrill was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
on July 1, 2005. The next day he was traded to 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 ...
for pitchers
Tim Redding
Timothy James Redding (born February 12, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and more recently the pitching coach for the Hagerstown Suns. He pitched for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York ...
and
Darrell May. Quantrill was then traded to 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 fran ...
and spent the rest of the year in the bullpen. While playing in the
2006 World Baseball Classic, Quantrill announced that he would retire at the end of the event.
Quantrill served as a coach for
Team Canada during the
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
s in
2009,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, and
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
.
On June 19, 2010, Quantrill was inducted, along with former Blue Jay
Roberto Alomar
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968)
is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Arizon ...
, into the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (french: Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien) is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.
H ...
in
St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...
.
Accomplishments
* All-Star (2001)
* 4× led his league in appearances (2001 AL, 2002 NL, 2003 NL, 2004 AL)
* Career 3.83
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA)
* Holds New York Yankees record for most games pitched in a season (86 in 2004)
Personal life
Since retirement, Quantrill has lived in
Port Hope,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
.
Quantrill has a son and two daughters. His son,
Cal, was a pitcher at
Stanford University and was selected in the first round, eighth overall, in the
2016 MLB draft 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 ...
and currently plays for the Cleveland Guardians.
, Quantrill serves as a special assistant to the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Canada
This is a list of active baseball players who hold Canadian citizenship, who have played in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Active players
Awards and notable accomplishments
Baseball Hall of Fame
*Ferguson Jenkins, 1991
*Larry Walker, 2020
Most V ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quantrill, Paul
1968 births
2006 World Baseball Classic players
Living people
American League All-Stars
Baseball people from Ontario
Boston Red Sox players
Canadian baseball coaches
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States
Elmira Pioneers players
Florida Marlins players
Gulf Coast Red Sox players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Canada
New Britain Red Sox players
New York Yankees players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
People from Essex County, Ontario
People from Northumberland County, Ontario
Philadelphia Phillies players
San Diego Padres players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players
Sportspeople from London, Ontario
Syracuse SkyChiefs players
Toronto Blue Jays players
Winter Haven Red Sox players
Wisconsin Badgers baseball players
World Baseball Classic players of Canada