Richard Allen White (born December 23, 1968) is a former

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), ...

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 ...

. White spent parts of 12 seasons in the majors, working primarily as a relief pitcher. He batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Playing career

After graduating from Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, Ohio, White attended Paducah Community College. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the June draft, with the 403rd overall pick. After signing quickly, he made his professional debut with the Pirates' affiliate in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

that fall. White worked primarily as a starting pitcher while advancing through the minors, and he started 14 games as a swingman with the Pirates in and , before settling in as a reliever with the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

. White enjoyed his best seasons as a professional with the Devil Rays, spending two and a half seasons as a key part of their bullpen, before being traded to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in . The Mets acquired White and outfielder

Bubba Trammell Thomas Bubba Trammell (born November 6, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played for the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and the New York Yankees. During his seven ...

in exchange for pitcher Paul Wilson and outfielder

Jason Tyner Jason Renyt Tyner (born April 23, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His MLB career spanned nine seasons from 2000 through 2008 for the New York Mets (2000), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000-2003), Minnesota Twins (2005-2007), and Cleve ...

. The Mets advanced to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

that season, but lost to 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 ...

in five games. White appeared in the postseason for a second time in as a member of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, who were eliminated in the NLCS by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. On June 23, , the Philadelphia Phillies claimed White off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. On February 2, , the Houston Astros signed White to a minor-league contract. On June 29, 2007, the Astros released White after some ineffective outings. As a reliever for Houston, he was lights out with amazing numbers through Spring Training, allowing him to make the club. April was good for him; going 11.2 innings with 2 ER for an ERA of 1.54. But after going on the disabled list, he had an ERA of 11.72, giving up 23 ER over 17.2 innings. With Houston, White appeared in 23 games, going 1-0 with a 7.67 ERA in 29 innings. On August 5, 2007, the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

signed him and assigned White to Triple-A Tacoma. On August 23, 2007, White was promoted to the majors, but was placed on waivers and subsequently released by the Mariners on September 6. White throws four pitches: a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

, a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

, a curveball, and a

forkball The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-finger fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard, snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in th ...

. During pre-game warmups on May 12, , he and pitcher Jim Mecir were involved in a serious collision in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

while chasing a fly ball in batting practice. White was unhurt, but Mecir broke his elbow and missed the rest of the season.

Coaching career

White was named pitching coach of the Clark State Eagles in 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Rick 1968 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Augusta Pirates players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Calgary Cannons players Carolina Mudcats players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Durham Bulls players Houston Astros players Las Vegas 51s players Memphis Redbirds players New York Mets players Orlando Rays players Pittsburgh Pirates players Salem Buccaneers players St. Louis Cardinals players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Philadelphia Phillies players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Welland Pirates players Baseball players from Ohio Sportspeople from Springfield, Ohio Baseball coaches from Ohio Clark State Eagles baseball coaches