Marcus Wayne Garland (born October 26, 1950) is a retired American

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 ...

player. A right-hander, he pitched in the major leagues for nine seasons from 1973 to 1981 for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(1973–1976) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

(1977–1981). He was one of 24 ballplayers who profited from the advent of MLB

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

following the

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

season.Montville, Leigh. "The First To Be Free," ''Sports Illustrated'', April 16, 1990.
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Amateur career

Garland was born on October 26, 1950, in Nashville, Tennessee. He played both basketball and baseball at Cohn High School in Nashville. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round of the

1968 Major League Baseball draft The 1968 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1968 MLB season. The draft saw the New York Mets take shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, whi ...

, but did not sign and attended Gulf Coast Junior College. He was then selected in the

1969 Major League Baseball draft The 1969 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft took place prior to the 1969 MLB season. The draft featured future Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven (pick 55) and Dave Winfield (pick 882). First round selections The following are the first round picks ...

by 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 ...

, but again, did not sign a contract. The Orioles drafted him in the 1969 secondary draft and inked him to a contract.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Garland pitched for several years in the minor leagues posting generally lackluster numbers with a 7–9 record in 1972 and 10–11 in 1973. However, in 1973, he led the Rochester Red Wings with 141 strikeouts. He was called up to the major leagues in September 1973 and made his debut on September 13, 1973. In his first start on September 27, Garland was the losing pitcher. After spring training in 1974, he was sent back to Rochester, but was called up in May as a relief pitcher. Over the season, he made six starts, including a game where he pitched eight innings of no-hit baseball. He continued pitching mostly in relief in 1975 and the first half of 1976. After the Orioles traded

Ken Holtzman Kenneth Dale Holtzman (born November 3, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Chicago Cubs for whom he pitch ...

and

Doyle Alexander Doyle Lafayette Alexander (born September 4, 1950) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue J ...

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 June, a spot in the starting rotation opened for Garland. He made the most of his opportunity with a 10–2 by July and finished with 20 wins against seven losses. He played 1976 without a contract and rejected a mid-season contract offer from the Orioles of $40,000, which would allow him to become a free agent. Garland did not get along with manager

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

and was prepared to leave the team.

Cleveland Indians

The

Seitz decision The Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz (1905–1983) on December 23, 1975, which declared that Major League Baseball (MLB) players became free agents upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifyi ...

allowed players to become free agents for the first time and 25 players entered the 1976 free-agent re-entry draft, which would allow teams to draft negotiating rights with players. Garland was selected in the draft by 12 teams, the maximum allowed. He signed a 10-year contract with the

worth a reported $2.3 million, one of the richest of that initial free-agent class. Garland had a 13–19 record and a 3.59 ERA but began to feel pain in his pitching arm. In his first spring training game of 1978, he injured his arm, but continued pitching after receiving cortisone. After six regular season starts, he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff and underwent surgery. He would sit the rest of the season out while he recovered. He returned in 1979 but had two more stints on the disabled list and finished the year with a record of 4–10. Garland's 1980 campaign was a bit better as he threw 150 innings for Cleveland and had a record of 6–9, but threw a two-hit shutout on July 3. The 1981 season was interrupted by a players strike that lasted two months. He was working as a knuckleballer to overcome the shoulder injuries that damaged his arm. After the season, Garland was released by the Indians. After being released, he was unable to get a tryout with any major league teams or any AAA minor league clubs. He attempted a comeback as a knuckleballer with the Yankees AA minor league affiliate, but was released before getting another chance in the major leagues.

Coaching career

In the late 1980s he was a pitching coach for the Nashville Sounds and worked in the Pirates organization as a coach in the 1990s but a sore back (one that required six surgeries) derailed him from continuing to serve as a coach.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Wayne 1950 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Nashville, Tennessee Cleveland Indians players Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Florida Instructional League Orioles players Fort Myers Sun Sox players Gulf Coast State Commodores baseball players Nashville Sounds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins (FSL) players Nashville Sounds managers Rochester Red Wings players