Sterling Hitchcock is a former American professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons. He was born on April 29, 1971, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and attended the University of South Carolina, where he played college baseball.
Hitchcock was drafted by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 1989 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 1992 and played for them until 1995. During his time with the Yankees, Hitchcock was primarily used as a relief pitcher and had a record of 9-5 with a 4.70 earned run average (ERA).
In 1996, Hitchcock was traded to the Seattle Mariners, where he had his breakout season. He started 32 games for the Mariners and had a record of 13-9 with a 3.93 ERA. He also helped lead the Mariners to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) that year, where they lost to the Baltimore Orioles.
After the 1996 season, Hitchcock signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent. He spent four seasons with the Padres and had some of the best years of his career. In 1998, he had a record of 9-7 with a 4.30 ERA and helped lead the Padres to the World Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees. In 1999, he had a career-high 12 wins and a 4.30 ERA. He also pitched in the 2001 All-Star Game.
Hitchcock was traded to the New York Yankees in 2001 and spent one season with them before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002. He played for the Cardinals for one season before being traded back to the Yankees in 2003. He retired from baseball after the 2004 season.
Throughout his career, Hitchcock had a record of 74-76 with a 4.80 ERA. He pitched in 359 games, starting 222 of them. He had 1,046 strikeouts and 491 walks in 1,383 innings pitched.
Hitchcock was known for his ability to pitch in big games and was a key player on several playoff teams. He was also known for his durability, as he pitched over 200 innings in a season three times in his career.
After retiring from baseball, Hitchcock became a high school baseball coach in California. He also worked as a television analyst for the San Diego Padres and as a scout for the New York Yankees.
In conclusion, Sterling Hitchcock was a successful MLB pitcher who played for 12 seasons. He had some of his best years with the San Diego Padres and was known for his ability to pitch in big games. After retiring from baseball, he became a coach and worked in various roles in the baseball industry.
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