Dave Hamilton (baseball)

David Edward Hamilton (born December 13, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who won three World Series championships as a member of the Oakland Athletics in the early 1970s.

Dave Hamilton
Pitcher
Born: (1947-12-13) December 13, 1947
Seattle, Washington
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 29, 1972, for the Oakland A's
Last MLB appearance
September 19, 1980, for the Oakland A's
MLB statistics
Win–loss record39–41
Earned run average3.85
Strikeouts434
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Oakland A's

Hamilton was drafted out of Edmonds High School in Edmonds, Washington by the Kansas City Athletics in the fifth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft. He spent six seasons in their farm system before receiving a call up to the Oakland Athletics in May of 1972.[1] He won his major league debut on May 29, starting the second game of a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers.[2]

He ended the season at 6–6 with a 2.93 earned run average as the A's headed to the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. Hamilton made only one appearance in the ALCS, blowing a save opportunity in game four.[3] He appeared twice in the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. He faced just one batter, Joe Morgan in game five, and got a double play on a fly ball to Matty Alou in right field in which Pete Rose tried to score from third.[4] In game six, the "Big Red Machine" tagged Hamilton for four runs in just two-thirds of an inning.[5]

The A's returned to the World Series again in 1973 and 1974, but Hamilton never made a post-season appearance either year. On June 15, 1975, he and Chet Lemon were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Stan Bahnsen and Skip Pitlock.[6]

Chicago White Sox

Though Hamilton had been used as both a starter and reliever in Oakland, he was used strictly out of the bullpen by White Sox manager, Chuck Tanner. He earned his first major league save on June 25,[7] and went on to earn 25 in three seasons with the club. On November 28, 1977, he and Silvio Martinez were sent to the St. Louis Cardinals to complete an August 31 deal in which the Chisox sent two players to be named later to the Cards for Clay Carroll.

St. Louis Cardinals

Hamilton got off to a poor start with the Cardinals, and soon found himself doing mop-up duty for manager Vern Rapp. When Ken Boyer replaced Rapp at the helm, Hamilton was given the opportunity to redeem himself, but after blowing a save against the San Diego Padres on back-to-back home runs by Gene Tenace and Rick Sweet,[8] found himself again in the mop-up role. He appeared in thirteen games for the Cardinals, all of which were losses, and was 0–0 with a 6.43 ERA when his contract was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates

After losing his first game as a Pirate,[9] Hamilton earned his first save of the season against the New York Mets shortly afterwards.[10] He began seeing more time in pressure situations, but after failing to perform, found himself again in the now familiar mop-up role. Following the season, he returned to Oakland as a free agent.

Return to Oakland

Hamilton went 3–4 with five saves and a 3.70 ERA for Oakland in 1979. He split 1980 between Oakland and the Ogden A's, going 0–3 with an 11.40 ERA at the major league level. After four games with the Pacific Coast League's Tacoma Tigers in 1981, he retired.

Career stats
Seasons W L PCT ERA G GS CG SV IP H ER R HR BB K WP HBP Fld%
9 39 41 .488 3.85 301 57 4 31 704 692 301 339 61 317 434 11 15 .962

Hamilton was 4-for-25 in 1972 with five walks and two runs scored. In fourteen at-bats over the rest of his career, he never reached base again.

Personal life

He currently lives in California with his wife, Lynn, and has three grown children Jonathan, Brian and Christy as well as his grandchildren, Austin, Matthew, Briley, Cole, Joshua, Ellie, and Jake. He began coaching baseball for California High School in San Ramon in 1996.[11] He is also a project manager for a roofing contractor.

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References
  1. William P. Oppel (May 30, 1972). "From Minors to 1st Major League Victory: Instant Fame for Finley Rookie". Beaver County Times.
  2. "Oakland A's 7, Texas Rangers 1". Baseball-Reference.com. May 29, 1972.
  3. "1972 American League Championship Series, Game Four". Baseball-Reference.com. October 11, 1972.
  4. "1972 World Series, Game Five". Baseball-Reference.com. October 20, 1972.
  5. "1972 World Series, Game Six". Baseball-Reference.com. October 21, 1972.
  6. "White Sox Acquire Left-handed Pitcher". The Press-Courier. June 16, 1975.
  7. "Chicago White Sox 5, Texas Rangers 2". Baseball-Reference.com. June 25, 1975.
  8. "San Diego Padres 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3". Baseball-Reference.com. May 15, 1978.
  9. "Philadelphia Phillies 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3". Baseball-Reference.com. May 29, 1978.
  10. "Pittsburgh Pirates 7, New York Mets 4". Baseball-Reference.com. June 24, 1978.
  11. Mitch Stephens (May 14, 2002). "HIGH SCHOOL NOTES / Ex-A's pitcher enjoying titles on a different level". The San Francisco Chronicle.
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