Rheal Cormier

Rhéal Paul Cormier (born April 23, 1967) is a Canadian former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons (1991–2007).[1]

Rhéal Cormier
Pitcher
Born: (1967-04-23) April 23, 1967
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
August 15, 1991, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
April 18, 2007, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record71–64
Earned run average4.03
Strikeouts760
Teams
Incoming Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2012

Cormier attended Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, Rhode Island, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 1988 amateur draft.[1] He is of Acadian ancestry.[2]

Professional career

Cormier made his major league debut on August 15, 1991.[1] He started the St. Louis Cardinals' game against the New York Mets, going six innings, giving up one earned run, and striking out two.[3] He pitched for St. Louis through 1994 and was traded to Boston for the 1995 season. In Boston, Cormier split time as a starter and a reliever. His 1995 ERA was 4.07.[1]

Following the 1995 season, Cormier was traded to Montreal as part of the Wil Cordero deal. He spent all of 1996 and one game in 1997 for the Expos. In 1998, he signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians[1] and began the year in the minor leagues before shoulder problems ended his season.[4]

In 1999, Cormier signed a free agent deal to return to Boston. In two seasons, he made 124 appearances for the Red Sox, all of which came in relief. After the 2000 season, the Philadelphia Phillies signed the reliever as a free agent. In the next six seasons with the Phillies (his longest tenure with any major league team), Cormier had his most successful years. In 2003, he posted in 84.2 innings a career-best ERA of 1.70. In 2004, he made 84 appearances, a career high. On July 31, 2006, Cormier was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospect Justin Germano.[1] The Reds, leading the National League wildcard race at the time of the trade, sought bullpen help through the trade.[5] The team failed to make the playoffs, however, finishing the season 8 games back in the wildcard race.[6] Cormier's 2006 season with the Reds included 21 appearances and a 4.50 ERA.[1]

On April 28, 2007, Cormier was designated for assignment by the Reds after a poor start to the 2007 campaign. He had 3 IP, a 9.00 ERA, and 1 strikeout in his time with Cincinnati that season. On May 13, 2007, the Atlanta Braves signed Cormier to a minor league contract and assigned him to their AAA-affiliate, the Richmond Braves.[1] He played only briefly for them before deciding to retire.[7]

In 2008, he joined the Moncton Mets, a senior team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, in an attempt to make a comeback and join the Canadian Olympic Team participating in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Cormier had pitched for Moncton 21 years earlier, prior to his major league career.[8]

International career

2006 World Baseball Classic

Prior to the 2006 season, Cormier played for the Canada national baseball team in the World Baseball Classic. Despite winning two of three games, the team failed to advance beyond the first round. While their record matched Team USA and Team Mexico, they were eliminated in the tie breaker because they allowed the most runs.[9] Cormier appeared in two of the games (Mexico and South Africa), pitching 1​2⁄3 innings, giving up 1 hit, and allowing no earned runs.[10]

Olympics

After representing Canada at the 1987 Pan American Games,[11] Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea; at the time baseball was a demonstration sport.[12] The Canadian team did not win a medal during this competition, ending with a 1–2 record. The squad's lone win, however, did come against the eventual gold medal-winning American team.[13]

In 2008 Cormier played for the Canadian national baseball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics. At age 41, Cormier was the oldest baseball player in the competition.[14]

Awards and achievements

In 2012 Cormier was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.[15]

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References
  1. "Rheal Cormier Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  2. Eisenbath, Mike; Stan Musial (1999). Cardinals Encyclopedia. Google Books. p. 159. ISBN 9781566397032. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  3. "St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Mets 1". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. August 15, 1991. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  4. "Rheal Cormier Bio". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  5. Callis, Jim (July 31, 2006). "Reds Make Another Bullpen Move". Baseball America. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  6. "MLB Wild Card Standings – 2006". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  7. "Rheal Cormier Fantasy Baseball News, Notes, Rumors and Statistics". KFFL. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  8. Fox, Chris. "Rheal Cormier's stint with Moncton Mets nears end; Not only do New Brunswickers get to see major leaguer, Cormier gets to return to where it all began before heading to the Olympics" (PDF). Chrisfoxjournalism on WordPress. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  9. Ken Mandel (March 12, 2006). "Notes: Canadians comment on Classic". MLB.com. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  10. "World Baseball Classic Player Statistics: Canada". World Baseball Classic web site. March 26, 2006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  11. "1987 Pan American Games (Rosters)". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  12. "Discontinued Olympic Sports: Baseball". Top End Sports. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  13. "Official Report: Competition Summary and Results Volume 2" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  14. "Cormier still delivering for Canada". Boston Globe. August 14, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  15. "Rheal Cormier". December 6, 2011.
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