Ed Whitson

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#8B4513
bgcolor2=#8B4513
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Ed Whitson
position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1955|5|19
debutdate=September 4
debutyear=1977
debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=September 29
finalyear=1991
finalteam=San Diego Padres
stat1label=Record
stat1value=126-123
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=3.79
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1266
teams=
* Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-1979)
* San Francisco Giants (1979-1981)
* Cleveland Indians (1982)
* San Diego Padres (1983-1984, 1986-1991)
* New York Yankees (1985-1986)
highlights=
*126 Career Wins
*All-Star (NL): 1980

Eddie Lee (Ed) Whitson (born May 19, 1955 in Johnson City, Tennessee) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-1979), San Francisco Giants (1979-1981), Cleveland Indians (1982), San Diego Padres (1983-1984, 1986-1991) and New York Yankees (1985-1986). He batted and threw right-handed. In a 15-season career, Whitson posted a 126-123 record with 1255 strikeouts and a 3.79 ERA in 2,240-1/3 innings pitched.

Career with the Yankees

Whitson was a Yankee for all of 2 seasons, but is best remembered for his fight with then-manager Billy Martin. On September 22, 1985, while at a hotel bar in Baltimore, Maryland, he broke Martin's arm after a heated argument that spread to other parts of the hotel. Whitson's Yankee tenure was also memorable for constantly being heckled and booed during home games. This was the result of being a high priced free agent that under-performed in the eyes of Yankee fans and the New York media. Also, the loyal Yankee fans sided with Martin over the brawl, and even blamed him for Martin's firing at season's end. After leaving New York, Whitson refused to sign autographs of any baseball cards or pictures of him in which he wore a Yankee uniform.

Life after Baseball

Whitson now resides in Dublin, Ohio, where he serves as a volunteer baseball coach for the Dublin Jerome High School baseball team.

External links

*baseball-reference|id=w/whitsed01
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/W/Whitson_Ed.stm Baseball Library]