59 days ’til Opening Day

There are 59 days left until that best day of the year, MLB Opening Day.

59 is the number of career wins by Steve Sparks. For many years, Sparks was my favorite baseball player. He was a knuckleballer, and his pitches traveled to home plate so slowly, it was amazing that he got batters out.

Sparks first came to my attention during the 1998 season when he was on the Angels, a season special because back in those pre-2002 days, it was rare the Angels fielded a competitive team and the Halos were in playoff contention for the entire season. (Wow, have things changed.)

Sparks was actually one of the team’s better pitchers that year, as he went 9-4 with a 4.34 ERA (which was above average in the late ’90s AL). Seeing Sparks’ slow knuckleballs get hitters out consistently was one of the highlights of the season. But that wasn’t the best season of Sparks’ career.

The year that sticks out is 2001, when he was with the Detroit Tigers:

Record: 14-9
Complete Games: 8
Innings: 232
Strikeouts: 116
Walks: 64
ERA: 3.65
ERA+: 117

Sparks struggled after that, having three below-average seasons. Though Sparks did get to pitch in the playoffs once after signing with Oakland in August (after being released from Detroit in 2003). He came into Game 4 of the ALDS against Boston in relief of an injured Tim Hudson and pitched four innings, allowing only two runs. He was in line for the win until the A’s bullpen blew the lead.

Sparks never pitched again after 2004 despite spring training invites with San Diego and Houston. But Sparks will always have at least one fan out there.