Andy Messersmith
| Andy Messersmith | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: August 6, 1945 Toms River, New Jersey |
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 4, 1968, for the California Angels | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 1, 1979, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 130–99 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.86 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,625 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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John Alexander "Andy" Messersmith (born August 6, 1945 in Toms River, New Jersey) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the 12th overall pick of the 1966 amateur draft by the California Angels. During a 12-year baseball career, Messersmith pitched for the California Angels (1968–72), Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–75 and 1979), Atlanta Braves (1976–77) and the New York Yankees (1978).
Messersmith is most famous for his role in the historic 1975 Seitz decision which led to the downfall of Major League Baseball's reserve clause and ushered in the current era of free agency. It began when Messersmith went to spring training in 1975 and began negotiating his 1975 contract. He asked for a no-trade clause which the Dodgers refused. According to author John Helyar, in The Lords of the Realm, Messersmith was also deeply offended by general manager Al Campanis "inject(ing) a personal issue" into the talks (it "cut so deeply with him", Helyar has written, that Messersmith since has never disclosed it), and the pitcher refused to deal with anyone lower than team president Peter O'Malley.
He also pitched 1975 without a contract, leading the National League in complete games and shutouts and finishing second in earned run average with 2.29, not to mention winning a Gold Glove (his second) as the league's best-fielding pitcher. Messersmith and Dave McNally were the only two players in 1975 playing on the one year reserve clause in effect at the time, technically; McNally's season ended early due to injuries and he returned home, intending to retire, but agreeing to players' union director Marvin Miller's request that he sign onto the Messersmith grievance in case Messersmith ended up signing a new deal with the Dodgers before the season ended.
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