Kent Mercker | |||
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Pitcher | |||
Born: Dublin, Ohio |
February 1, 1968 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 22, 1989, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
May 30, 2008, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 74–67 | ||
Earned run average | 4.16 | ||
Strikeouts | 917 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kent Franklin Mercker (born February 1, 1968) is a retired American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played for nine teams over his seventeen-year career.
Mercker was born in Dublin, Ohio. He was taken in the first round (5th pick overall) of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He made his major league debut with the Braves on September 22, 1989, and appeared in two games that season.
During his years with the Braves, Mercker split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. After serving as a reliever for the vast part of his first five seasons, he joined the Braves' rotation full-time for the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
After the 1995 season, the Braves traded Mercker to the Baltimore Orioles. Mercker then became a journeyman, spending time with Baltimore (1996), Cleveland (1996), Cincinnati (1997, 2003, 2005-2006, 2008), St. Louis (1998-1999), Boston (1999), Anaheim (2000), Colorado (2002), Atlanta (2003), and the Chicago Cubs (2004). During the 2004 season, Mercker reportedly called the broadcast booth to complain about commentary by Steve Stone and, along with Moisés Alou, confronted Stone on a team flight. He signed with Cincinnati for the third time in his career on December 20, 2004.