Mark Wohlers
| Mark Wohlers | |||
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: January 23, 1970 Holyoke, Massachusetts |
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| MLB debut | |||
| August 17, 1991, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 28, 2002, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 39–29 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.97 | ||
| Strikeouts | 557 | ||
| Saves | 119 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Mark Edward Wohlers (born January 23, 1970) is a former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he played all or part of twelve seasons in Major League Baseball, exclusively as a relief pitcher. He is best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 1999. He is the third fastest recorded pitcher in baseball history, having thrown a pitch recorded at 103 miles per hour during a spring training session in 1995; the record was broken by Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya with a 104 mph (167 km/h) pitch.
A 1988 graduate of Holyoke High School, Wohlers was selected in the eighth round of the 1988 amateur draft by the Braves. He went on to make his major league debut with the Braves on August 17, 1991. Less than a month later, on September 11, Wohlers teamed with fellow Braves hurlers Kent Mercker and Alejandro Peña for a combined no-hitter against the San Diego Padres; Wohlers pitched two innings in relief of Mercker.
After spending the following three seasons as a setup pitcher, Wohlers was given the job as a closer in 1995. He went on to record 97 saves over the next three seasons, also saving the 1–0 victory in the clinching Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, establishing himself as one of the best closers in the majors.
Wohlers' success would not last forever. In Game 4 of the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees, Wohlers gave up a stunning 3-run home run to Jim Leyritz that tied the game at 6. After this, the momentum of the Series shifted and the Yankees won it in six games. Many observe that Wohlers was never the same after that. In 1998, he seemed to lose all ability to control his pitches. He spent part of the season at Triple-A Richmond, but still finished the season with a major league earned run average of 10.18. His control problems were dramatic. In 20⅓ major league innings, Wohlers walked 33 batters. After being sent down to Triple-A, Wohlers walked 36 batters in only 12⅓ innings. His symptoms were a prime example of what is commonly known as Steve Blass disease – a psychological block which manifests itself when baseball players overthink the act of throwing a baseball and consequently become unable to throw with any sort of control.
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