Steve Rogers (baseball)
| Steve Rogers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: October 26, 1949 Jefferson City, Missouri |
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 18, 1973, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 19, 1985, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 158–152 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.17 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,621 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Stephen Douglas Rogers (born October 26, 1949) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Montreal Expos. He batted and threw right-handed.
Rogers was born in Jefferson City, Missouri and raised in Springfield, Missouri. He is a graduate of the University of Tulsa, where he was named to the all-tournament team at the 1971 College World Series While at the University of Tulsa he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
Rogers was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 60th round of the 1967 amateur draft. He ultimately failed to come to terms on a contract with New York and was subsequently drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1971 amateur draft.
Rogers is remembered as arguably the most successful pitcher in Montreal Expos history. Rogers was known for an unusual delivery, appearing to almost stumble during his follow-through. Although he never won 20 games, Rogers averaged 14 wins per season between 1974 and 1985. Rogers rarely missed a turn in the rotation until a throwing arm injury shortened his career. His most productive season came in 1982, when he collected a career-high 19 wins, pitched four shutouts, and led all National League pitchers with a 2.40 ERA.
According to the book No More Mister Nice Guy by former Expos manager Dick Williams, who was Rogers' manager from 1977 to part of 1981, Williams was not a fan of Rogers. Williams accused Rogers of being unwilling to step up when his team needed him in big games once the Expos became contenders. According to Williams, Rogers was at his best when the Expos were bad because he had no pressure. Williams called Rogers "a fraud", claiming that he had "king of the mountain syndrome".
However, Rogers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies and their ace Steve Carlton twice in the 1981 National League Division Series. He held the Phillies to one run in Game One and hurled a six-hit 3–0 shutout, helping himself with two RBI in the deciding Game Five, to send Montreal to the National League Championship Series. In Game Three of that Series, Rogers pitched a seven-hit 4–1 complete game against the Dodgers, but lost Game Five in relief when he allowed a pennant-winning home run to Rick Monday. The decision of manager Jim Fanning to use Rogers in that game, on only two-days rest, is still debated by Montreal fans.
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