Tom Henke
| Tom Henke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: December 21, 1957 Kansas City, Missouri |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 10, 1982, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 30, 1995, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Games pitched | 642 | ||
| Win–loss record | 41–42 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.67 | ||
| Strikeouts | 861 | ||
| Saves | 311 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Thomas Anthony "Tom" Henke (born December 21, 1957), nicknamed "The Terminator" because of his ability and success as a closer, is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared closers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, pitching for the Texas Rangers (1982–1984, 1993–1994), Toronto Blue Jays (1985–1992), and St. Louis Cardinals (1995).
On the mound, Henke was easily recognizable by the large-rimmed glasses he wore at a time when many players began using contact lenses. At a height of 6' 5", he cast an imposing figure and dominated batters with his hard fastball early in the count, and his forkball for the strikeout. Henke struck out 9.8 batters per 9 innings pitched over his career.
Tom Henke was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and started out throwing every night to his father, who caught his pitches while sitting on a five-gallon bucket. "Every kid should have a dad like that", Henke said. A couple of friends, who believed he had pro-calibre stuff told him they would buy the beer if he showed up at a talent evaluation opportunity; he did and was noticed.
Henke was first drafted on June 5, 1979, by the Seattle Mariners in the 20th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. On January 11, 1980, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (24th pick) of the 1980 MLB draft (January Secondary), but again didn't sign. Finally he signed with the Texas Rangers after being selected in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur draft (June Secondary).
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