Tony Saunders

Anthony Scott "Tony" Saunders (born April 29, 1974 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a retired American Major League baseball pitcher for three seasons between 1997 and 1999. He was the first player selected by the-then Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft.

Saunders initially signed with the Florida Marlins' minor league system in 1992, a year before their expansion season. He was part of the Marlins' opening day roster in 1997, and finished with a 4–6 record in 22 starts, with his first three wins coming against the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins earned a wild card berth in the 1997 playoffs, and after being left off the Division Series roster, Saunders was placed on the LCS roster against the Braves. He started Game 3 of the series, which Liván Hernández won in relief of Saunders.

In the World Series, Saunders started Game 4 against the Cleveland Indians, but took the loss after giving up six earned runs in two innings pitched; nonetheless, he earned a World Series ring as the Marlins defeated Cleveland in seven games.

Saunders was one of many members of that team who left the Marlins following that season, joining the Rays for their inaugural season after being the first pick in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft. Saunders was 9th in the American League in strikeouts, but also 1st in walks, as he struggled to a 6–15 record. Saunders' 1999 season was short-lived as he went 3-3 with a 6.43 ERA. On May 26, 1999, while pitching against the Texas Rangers, Saunders threw a wild pitch and fell to the ground with his arm in serious pain. He was perilously shrieking in pain with a team trainer and teammate John Flaherty at his side. Saunders couldn't go it alone, so a cart came by to take him off the field. In the aftermath, he suffered a broken left arm along with torn ligaments, causing him to miss the remainder of the 1999 season.^[1] In 2000, he broke his arm again in a rehab assignment, prompting Saunders to retire at the age of 26.

In 2005, Saunders announced a comeback, signing a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, and making their spring training roster. He pitched one inning against the St. Louis Cardinals before he was reassigned to the minor leagues. He remained listed on the Bowie Baysox roster for the whole 2005 season, but never pitched in a game, although he did appear in 9 games for the Mesa Miners of the Golden Baseball League.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)