Whenever he entered or left the baseball field, Wendell would leap over the baseline.

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Steven John \"Turk\" Wendell (born May 19, 1967 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher from 1993 to 2004. more...

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Wendell was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1988 (a 5th Round Selection) and made his professional debut with the Pulaski Braves of the Appalachian League in June 1988. He made his first Major League appearance on June 17, 1993.

College career

Wendell attended Quinnipiac University, where he is among the school's all-time leaders in strikeouts (single season) and earned run average. Wendell played his summer baseball during college with the independent Dalton Collegians and with Falmouth in the Cape Cod League.

Major League career

Wendell was generally regarded as a workhorse relief pitcher who threw a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider, and a change-up. Wendell was commonly seen as having above-average control, average movement, below-average power, and a good pick-off move.

Rocky start

Wendell was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs in 1991, and pitched in their minor league system for two years before making his major league debut in 1993. Wendell got off to a rocky start, pitching in only 13 games in the 1993 and 1994 seasons combined, posting a 1-3 record and a 7.30 ERA.

Becoming a solid reliever and fan favorite

From 1994 on, however, Wendell improved to a 3.88 ERA in 187 game appearances for the Cubs. Toward the end of the 1997 season, Wendell was traded to the New York Mets, where he spent three and a half seasons. Wendell was extremely well liked by Mets fans, given his friendly personality, sense of humor, outspoken nature, and frequent antics (see below).

In his Met career, spanning over five seasons, Wendell posted a solid 3.34 ERA and a 22-14 record in 285 appearances. He led the team in games pitched in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

As a Met, Wendell appeared in the playoffs twice, in 1999 and 2000, including an appearance in the 2000 World Series.

Plateau and decline

In mid-2001, Wendell was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent the remainder of the season. After missing the entire 2002 season due to an elbow injury, Wendell returned to pitch in 56 games for the Phillies in 2003, with a 3-3 record and a 3.38 ERA.

After the 2003 season, Wendell became a free agent, and was not re-signed by the Phillies. Instead, Wendell signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, where he spent an injury-plagued season moving back and forth between the major league squad and various minor league rehab assignments. Wendell was released by the Rockies toward the end of the 2003 season.