Dana Eric Allison (born August 14, 1966) is a retired professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player whose playing career spanned six seasons, including a part of one in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

(1991). Allison was a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

over his career. During his time in the majors, Allison went 1–1 with a 7.39

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and four

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 11 games, all in

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

. He also played in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

with the Class-A Short Season

Southern Oregon A's Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express ...

(1989), the Class-A

Madison Muskies The Madison Muskies were a Class A minor league baseball team that played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1993, the team relocated to Comstock Park, Michigan and became today's West Michigan Whitecaps. The Muski ...

(1989), the Class-A Advanced

Modesto A's Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California. Modesto is located ...

(1990), the Double-A

Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milw ...

(1990, 1992–1993) and the Triple-A

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

(1990–1994). Before playing professionally, Allison was a member of the

James Madison Dukes The James Madison Dukes are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent James Madison University (JMU), in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's se ...

baseball team while attending

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

Amateur career

Allison attended Warren County High School in

Front Royal, Virginia Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was estimated at 15,400 as of 2023. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to beco ...

. After high school, Allison enrolled at

where he played baseball with the school's team. Allison attended James Madison from 1986 to 1989. During the 14 round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft, the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

selected Allison, but he was not signed by the club and instead returned to school. In the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft, Allison was selected by the

in the 21 round and later signed a professional contract with them. During his time at James Madison, Allison was named the

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

(CCA) Player of the Year and All-American in 1988; was a two-time All-CCA selection; and is in the top-five for career wins (25),

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s (23) and

s in James Madison Dukes history. As a part of the 25 anniversary of the CCA, they released a "Silver Anniversary Team" for baseball featuring Allison and other players who have had a significant contribution to CCA baseball over its history. In 1991, after making his major league debut, Allison became the second attendee of James Madison University to do so (behind

Billy Sample William Amos Sample (born April 2, 1955), is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves in parts of nine seasons spanning 1978–1986. Early life A native of Roanoke, Virg ...

in 1978).

Professional career

After being selected by the

in the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft, Allison was assigned to the Class-A Short Season

. With Southern Oregon, Allison pitched in 11 games and went 0–2 with a 1.84

(ERA). Later during the 1989 season, Allison was called up to the Class-A

, where he went 2–3 with a 1.12 ERA in 13 games, all in

. In 1990, Allison played for their team; the Class-A Advanced

, the Double-A

and the Triple-A

. With Modesto, Allison went without a

decision Decision may refer to: Law and politics *Judgment (law), as the outcome of a legal case *Landmark decision, the outcome of a case that sets a legal precedent * ''Per curiam'' decision, by a court with multiple judges Books * ''Decision'' (novel) ...

while compiling a 2.33 ERA and four saves in 10 games, all in relief. Allison played 35 games at the Double-A level that season and went 7–1 with a 2.39 ERA and two saves. Finally, at the Triple-A level that season, Allison pitched in two games giving-up no runs. Before the 1990 season, Allison re-signed a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

contract with the Athletics. He attended

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with the Athletics that season. Allison's contract was purchased by the Athletics on April 9, meaning he had been called up to play in

. He made his major league debut on April 12, against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, pitching of an

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

one and giving-up no runs. Allison's first win came on April 14 against the Mariners, pitching one inning, giving-up no runs. In the majors that season, Allison went 1–1 with a 7.36 ERA and four strikeouts in 11 games, all in relief. On May 28, Allison was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma after the Athletics activated pitcher Dave Stewart. Allison spent the rest of the 1991 season with Tacoma, going 3–1 with a 4.37 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 18 games, all in relief. Allison spent the 1992 season with the Double-A Huntsville Stars and the Triple-A Tacoma Tigers. With the Stars, he went 4–1 with a 2.93 ERA, one save and 40 strikeouts in 22 games, six starts. During his time in Tacoma that season, Allison went 2–3 with a 4.84 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 19 games, four starts. Allison spent his final season as a player in professional baseball in 1994. He played with the Triple-A Tacoma Tigers that season, going 10–8 with a 5.78 ERA, two

s, two

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s and 60 strikeouts in 33 games, 21 starts. Allison led all Tacoma pitchers in wins.

Personal life

Allison is the son of Calvin Coolidge Allison Jr. (b. 1943) and his wife, Nina Eloise (née Smith, b. 1944). Aside from his father and grandfather being named after a President of the United States, his 2nd great-uncle Grover Cleveland Glascock is as well. His fifth cousin three times removed is former Major League player

Jack Glasscock John Wesley Glasscock (July 22, 1857 – February 24, 1947) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from 1879 to 1895. Nicknamed "Pebbly Jack", he was the top player at his position in the 1880s during the ...

References

;General references # # ;Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Dana 1966 births Living people People from Front Royal, Virginia Baseball players from Virginia Major League Baseball pitchers James Madison University alumni Oakland Athletics players Southern Oregon A's players Madison Muskies players Modesto A's players Huntsville Stars players Tacoma Tigers players James Madison Dukes baseball players 20th-century American sportsmen