Michael Joseph Rochford (born March 14, 1963) is a former

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

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 ...

who played from through for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. He also pitched for the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

at the end of the 1990 season. A , 205 lbs.

left-handed specialist In baseball, a left-handed specialist (also known as lefty specialist) is a relief pitcher who throws left-handed and specializes in pitching to left-handed Batter (baseball), batters, weak right-handed batters, and switch-hitters who bat poorly ...

, Rochford was selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 1982 January draft out of Santa Fe (Florida) Community College. Prior to college, he was an outstanding three-sport athlete at

South Burlington High School South Burlington High School (SBHS) is a public secondary school in the suburban municipality of South Burlington, Vermont, United States. The school colors are blue and grey and the nickname is the Wolves. Enrollment in 2022 was 887. History ...

, graduating in 1981. In high school, Rochford led the Rebels to Vermont state championships in baseball and football (quarterback) and was one of the best basketball players in the state, scoring over 1,000 career points as a four-year starter. He is the first and only product of a Vermont high school to be selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft and go on to reach the major leagues. Rochford spent six years in the Boston minor league system before joining the major league club late in 1988. In parts of three seasons, Rochford posted a record of 0–1, with a 9.58

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in eight appearances, giving up 17 runs (11 unearned) on 18 hits and nine walks while

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish television legal drama television series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017, based on ''The Good Wife'' by Robert King (writer), Robert and Michelle King. Prod ...

two without a save in innings of work. In part of nine minor league seasons, he went 75–64 with a 3.53 ERA in 250 games, including 161 starts. Pitching for Winston-Salem in 1983, Rochford was named to the Carolina League All-Star Team and led Pawtucket of the AAA International League in victories (11) in 1986. He made his major league debut on September 3, 1988, against the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

at Anaheim Stadium. Rochford currently is a golf pro in southern Florida.

External links

Baseball Reference

1963 births Living people Sportspeople from Methuen, Massachusetts Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Yakult Swallows players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Pawtucket Red Sox players Winston-Salem Spirits players Elmira Pioneers players New Britain Red Sox players Baseball players from Vermont People from South Burlington, Vermont Sportspeople from Chittenden County, Vermont Baseball players from Essex County, Massachusetts Junior college baseball players in the United States 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub