Michael Scott Bankhead (born July 31, 1963) is an American former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) from -. Bankhead also pitched for

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

in the 1984 Olympic Games. He attended the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

Early life and education

Michael Scott Bankhead was born on July 31, 1963, in Raleigh, NC. He graduated from Reidsville High School in Reidsville, NC, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1981 and 1982, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star in 1982.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Bankhead was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round, 16th pick, of the

1984 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable players * Jeff Blauser†, 1st round (secondary phase), 4th overall by the Atlanta Braves * Greg Maddux‡, 2nd round, 31s ...

. He appeared in only 31 games in the minors before being called up by the Royals. He made his Major League debut on May 25, , going four innings, giving up two hits and striking out four while giving up no earned runs to get his first win. He finished the '86 season going 8-9 with a 4.61 ERA in 24 games, 17 for starts.

Seattle Mariners

On December 10, , he was traded by the Royals with Mike Kingery and Steve Shields to the

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

for Rick Luecken and

Danny Tartabull Danilo Tartabull Mora (born October 30, 1962) is a Cuban– Puerto Rican former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1986), Kansas City R ...

. In his first month with the Mariners, Bankhead went 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA, but he developed tendinitis and ended the season with a dismal 9-8 record and 5.42 ERA. Bankhead established himself as a sharp pitcher in , but it wasn't until , when he went on a hot streak after the All-Star break, that he proved himself a winning pitcher. He finished the '89 season going 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA and was named co-MVP of the team along with

Alvin Davis Alvin Glenn Davis (born September 9, 1960), nicknamed "Mr. Mariner", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He played eight of his nine seasons for the Seattle Mariners and won the American League Rookie of the Year ...

. In his next two seasons shoulder trouble would limit Bankhead to just 21 appearances. On December 20, , he was granted free agency.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 22, , he signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds. He would revive his career and in just one season he was 10-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 54 games. On April 24, 1992, Bankhead picked up his only MLB career save during a marathon 16 inning victory over the Padres. Bankhead pitched a scoreless 16th inning to close out a 7-6 Reds victory. On October 28, , he was granted free agency.

Boston Red Sox

Bankhead was signed as a free agent with 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

on December 8, 1992. In two seasons, and with the Sox he went 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 67 games.

New York Yankees

On September 1, , Bankhead was purchased by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

from the Red Sox but never played for them that season because of the

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

. He was granted free agency at the end of the season but re-signed with the Yankees. In , Bankhead went 1-1 in 20 games, including one start. On July 25, he was released by the Yankees.

Oakland Athletics

On August 4, , Bankhead signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics but never made an appearance for them at the Major League level. He was released by the A's on September 10.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bankhead, Scott 1963 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from North Carolina Bellingham Mariners players Boston Red Sox players Calgary Cannons players Cincinnati Reds players Edmonton Trappers players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Memphis Chicks players New York Yankees players North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball Omaha Royals players Pawtucket Red Sox players San Bernardino Spirit players Seattle Mariners players Wareham Gatemen players Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics