Scott Gavin Erickson (born February 2, 1968) is a former

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 (A ...

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 dr ...

. He played for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

, Texas Rangers,

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 (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

, and

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 ...

over 15 seasons. He was a member of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

champion Twins.

Early life

Erickson was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. He was highly involved in sports during high school while he attended Homestead High School in

Cupertino, California Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,82 ...

. He played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

, and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. He was CCS Junior of the Year in baseball. After completing his secondary education, he graduated from

San Jose City College San José City College (SJCC) is a public community college in San Jose, California. Founded in 1921, SJCC is located in the West San Jose neighborhood of Fruitdale. History The college was founded in 1921, opening its doors to students in Sep ...

in 1988 with an AA degree in business. He was a Junior College 1st Team All American at San Jose. He then majored in accounting with a minor in psychology at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

. Erickson was inducted into the Arizona Wildcat Hall of Fame after just one year of pitching at Arizona. Erickson set a school record for wins with an 18-3 record, as he led the country in wins (18), innings pitched (175), and complete games (14). Those impressive numbers earned him a unanimous First Team All-American honor. His teammates at Arizona included

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego ...

, Kevin Long, and

J. T. Snow Jack Thomas Snow Jr. (born February 26, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the San Fra ...

. In 1989, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Career

Minor leagues

Erickson began his professional career after being selected in the major league draft four times. He was drafted by the

in 1986 out of Homestead High School; the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

in 1987 and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in 1988 out of San Jose City College; and in he was drafted by the

in the 4th round of the amateur draft out of the University of Arizona. He finally signed his first pro contract with Minnesota. After 27 minor league starts, Erickson rose to the major leagues in his second season of professional baseball with the Class AA Orlando Sun Rays. He was on a five-game win streak with a record of 8-3 in the first half as an All Star in the Southern League.

Major leagues

Minnesota Twins

Erickson finished 1990 with a combined record of 16-7 between Double-A and the majors; he went 5-0 in September and tied Dave Stewart for

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

Pitcher of the Month. In , Erickson posted a record of 12-2 with a 1.39 ERA in the first half season and was awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for May and June. The Twins would go on to win the

, and Erickson finished second to

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

for the American League

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Ha ...

and received votes for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. The following season, Erickson started 32 games, going 13-12 with 5 complete games. He regressed the following year, however, leading the majors with 19 losses. On April 27, 1994, Erickson no-hit the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

6-0 at the

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...

, the first no-hitter ever pitched in that stadium. He became the third Twins pitcher, after Jack Kralick in 1962 and Dean Chance in 1967, to pitch a no-hitter; the former's had been the last no-hitter in a Twins home game, that game having taken place at the Metrodome's predecessor,

Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the north central United States, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneap ...

. Erickson's no-hitter was thought to be impossible on The Metrodome's artificial turf and

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

reputation.

Baltimore Orioles

In he was traded to the

. Before being traded to Baltimore, Erickson was 4-6 with a 5.95 ERA for the Twins. After joining the Orioles, Erickson turned in 9 wins in 16 starts for Baltimore. Between both teams, he finished 13-10 with 7 complete games. In 1996, Erickson won 13 games for the second straight year with 6 complete games and 100 strikeouts for the 6th straight year. In 1997, Erickson turned in his best season since 1992, winning 16 games with a 3.69 ERA in 33 starts. He later signed a five-year, $32 million contract with Baltimore through . In 1998, Erickson once again won 16 games for the Orioles while leading the league in complete games (11) and innings pitched (251.1). In 1999, Erickson went 15-12 with a 4.81 ERA while leading the league in shutouts (3). He also led the majors in ground balls induced with 454. On March 3, 2000, Erickson had bone chips removed from his elbow and was out of action eight weeks. Erickson made 16 starts for the Orioles in 2000. He was hampered by the nagging elbow issue and visited the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

twice, the second one being a season ending elbow injury. After over 2000 innings pitched, the elbow injury caused him to miss the entire 2001 season. Erickson returned in 2002, becoming the first pitcher to start

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

after missing an entire season. That season, he made 28 starts, pitching 160.2 innings. In 2003, Erickson suffered a torn labrum and missed the entire 2003 season.

Later career

In 2004, Erickson signed a minor league deal with the

. After two starts, he was traded to the Texas Rangers. He was in the starting rotation for the

in 2005. Erickson signed a deal with the

on February 16, 2006. He was released by the Yankees on June 19 and retired from baseball at the beginning of the season.

Pitching profile

Erickson was a groundball pitcher. He led the league five times in most double plays in a season and is in the Top 5 in Major League history for groundball to flyout ratio.

Post-playing career

Erickson was the pitching coach for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

Class A Advanced affiliate

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 un ...

in 2012 and

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

He was also the President of MLM, majorleaguemechanics.com, a pitching mechanics tutorial with professional instruction. Beginning in 2015, he has been a game analyst for the

Pac-12 Network The Pac-12 Network (P12N; also sometimes referred to as Pac-12 Networks) is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Pac-12 Conference. The network's studio and production facilities are headquarter ...

Personal life

In late 2000, Erickson was featured in ''People'' magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" edition. Erickson was married to

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, actress, and

investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

Lisa Guerrero Lisa Guerrero (born April 9, 1964) is an American journalist, actress, former sportscaster, artist, and model. Since 2006, Guerrero has been an investigative correspondent for the nationally syndicated newsmagazine ''Inside Edition''. Early ye ...

until their divorce, with whom he founded HomeTeam Productions. They were executive producers for the 2008 movie ''

A Plumm Summer ''A Plumm Summer'' is a 2007 adventure-family film directed by Caroline Zelder. It stars Owen Pearce, Chris Massoglia (appearing under the name "Chris J. Kelly"), Morgan Flynn, William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, and Lisa Guerrero, and is narrated by J ...

''. On January 27, 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office charged Erickson with reckless driving in connection with a 2020 hit-and-run which killed two children. Prosecutors alleged that Erickson was racing with a woman, Rebecca Grossman when she struck and killed the two brothers in a

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vil ...

crosswalk.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Erickson, Scott 1968 births Living people Arizona Wildcats baseball players Baseball players from Long Beach, California Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Baltimore Orioles players New York Mets players Texas Rangers players Los Angeles Dodgers players New York Yankees players American League wins champions Visalia Oaks players Orlando Sun Rays players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players St. Lucie Mets players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma RedHawks players Las Vegas 51s players Columbus Clippers players San Jose City Jaguars baseball players People from Cupertino, California All-American college baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players

Early life

Career

Minor leagues

Major leagues

Minnesota Twins

Baltimore Orioles

Later career

Pitching profile

Post-playing career

Personal life

See also

References

External links