Steven John Dunning (born May 15, 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...

baseball player. He 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 (A ...

as a right-handed

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 ...

between and 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 ...

, Texas Rangers,

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

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

and the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

. Dunning was the 1st round draft choice by the Cleveland Indians in the

1970 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign References External links Complete draft list from ''The Basebal ...

Baseball career

Dunning was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was the second player to go straight to the Major Leagues after being drafted without spending a day in the minors. On May 11, 1971, Dunning had the distinction of hitting a

grand slam home run In baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners ("bases loaded"), thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to ''The Dickson Baseball Dictionary'', the term originated in the c ...

off of

pitcher Diego Seguí. This remained the last grand slam hit by an

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 until

Félix Hernández Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019. On August 15, 2 ...

of 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 ...

accomplished the same feat June 23, 2008 in a game against the

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 ...

. He was traded from the Indians to the Rangers for

Dick Bosman Richard Allen Bosman (born February 17, 1944) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers (1966–73), Cleveland Indians (1973–75), and Oakland Athle ...

and Ted Ford on May 10, 1973. He went from the Rangers to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

for Stan Perzanowski on February 25, 1975. He was dealt for a second time within a year, along with

Bill Melton William Edwin Melton (born July 7, 1945), nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" and "Beltin' Melton", is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from through , m ...

from the White Sox to the Angels for

Jim Spencer James Lloyd Spencer (July 30, 1947 – February 10, 2002) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later years as a d ...

and Morris Nettles on December 11, 1975. After a campaign in which he went 2–6 with a 4.15

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 numb ...

(ERA) in 32 appearances, he was sent along with

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''D ...

and Pat Scanlon from the Expos to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

for Bill Greif,

Sam Mejías Samuel Elías Mejías '' ay-hee'-ahs' (born May 9, 1952) is a former backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Montreal Expos (1977–78), Chicago Cubs (1979) and Cincinnati Reds (1979 ...

and Ángel Torres on November 8, 1976. All three players coming to St. Louis had spent some of the 1976 season with the

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

which were led by recently-hired Cardinals manager

Vern Rapp Vernon Fred "Vern" Rapp (May 11, 1928 – December 31, 2015) was a Major League Baseball manager and coach. A career minor league catcher and a successful skipper in the minors, Rapp had two brief tours of duty as a big league manager. Minor Lea ...

."6-Player Baseball Trade Completed by Cards, Expos," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Tuesday, November 9, 1976.
Retrieved January 21, 2023. He became an attorney in 1982. His wife Kim was on Tic Tac Dough in 1983 and won over $10K.

References

External links

1949 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Denver California Angels players Cleveland Indians players Denver Bears players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Oakland Athletics players Portland Beavers players Spokane Indians players Stanford Cardinal baseball players Texas Rangers players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1940s-stub