Charlton Atlee Hammaker (born January 24, 1958) is an American former

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 ...

left-handed

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, ...

who played the majority of his career for the

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

(1982–1990). He also played for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, and

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. During his twelve-year career, he won 59 games, lost 67 games and netted five saves.

Early life

Hammaker was born in

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,220, down from 3,722 a ...

, on January 24, 1958, the son of Miyake and Charles Hammaker. A middle child, he has one older brother, Aldine and one younger sister, Charlene. He is half German and half Japanese. Hammaker grew up living in many different locations due to his father's career in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, and attended Mount Vernon High School in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

, where he played basketball,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and baseball. After suffering a knee injury in football his sophomore year, he began focusing on basketball. Hammaker received a full basketball scholarship to

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

(ETSU) in Johnson City. After being talked to and convinced by the coaches at ETSU, Hammaker decided to change his focus to baseball. He attended a summer league in Alaska, and from there, was a first-round pick (21st overall) in the 1979 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

Career

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, Hammaker's best season, he led the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

with an ERA of 2.25, a

WHIP A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

of 1.039, BB/9IP of 1.67, and

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 ...

walk 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 over ...

ratio of 3.97. That year Hammaker won 10, lost 9, and made the

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

team. (Through June, his record was 9–3 with an ERA of 1.52.)

1983 All-Star Game

Hammaker made the National League All-Star team in 1983, but did not fare well, surrendering seven earned runs in 0.2 inning pitched; and he gave up the only grand slam in All-Star Game history, to

Fred Lynn Fredric Michael Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly with the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels. He was the first player to wi ...

. The American League prevailed 13–3 for their first win in twelve years.

1987 NLCS

In Game 7 of the 1987 NLCS, Hammaker, pitching for

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, gave up a three-run

homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

in the second inning to José Oquendo, a utility infielder who had hit only one home run that season. The Cardinals won 6–0 to advance to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

Religion

While with the Giants, Hammaker and teammates Scott Garrelts, Dave Dravecky and Jeff Brantley became known as the "God Squad" because of their strong Christian faith. Forgoing the hard-partying lifestyle of many of their teammates, they preferred to hold Bible studies in their hotel rooms while on the road.

Personal life

Hammaker is married and lives in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, with his wife. He is the father of five daughters. His second oldest daughter, Jenna Hammaker-Gomes, is married to major league player Yan Gomes. His youngest daughter, Annalee, is married to

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 ...

player Josh Rolette, a catcher in the

Cleveland Guardians 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) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

' farm system.

References

External links

1983 All Star Game box score
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammaker, Atlee 1958 births American baseball players of Japanese descent Baseball players from Monterey County, California Birmingham Barons players Chicago White Sox players East Tennessee State Buccaneers baseball players East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball players Fort Myers Royals players Gulf Coast Royals players High Desert Mavericks players Jacksonville Suns players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Nashville Sounds players National League All-Stars National League ERA champions Omaha Royals players Sportspeople from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Phoenix Firebirds players Phoenix Giants players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players Shreveport Captains players Wichita Wranglers players American men's basketball players Peninsula Oilers players 20th-century American sportsmen