Clarence Edward Metzger (born May 23, 1952) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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and former

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who played five seasons in

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 ...

(MLB). Initially drafted by 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 ...

, he played two-and-a-half seasons with the

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. ...

. Metzger was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year in , his first full year in the major leagues.

Professional career

After playing high school baseball at John F. Kennedy High School in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, Metzger was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1970 amateur draft by the

. Metzger made his major league debut on September 8, 1974 with the

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. He played limitedly, pitching 12.7

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s and posting a 3.55

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. He was dealt along with

Tito Fuentes Rigoberto "Tito" Fuentes Peat (born January 4, 1944) is a retired professional baseball player. He played for 13 seasons in the Major League Baseball, major leagues between 1965 and 1978, primarily as a second baseman. Fuentes played for most o ...

from the Giants to the

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for

Derrel Thomas Derrel Osbon Thomas (born January 14, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman and utility player from to . Thomas was a member of the 1981 World Series winning ...

at the

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on December 6, 1974. Metzger pitched limitedly again, having control issues (he had walked 16 men in his 17.3 innings of career pitching). In , Metzger was able to successfully control his pitches, and had a great year for a rookie. He posted a 2.92 ERA, along with an 11-4 record, 89

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 ...

s, 52 walks and 16 saves in 123.3 innings of work. He was co-voted

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

for with Pat Zachry. With a 0–0 record, a 5.87 ERA and having given up 27 hits in innings in 17 appearances to start the 1977 season, Metzger was traded from the

to the Cardinals for John D'Acquisto and Pat Scanlon on May 17, 1977."Cards swap for Metzger," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, May 18, 1977.
Retrieved January 21, 2023. Metzger posted better numbers with the Cardinals, collecting 7 saves while posting a 3.11

and a record of 4 wins and 2 losses. However, Metzger was placed on waivers by the Cardinals and picked up by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

on April 5, 1978. Metzger had a disappointing season, giving concern to the Mets about his control issues. His contract was subsequently purchased by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

on July 4, 1978 and he was sent back to the minors. Metzger never made it back to the major league level and was released by the Phillies on March 19, 1979. He works today as a scout. In his five seasons of baseball, Metzger had an 18-9 record with a 3.74 ERA and 23 saves. He pitched 293.1 innings, gave up 289

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

, walked 140, and struck out 175.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzger, Butch 1952 births Living people Amarillo Giants players 20th-century American sportsmen Baseball players from Indiana Caracas Metropolitanos players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Decatur Commodores players Great Falls Giants players Hawaii Islanders players Magic Valley Cowboys players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners New York Mets players Oklahoma City 89ers players Phoenix Giants players Richmond Braves players Sportspeople from Lafayette, Indiana San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players St. Louis Cardinals players Texas Rangers scouts