David James Freisleben (born October 31, 1951) is an American former 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 ...

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, ...

. He played 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) for 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. ...

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 , the team ...

, 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Texas League Pitcher of the Year

Freisleben was the

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

of the Sam Rayburn High School

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 ...

team as well as the star pitcher of their

team. Straight out of high school, Freisleben was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

1971 Major League Baseball draft The 1971 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1971 MLB season. The draft saw the Chicago White Sox select Danny Goodwin first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1971 Major League Base ...

. With the Alexandria Aces in , Dave went 17-9 with a 2.32

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 number ...

& 163

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 to earn

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

"Pitcher of the Year" honors. Freisleben quickly rose through the Padres'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

, going 42-21 with a 2.69 ERA & 494

Rookie season

Freisleben modeled prototype "Washington Stars" road uniforms in publicity photos when the Padres appeared destined to move to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

for the season. The relocation fell through and Freisleben was called up to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

early in the 1974 season to join Bill Greif, Randy Jones & Dan Spillner in one of the best young

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

s in 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 ...

. Freisleben won his major league debut over

Steve Carlton Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...

and 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 ...

, 6-2. Freisleben had two

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s and six

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s on his way to nine victories his rookie season, but his most impressive performance came in a

no decision A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports. Baseball and softball A starting pitcher who leaves a game withou ...

against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Freisleben held

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

's "

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division t ...

" scoreless through nine, however, the Padres were also blanked by Reds starter Clay Kirby. Whereas Kirby was lifted after nine, Freisleben remained in the game for 13

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 without allowing a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

Rusty Gerhardt Allen Russell Gerhardt (born August 13, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher who appeared in 23 games, 22 in relief, for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball in . Born in Baltimore, Mary ...

replaced Freisleben in the fourteenth inning, and the Padres finally broke through against Pedro Borbon in the bottom of the inning for the 1-0 victory.

Hard luck

Freisleben's first start of the season is arguably one of the most hard luck pitching performances in major league history. In the second inning, Freisleben induced a ground ball from Cincinnati Reds

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

Ken Griffey George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mari ...

that was misplayed by

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Enzo Hernandez. Fortunately, Freisleben was able to get around the

error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

by his shortstop, and escaped the inning without a run scoring. Freisleben was not so lucky in the fifth.

Joe Morgan Joe Leonard Morgan (September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Fran ...

led off the fifth with a ground ball that was misplayed by

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Mike Ivie.

Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...

followed with a

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

, then Tony Perez grounded to third for the first

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

of the inning. Dave Concepcion then hit a ground ball to short. Hernandez fielded the ball cleanly, however, his throw sailed past Ivie at first, allowing Morgan to scores, and Bench to advance to third. Cesar Geronimo was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Griffey followed with what should have been a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

ball to

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

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 ...

, however, the Padres were only able to turn one, and another run scored. The following batter,

John Vukovich John Christopher Vukovich (July 31, 1947 – March 8, 2007), nicknamed "Vuk" or "Johnny Vuk", was an American professional baseball utility infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball,

, was intentionally walked in order to get to the pitcher, Don Gullett, however, Gullett singled, bringing in two more runs.

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

then followed with a ground ball to second. An error by Fuentes loaded the bases instead of ending the inning. Joe Morgan then followed with a single that plated two more runs.

Rich Folkers Richard Nevin Folkers (born October 17, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and M ...

replaced Freisleben on the mound, and allowed a single to Bench that plated a seventh unearned run in the inning. Freisleben earned back-to-back complete game victories over the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

on May 11 & 17 to improve to 3-3 on the season, but from there, his hard luck returned. Freisleben lost his next six decisions despite a decent 4.35 ERA over that stretch. For the season, Freisleben went 5-14 with a 4.28 ERA. Freisleben actually started the season in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

, but was back in the majors by the end of May. Freisleben shut out his opponent in each of his first two starts, and was named

"Player of the Week." By the end of June, Freisleben was 6-1 with a 1.52 ERA. For the season, Dave was 10-13 with a 3.51 ERA, and earned the first save of his career. Freisleben was not a great hitter, even for a pitcher. He did, however, have two career triples. One of which came against 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 ...

leading off the sixth inning of a scoreless ballgame on June 8, 1976. Freisleben came around to score the first run of the game when Enzo Hernandez followed with a triple of his own. Injuries derailed Freisleben's season. After missing all of May and part of the month of June, Freisleben's record stood at 0-5 with a 7.04 ERA. Dave righted the ship, winning each of his next five decisions, and ended the season at 7-9. After getting off to a poor start in (0-3, 6.08 ERA), Freisleben was dealt to the

for former teammate Bill Laxton.

Lou Brock Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939September 6, 2020) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis ...

tied & broke

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...

's all-time

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

record against Freisleben on August 29, 1977.

Cleveland Indians

Freisleben's career in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

got off to a rocky start. His first start against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

, Freisleben was unable to retire any of the six batters he faced. Freisleben managed just one win (July 17 against the

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

) his one season with the Tribe. After which, Freisleben was shipped off to the

for a player to be named later.

Toronto Blue Jays

Freisleben was used almost exclusively in

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Freisleben performed adequately in that role (2-2, 4.78 ERA) until a blown save against 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 ...

on August 6. With the Jays leading 5-4, and runners on first & second with nobody out, Freisleben replaced staff ace Dave Stieb on the mound. By the time Freisleben was pulled in favor of Jesse Jefferson, five more runs had scored, and not a single out was recorded. From there,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Roy Hartsfield Roy Thomas Hartsfield (October 25, 1925 – January 15, 2011) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball; his MLB playing and managing careers each lasted three years. Hartsfield played his entire major league career wi ...

seemed to lose faith in Freisleben. Freisleben was relegated to "mop up duty." Freisleben was called out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

eleven times over the rest of the season, all losses, and most of them out of reach for the team that went on to lose 109 games. Freisleben was released at the end of the season, and attended

Spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with the

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

in , but failed to make the team.

Career stats

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , W , L , Pct ,

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

, G , GS , GF , SHO , S , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , - , 34 , 60 , , 4.30 , 202 , 121 , 37 , 6 , 4 , 865.1 , 897 , 413 , 477 , 67 , 430 , 430 , 45 , 25 , .209 , .957 , .141

After retiring as a player, Freisleben coached in the minors for a couple of seasons in the Texas Rangers organization. Freisleben then moved on to become a saltwater fishing guide along Galveston Bay near his home in San Leon, Texas.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freisleben, Dave 1951 births Living people Alexandria Aces players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Bradenton Explorers players Cleveland Indians players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers People from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania San Diego Padres players Sultanes de Monterrey players Toronto Blue Jays players Tri-City Padres players 20th-century American sportsmen