Dennis Scott Harriger (born July 21, 1969) 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. He played for 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 ...

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 ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

and the

LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

in the Korean Baseball Organization from 2000 to 2001.

High School Career

Harriger attended

Ford City High School The Armstrong School District is a large, Public school (government funded), public school district which encompasses approximately . The district is one of the 500 List of school districts in Pennsylvania, public school districts of Pennsylv ...

Ford City, Pennsylvania Ford City is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, northeast of Pittsburgh along the east bank of the Allegheny River and south of Kittanning, the county seat. The population was 2,859 at the 2020 census. It is part of ...

, where he played for the school's baseball team. Between his junior and senior years, he had a .400

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and struck out 275 batters. He led the school to a

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) is one of the governing bodies of Secondary school, high school and middle school athletics for Pennsylvania. PIAA's main office is located in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harri ...

state championship in 1987, recording the

win Win or WIN most likely refers to: * A victory Win, Winning, WIN or Winner may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), 2021 * WIN (pacifist magazine) * WIN (wrestling ma ...

in both the semifinal and final game. He played on that team alongside

Gus Frerotte Gustave Joseph Frerotte (; born July 31, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draf ...

, a future NFL quarterback. He was named to the Ford City Hall of Fame in 2006, and again with his state championship team the next year.

Professional career

Minor League Baseball (1987-1998)

Although Harriger did not have any

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

scholarship offers from

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

programs, he was selected 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 ...

in the 18th round of the

1987 Major League Baseball draft The 1987 Major League Baseball draft is the process by which Major League Baseball (MLB) teams select athletes to play for their organization. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professiona ...

. He made his professional debut on June 30, 1987, in a relief pitching appearance for the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home g ...

. Harriger spent six seasons pitching the Mets

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 ...

before being granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on October 15, 1993. Harriger then signed 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. ...

on November 9, 1993. Harriger then pitched for three seasons with their

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...

affiliate, the Las Vegas Stars. He was then granted

again on October 15, 1996. Just over a month later, on November 15, Harriger signed with the

affiliate, the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. He was granted

on October 15, 1997, and was then resigned by the

on December 8 of that same year.

Major League Baseball (1998)

Harriger made his

MLB 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 ...

debut against the Minnesota Twins on June 16, 1998. He pitched for 5.1 innings, giving up 6

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 ...

, 3 walks, and 4 runs, all earned. He would pitch for 6.2 more innings in his MLB career, ending his MLB career with a 6.75 ERA. He was then optioned to the Mud Hens.

Minor League Baseball (1999)

Harriger was granted free agency on October 15, 1998. He played with the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

in the 1999 International League season, where he had a 14–6 record and a 4.29

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 ...

Korean Baseball Organization (2000-2001)

In 2000, in his age 30 season, Harriger moved to Korea to join the

of the

KBO The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

. He had a 3.12 era and a 17–10 record. The team went 67-63 and made it to the playoffs, but were knocked out of the playoffs by the

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

. Harriger also pitched in the 2001 season for the Twins, leading them to a 58–67 season.

Atlantic League, Minor League Baseball, Mexican League, and Chinese Professional Baseball League (2003-2006)

After not playing in the 2002 season, Harriger pitched for the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

in 2003. Harriger had a 3.79 era and a 5–10 record with the Ducks. In the next season, Denny Harriger joined the Chinatrust Whales of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

. He pitched 46.2 innings for the whales, going 2–3. He then joined the

Nashua Pride The Nashua Pride was a professional baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire, in the United States, not affiliated with Major League Baseball. They played home games at Holman Stadium from 1998 through 2008, when they were sold and renamed t ...

, also of the Atlantic League. He pitched 65.1 innings for the team in 2004 with a 3.31 era. He returned to the Pride in 2005, become their most used pitcher at 185.2 innings and 30 total games. This performance led him to be selected for the 2005 Atlantic League All-Star team. In the 2006 season, Harriger pitched 3 games for the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. After this short stint in the Mexican League, Harriger pitched for the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Stormers (formerly known as the Lancaster Barnstormers) is an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner l ...

of the Atlantic League. Denny Harriger became the

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

for the Barnstormers with a 17–4 record and a 2.63 era. He ended the season top three in record, era, innings,

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, and walks. He also set the Atlantic League record for wins with 17. The Barnstormers, led by Harriger's pitching, won the 2006 Atlantic League Championship.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harriger, Denny 1969 births Living people Baseball players from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania People from Kittanning, Pennsylvania Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Nashua Pride players Lancaster Barnstormers players Acereros de Monclova players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Binghamton Mets players Chinatrust Whales players American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Columbia Mets players Indianapolis Indians players Kingsport Mets players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players LG Twins players American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Long Island Ducks players Pittsfield Mets players St. Lucie Mets players Toledo Mud Hens players 20th-century American sportsmen