Gregory Wade Harris (born December 1, 1963), is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1988 through 1995. Greg Harris was drafted by 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. ...

out of

Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, the university is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or ...

in the 10th round of the 1985 amateur draft. Harris threw a no-hitter while playing for the

Wichita Pilots Wichita ( ) may refer to: People *Wichita people, a Native American tribe *Wichita language, the language of the tribe Places in the United States * Wichita, Kansas, a city located in Sedgwick County * Wichita County, Kansas, a county in wester ...

, the AA affiliate of the Padres in 1987, and was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Primarily a relief pitcher in his early days with the Padres, he transitioned back into the starting rotation in 1991. His go-to pitch was a big, sweeping curveball, the best 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 ...

at the time. His career 2.95 ERA with the Padres is still one of the best ERAs in team history, only surpassed by

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, ...

. Harris and fellow pitcher

Bruce Hurst Bruce Vee Hurst (born March 24, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is best remembered for his performance for the Boston Red Sox in the postseason, where he won two games while allowing only two r ...

were shipped off to the

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

during the Padres 1993 fire sale, and later finished his career with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. Harris' post-career

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 ...

superior court cases detailed scams and conspiracies that led to financial mismanagement and botched surgeries on his pitching arm and shoulder. The first case, against his surgeon, ended in 1999 with a $6 million verdict in Harris' favor.Baseball pitcher claims surgical malpractice
/ref> During his career, Harris was often known as Greg W. Harris to differentiate him from fellow pitcher

Greg A. Harris Greg Allen Harris (born November 2, 1955) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 years, 1981–1995. Harris pitched in 703 career games, starting 98. He pitched for eight different t ...

, whose career (1981–1995) entirely overlapped his.

Pitching stats

* 243 Games * 45 Wins * 64 Losses * 16 Saves * 605 Strikeouts * 3.98 ERA

References

External links

1963 births Living people San Diego Padres players Colorado Rockies players Minnesota Twins players Baseball players from North Carolina Major League Baseball pitchers Spokane Indians players Charleston Rainbows players Wichita Pilots players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players High Desert Mavericks players Fort Myers Miracle players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub