Peter Dennis Vuckovich ''(VOO-koh-vich)'' (born October 27, 1952) is an American former professional baseball

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

who played 10 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) from 1975 to 1986. He came across as an intimidating presence on the mound with his frame and horseshoe moustache. Vuckovich was drafted by the

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 ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. Despite a notable 12-year career as a professional baseball player, he is known mainly for his role as fictional Yankees slugger Clu Haywood, the chief nemesis of

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...

's character Ricky Vaughn, in the popular 1989 film '' Major League''. Vuckovich graduated from Conemaugh Valley High School then went on to Clarion University to play baseball. Vuckovich, winner of the 1982 AL Cy Young Award, is a member of the Clarion University Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of both the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life

Vuckovich was born on October 27, 1952, in Johnstown,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, to Serbian parents. His father Lazo, was a steel-mill worker and his mother Bosiljka (née Gjurich), was a homemaker. He graduated from Conemaugh Valley High School in 1970 where he played baseball, football and basketball. Afterwards, he attended Clarion State College. He was drafted by the

in the third round of the 1974 MLB Amateur Draft.

Baseball career

Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals

After minimal duty with Chicago from 1975 to 1976, Vuckovich was selected by the

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 ...

in the

1976 MLB expansion draft The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises establ ...

. Even though the Blue Jays lost 107 games in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, and although mostly used 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 ...

, Vuckovich managed a 7–7 record with eight saves. He recorded the first

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 ...

in Toronto franchise history, a 2–0 victory over

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

and the Orioles. He also recorded the first save in Toronto franchise history on Opening Day on April 7, 1977, at

Exhibition Stadium Canadian National Exhibition Stadium (commonly known as Exhibition Stadium or CNE Stadium and nicknamed The Ex) was a multi-purpose stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the grounds of Exhibition Place. Originally built for Canadian National ...

in Toronto, versus the

. Involved in a multi-player trade to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, Vuckovich's career went to the next level. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, he started more often, winning 39 games for the Cardinals during three years. He finished third 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 ...

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 ...

with a 2.55 mark in 1978, and ranked fourth in shutouts (3) in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

Milwaukee Brewers

A part of a blockbuster seven-player trade in December 1980, Vuckovich went to the

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

along with Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons. With the Brewers, Vuckovich continued his stellar pitching. He led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

in wins (14) and winning percentage Win–loss % (.778) during the strike-shortened season. When Milwaukee won the AL pennant in , Vuckovich won the

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

with an 18–6 record and a 3.34

, and once again tied for the league lead with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in winning percentage Win–loss % (.750). He lost Game Two of the ALCS to the

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

4–2, and started the decisive fifth game, though not figuring in the decision. In the 1982 World Series, the Cardinals beat him 6–2 in Game Three, and he got a no-decision in the final loss. This however, proved to be the zenith of his career, as Vuckovich had been battling shoulder pain for two seasons, and in

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 ...

of , it was discovered he had torn his

rotator cuff The rotator cuff (SITS muscles) is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles a ...

. Vuckovich skipped surgery in favor of an exercise rehabilitation. He attempted a comeback for three games, but went 0–2 in 14 innings, then missed all of 1984. Subsequent and prolonged comeback attempts all failed, and by the end of the season, Milwaukee released Vuckovich. In an eleven-season career, Vuckovich posted a 93–69 record with 882

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 a 3.66 ERA in 1455.1

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. In postseason play, he was 1–2 with a 3.74 ERA. While with the Brewers, Vuckovich co-owned a bar in Milwaukee with outfielder Gorman Thomas. It was called "Stormin' & Vuke's", a play on their nicknames.

Following retirement

Following his retirement, Vuckovich worked for three years (1989–1991) as a television announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers. Vuckovich portrayed fictional Yankees slugger Clu Haywood in

David S. Ward David Schad Ward (born October 25, 1945) is an American screenwriter and film director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his screenplays for the films ''The Sting'' (1973) and '' Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), winning for the former. ...

's film '' Major League''. Upon seeing Vuckovich, who the filmmakers had in mind for playing a relief pitcher, Ward saw him as the right look for an imposing hitter. In 1992, he was hired by the

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

as a pitching instructor. Vuckovich served as the pitching coach for the

for the 1997–2000 seasons. He then worked his way through the Pirates organization to the position of special assistant to the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

with the Pirates, and held a similar post with 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 ...

' organization under Jack Zduriencik, Seattle's GM from 2009 to 2015. In 2016, Vuckovich served as a professional scout with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Personal life

Vuckovich resides in Johnstown with his wife Annie. His son, Pete Vuckovich Jr. was drafted by the White Sox in the 48th round of the 2004 amateur draft nearly 30 years to the day after he was drafted. Like his father, Vuckovich Jr. also attended both Conemaugh Valley High School and Clarion University.

References

External links

Retrosheet.org boxscore of Toronto Blue Jays' first shutout
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuckovich, Pete 1952 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League wins champions American people of Serbian descent Arizona Diamondbacks scouts Baseball players from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Appleton Foxes players 20th-century American sportsmen Chicago White Sox players Clarion Golden Eagles baseball players Cy Young Award winners Denver Bears players Knoxville Sox players Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Milwaukee Brewers announcers Milwaukee Brewers players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Pittsburgh Pirates executives St. Louis Cardinals players Seattle Mariners scouts Toronto Blue Jays players Vancouver Canadians players