Tom Henke, baseball player, 1982-1995

Tom Henke

Born: 12/21/1957 in Kansas City, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1982-09-10 | Final Game: 1995-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Thomas Anthony Henke

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Biography

Tom Henke, born in 1957, was a prominent relief pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1982 to 1995. Known for his powerful fastball and effective slider, Henke established himself as one of the most reliable closers of his era. He finished his career with a record of 41-42 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.67. Over the course of his career, he recorded 861 strikeouts and notched 311 saves, a testament to his ability to perform under pressure in high-stakes situations. Henke was selected as an All-Star twice, showcasing his status among the elite pitchers of his time. He was particularly instrumental during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by offensive prowess in the league. His contributions were pivotal in helping the Toronto Blue Jays secure their first two World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. Tom Henke’s legacy is defined not only by his impressive statistics but also by his role as a calming presence in the bullpen, earning him the nickname "The Terminator" for his ability to close out games with precision and poise.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
41 42 642 0 0 0 311 789.7 607 234 64 255 861 2.67 0

Career ERA 2.67 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 33.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1982 TEX AL 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 15.7 14 2 8 9 1.15 3.86 (+70%) 224.7
1983 TEX AL 1 0 8 0 0 0 1 16.0 16 6 4 17 3.38 3.87 (+13%) 674.1
1984 TEX AL 1 1 25 0 0 0 2 28.3 36 20 20 25 6.35 3.81 (-67%) 416.1
1985 TOR AL 3 3 28 0 0 0 13 40.0 29 9 8 42 2.02 3.89 (+48%) 1420.8
1986 TOR AL 9 5 63 0 0 0 27 91.3 63 34 32 118 3.35 3.97 (+16%) 4297.7
1987 TOR AL 0 6 72 0 0 0 34 94.0 62 26 25 128 2.49 4.29 (+42%) 4707.1
1988 TOR AL 4 4 52 0 0 0 25 68.0 60 22 24 66 2.91 3.73 (+22%) 1054.5
1989 TOR AL 8 3 64 0 0 0 20 89.0 66 19 25 116 1.92 3.71 (+48%) 4336.1
1990 TOR AL 2 4 61 0 0 0 32 74.7 58 18 19 75 2.17 3.86 (+44%) 1640.4
1991 TOR AL 0 2 49 0 0 0 32 50.3 33 13 11 53 2.32 3.91 (+41%) 1872.4
1992 TOR AL 3 2 57 0 0 0 34 55.7 40 14 22 46 2.26 3.75 (+40%) 368.4
1993 TEX AL 5 5 66 0 0 0 40 74.3 55 24 27 79 2.91 4.19 (+31%) 1836.9
1994 TEX AL 3 6 37 0 0 0 15 38.0 33 16 12 39 3.79 4.51 (+16%) 414.8
1995 STL NL 1 1 52 0 0 0 36 54.3 42 11 18 48 1.82 4.45 (+59%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
642 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1982 TEX AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 TEX AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 TEX AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 TOR AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 TOR AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 TOR AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 TOR AL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 TOR AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 TOR AL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 TOR AL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 TOR AL 57 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 TEX AL 66 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 TEX AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 STL NL 52 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1992 ALCS TOR 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1992 WS TOR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 ALCS TOR 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 ALCS TOR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1985 ALCS TOR 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 0 15 0 5 19.7 10 4 9 15 1.83

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1992 ALCS TOR 0 0 4 0 3 4.7 3 0 2 2 0.00
1992 WS TOR 0 0 3 0 2 3.3 2 1 2 1 2.70
1991 ALCS TOR 0 0 2 0 0 2.7 0 0 1 5 0.00
1989 ALCS TOR 0 0 3 0 0 2.7 0 0 0 3 0.00
1985 ALCS TOR 2 0 3 0 0 6.3 5 3 4 4 4.26

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 642 0 43 67 2 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1982 TEX P 8 0 2 2 0 0
1983 TEX P 8 0 0 3 1 0
1984 TEX P 25 0 1 2 0 0
1985 TOR P 28 0 3 3 0 0
1986 TOR P 63 0 2 2 0 1
1987 TOR P 72 0 9 12 0 1
1988 TOR P 52 0 1 9 0 1
1989 TOR P 64 0 3 10 1 0
1990 TOR P 61 0 6 5 0 0
1991 TOR P 49 0 2 1 0 0
1992 TOR P 57 0 2 2 0 0
1993 TEX P 66 0 6 10 0 0
1994 TEX P 37 0 2 2 0 0
1995 SLN P 52 0 4 4 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 642

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1995 Reliever of the Year Award

Featured In Rankings

#18
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 18 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1995 SLN NL $2,325,000
1994 TEX AL $3,752,625
1993 TEX AL $3,777,625
1992 TOR AL $3,391,667
1990 TOR AL $1,166,667
1989 TOR AL $975,000
1988 TOR AL $725,000
1987 TOR AL $331,000
1986 TOR AL $191,000
1985 TOR AL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $16,695,584

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
East Central College Union MO 1979, 1980

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1995 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 392 0
1987 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 17.0 392 0
1985 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 5.0 392 0
1985 Rookie of the Year AL 7th 5.0 140 1