Steve Sparks

Born: 7/2/1964 in Tulsa, OK, USA

MLB Debut: 1995-04-28 | Final Game: 2004-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 187 lbs

Full name: Steven William Sparks

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Biography

Steve Sparks, born in 1964, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1995 until his retirement in 2004. He made a name for himself in the game with a unique pitching style that featured a distinct knuckleball, which often confounded hitters. Sparks played for several teams during his career, showcasing his versatility and ability to adapt to different pitching environments. Throughout his time in the league, Sparks recorded a career record of 59-76 with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.88. He struck out 658 batters and collected 3 saves, contributing to his teams' efforts in both starting and relief roles. Sparks' tenure in the majors coincided with an era characterized by offensive power and high-scoring games, making his ability to effectively use the knuckleball all the more valuable. Although he may not have reached the heights of some of his contemporaries, his contributions to the game and the enduring challenge of mastering the knuckleball have left a lasting impact on the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
59	76	270	182	16	2	3	1319.7	1451	716	154	520	658	4.88	0

Career ERA 4.88 vs. league average 4.50 across their career seasons — 8.4% worse 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
1995	ATL	AL	9	11	33	27	3	0	0	202.0	210	104	86	96	4.63	4.45 (-4%)	-
1996	ATL	AL	4	7	20	13	1	0	0	88.7	103	65	52	21	6.60	4.61 (-43%)	-
1998	LAA	AL	9	4	22	20	0	0	0	128.7	130	62	58	90	4.34	4.43 (+2%)	-
1999	LAA	AL	5	11	28	26	0	0	0	147.7	165	89	82	73	5.42	4.71 (-15%)	-
2000	DET	AL	7	5	20	15	1	1	1	104.0	108	47	29	53	4.07	4.77 (+15%)	2198.0
2001	DET	AL	14	9	35	33	8	1	0	232.0	244	94	64	116	3.65	4.42 (+17%)	1400.5
2002	DET	AL	8	16	32	30	3	0	0	189.0	238	116	67	98	5.52	4.28 (-29%)	-2370.6
2003	DET	AL	0	6	42	0	0	0	2	89.7	95	47	34	49	4.72	4.40 (-7%)	-848.3
2003	OAK	AL	0	0	9	0	0	0	0	17.3	19	11	3	5	5.71	4.40 (-30%)	-32.2
2004	AZ	NL	3	7	29	18	0	0	0	120.7	139	81	45	57	6.04	4.46 (-35%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
272	41	1	5	1	0	0	3	0	1	17	0.122	0.143	0.146	0.289	0.0

Career AVG .122 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 54.3% below league average.

Career OBP .143 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 57.6% below league average.

Career SLG .146 vs. league average .426 across their career seasons — 65.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.289 vs. league average 0.763 across their career seasons — 62.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS
1995	ATL	AL	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—
1996	ATL	AL	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—
1998	LAA	AL	22	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.000	—	—	—	—
1999	LAA	AL	29	3	0	1	1	2	0	1	0.333	—	—	—	—
2000	DET	AL	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—
2001	DET	AL	36	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—
2002	DET	AL	32	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—
2003	DET	AL	42	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—
2003	OAK	AL	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—
2004	AZ	NL	29	31	0	4	0	1	0	14	0.129	—	—	—	—

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	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
2003	ALDS2	OAK	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	0	1	0	0	4.0	2	2	3	1	4.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2003	ALDS2	OAK	0	0	1	0	0	4.0	2	2	3	1	4.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	270	182	115	270	13	24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1995	ML4	P	33	27	25	43	2	5
1996	ML4	P	20	13	9	23	1	1
1998	ANA	P	22	20	12	31	0	2
1999	ANA	P	28	26	7	35	3	4
2000	DET	P	20	15	11	17	1	2
2001	DET	P	35	33	20	43	1	1
2002	DET	P	32	30	15	41	2	3
2003	DET	P	42	0	6	12	1	5
2003	OAK	P	9	0	2	4	0	1
2004	ARI	P	29	18	8	21	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	270
Designated Hitter	1

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2004	ARI	NL	$500,000
2003	DET	AL	$4,500,000
2002	DET	AL	$3,000,000
2001	DET	AL	$650,000
1999	ANA	AL	$1,387,500
1997	ML4	AL	$175,000
1996	ML4	AL	$175,000
1995	ML4	AL	$109,000
Total Career Earnings			$10,496,500