Turk Wendell, baseball player, 1993-2004

Turk Wendell

Born: 5/19/1967 in Pittsfield, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1993-06-17 | Final Game: 2004-05-13

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Steven John Wendell

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Biography

Turk Wendell was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1993 to 2004. Born in 1967, Wendell made a name for himself in Major League Baseball as a reliable right-handed reliever known for his distinctive pitching style and superstitions. He played for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets, showcasing a competitive spirit and a unique approach on the mound. Wendell finished his career with a record of 36-33 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.93, while accumulating 515 strikeouts and 33 saves. Wendell's career unfolded during a dynamic period in baseball marked by the rise of power hitters and a shift towards specialized relief pitching. His ability to navigate this changing landscape, coupled with his quirky rituals—such as brushing his teeth between innings and wearing a necklace made of animal teeth—made him a fan favorite and a memorable figure in the game. Over the course of his career, Wendell not only contributed to his teams' successes but also left a lasting impression on the culture of baseball, blending performance with personality in a way that resonated with players and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 33 552 6 0 0 33 645.7 583 282 73 324 515 3.93 0

Career ERA 3.93 vs. league average 4.49 across their career seasons — 12.4% 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
1993 CHC NL 1 2 7 4 0 0 0 22.7 24 11 8 15 4.37 4.19 (-4%) -
1994 CHC NL 0 1 6 2 0 0 0 14.3 22 19 10 9 11.93 4.51 (-164%) -
1995 CHC NL 3 1 43 0 0 0 0 60.3 71 33 24 50 4.92 4.45 (-11%) -
1996 CHC NL 4 5 70 0 0 0 18 79.3 58 25 44 75 2.84 4.61 (+38%) -
1997 CHC NL 3 5 52 0 0 0 4 60.0 53 28 39 54 4.20 4.39 (+4%) -
1997 NYN NL 0 0 13 0 0 0 1 16.3 15 9 14 10 4.96 4.39 (-13%) -1080.8
1998 NYN NL 5 1 66 0 0 0 4 76.7 62 25 33 58 2.93 4.43 (+34%) 1475.2
1999 NYN NL 5 4 80 0 0 0 3 85.7 80 29 37 77 3.05 4.71 (+35%) 1396.2
2000 NYN NL 8 6 77 0 0 0 1 82.7 60 33 41 73 3.59 4.77 (+25%) 665.9
2001 NYN NL 4 3 49 0 0 0 1 51.3 42 20 22 41 3.51 4.42 (+21%) -676.0
2001 PHI NL 0 2 21 0 0 0 0 15.7 21 13 12 15 7.47 4.42 (-69%) -992.2
2003 PHI NL 3 3 56 0 0 0 1 64.0 54 24 28 27 3.38 4.40 (+23%) -973.5
2004 COL NL 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 16.7 21 13 12 11 7.02 4.46 (-57%) -1214.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
552 43 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 19 0.070 0.167 0.070 0.236 0.0

Career AVG .070 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 73.9% below league average.

Career OBP .167 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 50.6% below league average.

Career SLG .070 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 83.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.236 vs. league average 0.761 across their career seasons — 68.9% 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
1993 CHC NL 7 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1994 CHC NL 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1995 CHC NL 43 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1996 CHC NL 70 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1997 CHC NL 52 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1997 NYN NL 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1998 NYN NL 66 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1999 NYN NL 80 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 NYN NL 77 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2001 NYN NL 49 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2001 PHI NL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 PHI NL 56 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2004 COL NL 12 2 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
13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2000 NLCS NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2000 NLDS2 NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2000 WS NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 NLCS NYN 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 NLDS2 NYN 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 1 13 0 0 12.7 6 4 10 14 2.84

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2000 NLCS NYN 1 0 2 0 0 1.3 1 0 1 2 0.00
2000 NLDS2 NYN 0 0 2 0 0 2.0 0 0 1 5 0.00
2000 WS NYN 0 1 2 0 0 1.7 3 1 2 2 5.40
1999 NLCS NYN 1 0 5 0 0 5.7 2 3 4 5 4.76
1999 NLDS2 NYN 1 0 2 0 0 2.0 0 0 2 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 552 6 69 86 8 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1993 CHN P 7 4 7 1 0 0
1994 CHN P 6 2 1 3 0 0
1995 CHN P 43 0 9 12 1 2
1996 CHN P 70 0 9 9 0 1
1997 CHN P 52 0 3 10 2 0
1997 NYN P 13 0 3 3 0 2
1998 NYN P 66 0 5 12 1 0
1999 NYN P 80 0 4 6 2 0
2000 NYN P 77 0 12 10 2 0
2001 NYN P 49 0 8 5 0 1
2001 PHI P 21 0 3 2 0 0
2003 PHI P 56 0 3 11 0 1
2004 COL P 12 0 2 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 552

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2004 COL NL $700,000
2003 PHI NL $3,350,000
2002 PHI NL $2,950,000
2001 NYN NL $3,100,000
2000 NYN NL $2,050,014
1999 NYN NL $1,214,998
1998 NYN NL $661,500
1997 CHN NL $350,000
1996 CHN NL $160,000
1995 CHN NL $112,000
1994 CHN NL $112,000
Total Career Earnings $14,760,512

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Quinnipiac College Hamden CT 1986, 1987, 1988