David Lee "Boomer" Wells (born May 20, 1963 in
Torrance, California) is a Major League
Baseball player who is currently a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "Boomer" for his physique (6-3, listed at 250 pounds (113 kg) but
thought to be much more) and off-field interests such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles,
Wells was one of the game's better left-handed pitchers,
especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He is one of only 17 pitchers to have pitched a perfect game in the past 130 years of Major League Baseball. He is tied only with Kenny Lofton for appearing in the post season with 6 different teams.
1987-1996
Wells was a journeyman starter for the first eight seasons of his career. He debuted for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987 as a reliever and did not secure a job as a full-time starter until he was 30 years old, despite pitching well
most of the time.
He emerged as a top-flight pitcher in 1995, when he was 32. After starting the year
at 10-3 for the last-place Detroit Tigers and making his first All-Star Game appearance,
he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for C. J.
Nitkowski, Mark Lewis, and prospect Dave Tuttle. He finished that
season with a 16-8 record and a 3.26 ERA. At the end of the season he was traded to
the Baltimore Orioles for Curtis Goodwin and
prospect Trovin Valdez. In 1996 he pitched then-career high 224 innings but finished with an
11-14 record.
1997-1998
In 1997, he signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees, his favorite team
because of a lifelong interest in baseball legend Babe Ruth. He asked for uniform number 3,
and was of course denied, as the Babe's number had been long retired. He ended up taking 33 for the Yankees. (He wore 3 for the
Red Sox in 2005, before deciding to switch numbers with teammate Edgar Renteria who wore
# 16 and gave Renteria his number 3--a number which he wore when he was with the Cardinals, Wells did it to try to end a slump.)
On June 28, 1997, Wells took the mound wearing an authentic 1934 Babe Ruth hat, which Wells bought for $35,000. Manager Joe Torre
made Wells take it off after the first inning because it didn't conform to uniform standards. Wells then blew a 3-0 lead as the
Cleveland Indians won 12-8. After posting a 16-10 mark in 1997, Wells pitched brilliantly in the Yankees' record-setting 1998
season. He rang up an 18-4 record, finished fifth in the league in ERA (3.49) and was third in voting for the Cy Young Award.
On May 17, 1998, Wells became the 15th pitcher in major league history to pitch a
perfect game when he blanked the Minnesota Twins,
4-0. In an interesting historic note, Wells attended the same San Diego high
school, Point Loma High School, as Don Larsen, whose perfect game for the Yankees in the
1956 World Series remains the only no-hitter ever
thrown in postseason play and was until then the only perfect game thrown by a Yankee.
David Cone would add a third Yankee perfect game in 1999.
1999-2003
After the season, Wells returned to the Blue Jays as part of a trade for Roger Clemens,
along with Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd. He continued to
win north of the border, with records of 17-10 and 20-8 over the next two years. He and pitcher Matt DeWitt were then traded to the Chicago White Sox, in a deal
that was quickly mired in controversy. The primary player being traded by the White Sox, starting pitcher Mike Sirotka, was injured at the time of the deal, and he never pitched in the major leagues again.
Toronto's general manager, Gord Ash, had not made the deal contingent on the results of a
medical examination, however, and MLB ruled in favor of the White Sox. The Blue Jays thus received only Kevin Beirne, Brian Simmons, and minor leaguer
Mike Williams, and the mistake ultimately cost Ash his job.
The deal did not turn out particularly well for the White Sox, either, as Wells struggled with back problems in 2001 and
pitched only 100 2/3 innings. After the season's end, he returned to the Yankees, a deal that was again immersed in controversy
as he had already reached an oral agreement to join the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Despite having lost some velocity from his fastball, he retained his excellent curveball and his control, and posted an outstanding 19-7 record in 2002.
Wells was the subject of some controversy prior to the 2003 season, when his autobiography Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball,
was published. The book upset the Yankees' management, and Wells was fined $100,000 by the team for disparaging comments which
appeared in it. One of them included himself having a hangover when he pitched his perfect
game. Among the other controversial statements were claims that he strengthened his pitching arm as a youth by throwing
rocks at homeless people and that his minor league team, the Kinston Blue Jays, had
segregated stands in 1983 despite ample evidence to the contrary. Amusingly, Wells claimed to have been misquoted in the book,
which was presumably penned by a ghost writer. The problems didn't carry over to the field,
however. Wells posted a 15-7 record and helped the Yankees win another pennant.
On September 28, 2003, the final day of the regular season, Wells earned the 200th win
of his career in a game managed by Clemens, who had won his 300th game earlier in the season and was thought to be retiring from
baseball (Clemens ended up putting off his retirement). Regular Yankees manager Joe Torre let
Clemens manage the last, meaningless game of the regular season, and Clemens pulled Wells from the game in the eighth inning.
He was also criticized by Yankee fans for not being able to pitch during Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. He started the game, but left during the first inning because of a bad backache.
Yankee fans believe that he should at least told Torre he couldn't pitch that day, instead of waiting until the first inning,
which meant Torre had to waste his bullpen to finish the game. The Yankees ended up losing the game and the series.
2004-present
On January 1, 2004, Wells was signed as a free agent by
the San Diego Padres to a one-year contract. Wells posted a 12-8 record with a 3.73 ERA
to start off his second stint in the National League.
On December 11, 2004, Wells signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox and took the
uniform number 3, reminding many of another full-bodied, gregarious, left-handed Sox pitcher who wore the same number in the
past, Babe Ruth.
Getting off to a bad start, many fans questioned the decision of general manager Theo
Epstein, but after coming off of the DL and getting rocked in his first start back in Oakland - and changing his uniform
number from 3 to 16 - David Wells became the same dominating pitcher he was in the past. He went on to post a 15-7 record, with a
4.45 ERA. Wells pitched much better than his ERA may show, but had a few very poor outings, which caused his ERA to "balloon."
After the 2005 season, Wells requested a trade back to the West Coast, but he eventually withdrew that request and resigned
himself to one last year pitching for the Red Sox.
On March 28, 2006, the Red Sox announced that Wells would begin 2006 on the disabled
list, as he was still recovering from surgery performed on his right knee. After pitching
one game on April 12, he was once again placed on the 15-day disabled list. He announced that if his knee does not improve he
would retire. Wells came off the disabled list on May 26, to make his second start of the year against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
On August 31 2006, with the Red Sox post-season chances
fading, Wells' wish of finishing his career playing for a West Coast team and a playoff contender was granted when he was traded
back to the Padres for top catching prospect George
Kottaras.
Following the 2006 season, Wells filed for free agency. For players who are already planning on retiring, this is a customary
move in case one changes his mind. Wells' agent had stated the pitcher will keep his options open but his physical condition will
play a large part in making the final decision whether or not to return for another season. [1] Eventually, Wells decided to stay with the Padres, agreeing in principle on a
one-year deal worth $3 million in base salary with a possible $4 million more in incentives.
On March 18, 2007, it was revealed that Wells has been
diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes is more closely associated with
lifestyle factors, such as diet, but the condition of people with a genetic disposition for diabetes can be exacerbated with
chronic high blood sugar, as insulin resistance can be an adaptation of insulin in the wake of too-high blood sugar over time.
[2].
On August 8, the Padres announced they would cut ties with Wells when Chris Young was ready to come off the disabled list. [3]
On August 23, 2007 Wells was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His first start with the Dodgers was on August 26 against the New York Mets. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. Wells also reached first base on a bunt
single, scored a run, and earned the victory. He was the oldest pitcher to start a game for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On September 13, 2007, against his former team, the San
Diego Padres, Wells had his first multi-hit game of his 21 year career at the age of 44. He hit a single and a double off former teammate Greg Maddux.
Analysis
Wells owns a career record of 230-148, including a 164-90 mark since 1995. He is 82 games over .500 for his career, a record
superior to many of the finest pitchers in baseball history. His career ERA of 4.06 looks unimpressive, but it is better than
average for the big-hitting era in which he's had his best seasons. Despite his amazing longevity and many achievements, most
considered him to be at best a borderline candidate for the Baseball
Hall of Fame. While there are other pitchers in the Hall who came back from lackluster starts to their careers (i.e.
Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan), relatively few pitchers
struggle for as long as Wells did, only to achieve success in their 30s.
Actuary Jon Ketzner once said Wells has "the best body in baseball." He is widely considered
to have been joking - but Wells' longevity is nonetheless quite notable.
Criticism
Wells is sometimes criticized for a lack of tact. For example, he will sometimes speculate on which players are using
steroids- a topic that many players consider to be taboo.
In his book The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty sports writer Buster Olney described Wells as...
"...a seasoned power pitcher who showed no signs of slowing down.
"Wells had compiled an 18-4 record in the season before, and in his two years with the Yankees, he had won all five of his
postseason starts and had thrown a perfect game. He was a left-handed pitcher with exceptional control...only Randy Johnson was better matched to Yankee Stadium, a
place forever kind to lefties. But Wells was troublesome and inconsistent: throughout his career, these were the only constants
in his personality."[4]
Personal
Wells currently lives in San Diego County (Rancho Santa Fe) with his wife, Nina, and son, Brandon. He is also a Co-Owner of
Semi-Private NY Nightclub The Plumm, along with Chris
Noth, Jesse Bradford, Noel Ashman, among
others.
Wells is one of the principal owners of the production company Rocco's Jobbers. Although he is mainly a financial, and not
creative partner, he has a history of championing personal projects to senior management of the company. One such project was a
television series based on former team mate Fred McGriff's nickname, The Crime Dog. Another
was about the life of a fan that Wells observed being mugged in the stands at Yankee
Stadium. This tale is chronicled in the book "Chicken Soup for the Sportsfan's Soul":
"...Wells felt helpless that little James (Jimmy) Palooka could not seek the justice he so deserved...in order to make things
whole, he had a film production company that he owns produce a ten minute short film in which Super Jimmy, a mild-mannered
baseball fan with super strength, patrols the stands at Yankee Stadium fighting injustice in the crowds. To this day, Wells has
never admitted to the kind hearted gesture, worrying about its impact on his gruff public persona. But to little Jimmy Palooka,
the video remains the silver lining on an otherwise ominous cloud."[5]
Career bests
- Wins in a Season: 20, with Toronto Blue Jays in 2000
- Strikeouts in a Season: 169, with Toronto Blue Jays in 2000
- Best Cy Young Result: 3rd, with New York Yankees in 1998
- Strikeouts in One Game: 16 with New York Yankees, against Oakland Athletics, July 30, 1997
- Innings Pitched in One Season: 231.2, with Toronto Blue Jays in 1999
- Best Single Season ERA as a Starting Pitcher: 3.14, with Toronto Blue Jays in 1990
- Fewest Walks Per 9 Innings in a Season: .85, with New York Yankees in 2003
Awards
- 1998 ALCS MVP, against the Cleveland Indians
- All-Star in 1995, 1998, 2000, for Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively.
- 2-time World Series Champion with the Toronto Blue Jays (1992) and New York Yankees (1998).
See also
References
External links
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