Doug Sisk

Douglas Randall Sisk (born September 26, 1957), is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.

His primary pitch was a sinker that was difficult for batters to drive in the air.

Sisk earned all-league honors both seasons he spent playing college baseball at Green River Community College.

From there, he spent two more seasons with the Washington State University Cougars before signing as an amateur free agent with the New York Mets in 1980.

In his first season of professional baseball with the Kingsport Mets, Sisk went 8–5 with a 2.66 earned run average as a starting pitcher.

He was moved into the bullpen the following season with the Lynchburg Mets.

Over three seasons in the Mets' farm system, Sisk was 25–14 with a 2.88 ERA, sixteen saves and 170 strikeouts to earn a September call up in 1982.

Sisk made his Major League debut on September 6 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching a scoreless inning.

On September 15, he faced one batter, Andre Dawson, in an extra innings contest with the Montreal Expos.

Dawson took him deep to left field for his first career loss.

Over the remainder of the season, Sisk pitched six innings, and allowed just one hit, picking up his first career save on September 22 against the Chicago Cubs.

The 1983 season opener marked the return of Tom Seaver in a Mets uniform.

Seaver pitched six scoreless innings, matched by fellow future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

Sisk entered in the seventh, and held the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless for the combined shutout.

Meanwhile, the Mets broke through with two in the seventh to give Sisk his first career win.

For the season, he went 5–4 with a 2.24 ERA as the right-handed complement to Jesse Orosco.

His eleven saves were second to Orosco's seventeen.

He was having a similarly stellar 1984 season until he developed a sore shoulder.

Through June 8, Sisk had allowed only three earned runs through 53.2 innings pitched for an 0.47 ERA.

His ERA crept up to 1.40 by the time he took the mound to face the Cubs on July 28.

The Mets were in first place in the National League East, 4.5 games up on the Cubs.

Sisk entered the game in the eighth with the score tied at three.

He walked the first batter he faced.

He uncorked a wild pitch before giving up singles to the next two.

He then misplayed a bunt for an error before exiting the game to a booing Shea Stadium crowd.

Shortly afterwards, he was placed on the disabled list.

He was effective upon his return (9.1 IP, 2 ER), but was by then a target of the Shea Stadium boo birds despite ending the season with a 2.09 ERA.

Lingering injuries hindered Sisk in 1985.

Opposing batters were hitting .337, and his ERA was 8.53 when he was sent down to triple A Tidewater in early May.

Despite going 0–2 with a 7.20 ERA for the Tidewater Tides, he returned to the Mets in late May.

By then, Roger McDowell had emerged as the right-handed closer for the Mets, and Sisk was pretty much relegated to "mop up duty."

Shortly after his return, he pitched his best game of the season (4 IP, 1 hit) for his second save, This was followed by three consecutive losses, the second of which came against the rival St. Louis Cardinals.

Entering a 1–1 tie in the thirteenth inning, Sisk allowed six runs (5 ER).

From there, he settled down, going 3–0 with a 2.95 ERA until elbow surgery ended his season in mid-September.

The elbow surgery had Sisk rehabbing in Tidewater to start the 1986 season.

After nine games and thirty innings, Sisk returned to the Mets in late May.

In his first appearance, he allowed two runs in one inning in a 10–2 blowout at the hands of the San Francisco Giants.

From there, he went 2–1 with a 0.47 ERA in nine appearances through July 2.

A rough month of July (5.30 ERA) cost him the trust of manager Davey Johnson, and he spent the rest of the season pitching almost exclusively in blowouts.

That said, he pitched well, going 2–0 with a 2.62 ERA and one save.