Todd Worrell

That season, he finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting and 21st in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting, as the Dodgers reached the playoffs before getting swept in the NL Division Series by the Atlanta Braves.

Todd Roland Worrell (born September 28, 1959) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher.

Worrell was born on September 28, 1959, in Arcadia, California.

His middle name, Roland, was also his father's first name.

Worrell was raised in Arcadia, and his father frequently took him to Los Angeles Dodgers games at nearby Dodger Stadium when he was growing up.

In 1978, he enrolled as a Bible student at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he also played baseball.

At Biola, Worrell played a number of different positions.

He was used mostly as a catcher during his junior year, though he also pitched as a long reliever.

As a senior, he was used as a pitcher more often, but he played the outfield on days when he was not pitching.

He was throwing up to 94 miles per hour (mph) his senior year, when he caught the attention of Steve Flores, a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals who attended a Biola game to watch Tony Woods of Whittier College play.

He seldom pitched until his senior year, but his 94 mile-per-hour fastball caught the attention of a scout for the Cardinals, who made him their first round draft pick in 1982.

Flores was impressed with how hard Worrell threw, and the Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 1982 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.

The Cardinals were hoping Worrell would be a starting pitcher for them in the future.

He began his professional career in 1982 with the Erie Cardinals of the Single-A short season New York-Penn League.

In nine games (eight starts), he had a 4–1 record, a 3.31 earned run average (ERA), 57 strikeouts, 15 walks, and 52 hits allowed in 51 2⁄3 innings pitched.

By his second professional season, he was already pitching for the Louisville Redbirds of the Triple-A American Association.

Manager Jim Fregosi was impressed with the prospect, saying he had not seen a pitcher with a better arm since he managed Nolan Ryan.

Worrell had a 4–2 record in 14 starts for Louisville, but his ERA was 4.74 and he had almost as many walks (42) as strikeouts (46).

He also spent part of the year with the Arkansas Travelers of the Double-A Texas League, posting a 5–2 record and a 3.07 ERA in 10 starts.

In 1984, Worrell made 18 starts for Arkansas again, posting a 3–10 record, a 4.49 ERA, 88 strikeouts, 67 walks, and 109 hits allowed in 100 1⁄3 innings.

His ERA was lower (2.09) in eight games (seven starts) with the St. Petersburg Cardinals of the Single-A Florida State League, where he had a 3–2 record, 33 strikeouts, 24 walks, and 41 hits allowed in 47 1⁄3 innings.

He played all or part of eleven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, serving as those teams' closer for most of his seasons from 1985 through 1997.

During his playing career, Worrell was a three-time National League (NL) All-Star.

Born and raised in Arcadia, California, Worrell attended Biola University.

He was expected to be a starting pitcher, but he was moved to the bullpen in 1985, when the Cardinals called him up for the playoff race.

Worrell posted a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) in 17 games at the end of the year.

In the 1985 World Series, he tied a World Series record by striking out six consecutive hitters, but the Cardinals lost to the Kansas City Royals in seven games.

By 1985, he was "languishing in the minors," according to Peter Gammons of Sports Illustrated.

"I'd throw great for three or four innings every start, then something would happen," Worrell said.

Still considered a rookie in 1986, Worrell led the NL with 36 saves, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award and the Rolaids Relief Man Award.

In 1987, he became the first pitcher to start his career with back-to-back 30-save seasons, and he made seven appearances in the playoffs that year, as the Cardinals lost the 1987 World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games.

He was selected to the NL All-Star team in 1988 and finished third in the NL in saves, but he then injured his ulnar nerve in 1989, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The recovery from the operation, as well as a later rotator cuff tear, forced him to miss all of 1990 and 1991.

Lee Smith had been acquired to close in his absence, but Worrell served as his set-up man in 1992, posting a 2.11 ERA.

After the season, Worrell became a free agent.

On December 9, 1992, Worrell signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers.

Expected to serve as their closer, he battled injuries his first two years in Los Angeles, prompting the Los Angeles Daily News to call him "perhaps the biggest free-agent bust in baseball this season" in 1993.

However, he was selected to the NL All-Star team back-to-back years in 1995 and 1996, recording 32 saves in 1995 and leading the NL in saves with 44 in 1996.

Worrell pitched one final season, recording 35 saves but posting a 5.28 ERA in 1997 before retiring.

He threw a fastball and a slider.