Rich Hand

Richard Allen Hand (born July 10, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player.

A right-handed pitcher, he played for four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and California Angels.

Born in Bellevue, Washington, Hand graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle and attended the University of Puget Sound.

Born in Bellevue, Washington, on July 10, 1948, Richard Allen Hand was the third of four children of Leo and Betty Hand.

His father earned a living as a plumber.

Though Hand played both basketball and baseball at Lincoln High School, basketball was the one he wanted to play professionally.

He was a 38th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1966 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, but chose to attend college instead.

"I wasn't physically prepared to play professional baseball," he recalled.

Hand received a scholarship to play baseball and basketball at the University of Puget Sound.

There, he discovered that baseball gave him his better chance of succeeding as a professional.

He added to his experience by playing semipro baseball with the Alaska Goldpanners in the summers of 1967 and 1968, aiding the team to a fourth-place tie at the National Baseball Congress in the first of those years.

A fifth-round draft pick of the New York Mets in the 1968 MLB Draft, he declined their offer, saying it "insulted my intelligence".

As a junior, the right-handed pitcher threw a no-hitter against Western Washington University, then earned All-America honors.

Drafted three times, he signed with the Indians when they selected him in the supplementary phase of the 1969 MLB Draft.

Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the supplementary phase of the 1969 MLB draft, Hand this time signed for a $17,000 bonus.

"[Indians' scout Loyd] Christopher didn't offer me the world – but he offered me a chance and that's what I wanted most", Hand recalled.

He finished his college career with a 21–6 record, striking out 216 batters in 215 innings pitched.

Upon drafting Hand in 1969, the Indians assigned him to the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.

He made his professional debut with a relief appearance on June 15, allowing two runs in 1 2⁄3 innings.

He defeated the Spokane Indians after allowing one run in eight innings for his first win on July 15, then won his next four decisions.

In 14 games (13 starts), he had a 7–4 record, a 3.60 earned run average (ERA), 52 strikeouts, 34 walks, and 83 hits allowed in 85 innings.

Named the number three pitcher in the starting rotation in 1970, he posted a 3.83 earned run average (ERA) in 35 appearances.

In 1970, the Indians invited Hand to spring training.

Bothered by a sore back in the beginning, he recovered in time to become a surprise choice as the third member of the team's starting rotation.

Manager Alvin Dark explained, "I've seen all I need to see. The kid has done everything we could possibly ask him to do and I'm convinced he can help us as a starter or a long reliever. Any experience he needs, he can get up here with us."

In his MLB debut on April 9, Hand allowed six runs in 3 1⁄3 innings, taking the loss in a 13–1 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles.

He was moved to the bullpen in early May but rejoined the rotation on May 18.

His first win came on June 7, when he allowed four runs and came within one out of throwing a complete game in a 6–4 victory over the California Angels.

Dark feared that he may have overused Hand during his rookie season.

On June 16, Hand had allowed one run in eight innings against the Angels.

The manager was planning to replace him after the eighth, but Hand responded, "Aw, c'mon, Skip. Let me finish. I gotta finish a game."

Up to that point, he had not thrown a complete game.

"And like an idiot I said okay", Dark wrote in his autobiography.

"He wound up throwing about 150 pitches that day. The next time he was due to pitch he came to me complaining of a sore elbow... Rich Hand wasn't the same after that."

Hand was sent to the minor leagues for part of 1971; he threw a no-hitter for the Wichita Aeros but posted a 5.79 ERA in the major leagues.

Traded to the Rangers for the 1972 season, Hand began the season in the minor leagues but was promoted to the major-league team after only two starts.

He posted a career-best 3.32 ERA but had only a 10–14 record, partly due to poor run support.

He was traded to the Angels midway through the 1973 season, pitching mainly out of the bullpen after coming to California.

Following one last professional season in 1974, Hand retired, his pitching arm sore from injuries sustained over the years.

Remaining in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Hand worked in business, real estate, and construction.