Tanyon Sturtze

From SoSH

Tanyon James Sturtze (born October 12, 1970 in Worcester, Massachusetts), commonly referred to as Worcester's Own Tanyon Sturtze or WOTS, is a middle reliever of questionable effectiveness for the Atlanta Braves. Although he's from Massachusetts, nobody in Boston likes him for obvious reasons.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Overall Career

Tanyon Sturtze was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 23rd round of the 1990 amateur draft. On June 13, 1993, while pitching for the Huntsville Stars, Oakland's AA affiliate, Sturtze tossed a no-hitter, shutting out the Chattanooga Lookouts. Following three-seasons alternating between the Chicago Cubs and Class AAA Iowa Cubs, Sturtze pitched, without much success, for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. In 2000, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for Tony Graffanino. In his third season with the Rays, Sturtze recorded a 4-18 record and led the majors in loses (18), earned runs allowed (129), hits allowed (271), walks allowed (89) and batters faced (1008). Brief stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Florida Marlins followed. In 2004, he was traded to the New York Yankees, where he moved to the bullpen. After three-seasons in pinstripes, Sturtze signed a one year $750,000 contract with the Atlanta Braves on December 3, 2006.

Moment in the Sun

• July 24, 2004: Received a beat down at the hands of Gabe Kapler during the infamous Brawl Game. Sturtze wound up with a cut above his left ear and left the game with a bruised right pinky finger after giving up two runs in the bottom of the third inning. He was suspended three games for his part in the brawl. Although Kapler was ejected, his suspension was overturned as his strike on Sturtze was ruled as provoked self-defense.

Trivia

• Diehard New England Patriots fan.
• Bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Chris Klein.
• A regular participant at the annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic.

Transactions

• June 4, 1990: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 23rd round of the 1990 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1990.
• December 5, 1994: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs from the Oakland Athletics in the 1994 rule V draft.
• October 15, 1996: Granted Free Agency.
• November 20, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Texas Rangers.
• March 6, 1998: Released by the Texas Rangers.
• March 11, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Texas Rangers.
• October 15, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
• November 23, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago White Sox.
• May 31, 2000: Traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Tony Graffanino.
• December 21, 2002: Granted Free Agency.
• December 21, 2002: Signed as a Free Agent with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• October 15, 2003: Granted Free Agency.
• December 23, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• March 30, 2004: Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• March 30, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Florida Marlins.
• April 2, 2004: Released by the Florida Marlins.
• April 8, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers to a minor league contract.
• May 15, 2004: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees for Brian Myrow.
• December 3, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Official Homepage for the Sturtze Appreciation Society