Tom Henke
Born: 12/21/1957 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut: 1982-09-10 | Final Game: 1995-09-30
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 215 lbs
Full name: Thomas Anthony Henke
Biography
Tom Henke, born in 1957, was a prominent relief pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1982 to 1995. Known for his powerful fastball and effective slider, Henke established himself as one of the most reliable closers of his era. He finished his career with a record of 41-42 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.67. Over the course of his career, he recorded 861 strikeouts and notched 311 saves, a testament to his ability to perform under pressure in high-stakes situations.
Henke was selected as an All-Star twice, showcasing his status among the elite pitchers of his time. He was particularly instrumental during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by offensive prowess in the league. His contributions were pivotal in helping the Toronto Blue Jays secure their first two World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. Tom Henkeโs legacy is defined not only by his impressive statistics but also by his role as a calming presence in the bullpen, earning him the nickname "The Terminator" for his ability to close out games with precision and poise.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 42 | 642 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 311 | 789.7 | 607 | 234 | 64 | 255 | 861 | 2.67 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | TEX | AL | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1.15 | 224.7 |
| 1983 | TEX | AL | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16.0 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 3.38 | 674.1 |
| 1984 | TEX | AL | 1 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 28.3 | 36 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 6.35 | 416.1 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | 3 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 40.0 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 42 | 2.02 | 1420.8 |
| 1986 | TOR | AL | 9 | 5 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 91.3 | 63 | 34 | 32 | 118 | 3.35 | 4297.7 |
| 1987 | TOR | AL | 0 | 6 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 94.0 | 62 | 26 | 25 | 128 | 2.49 | 4707.1 |
| 1988 | TOR | AL | 4 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 68.0 | 60 | 22 | 24 | 66 | 2.91 | 1054.5 |
| 1989 | TOR | AL | 8 | 3 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 89.0 | 66 | 19 | 25 | 116 | 1.92 | 4336.1 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 2 | 4 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 74.7 | 58 | 18 | 19 | 75 | 2.17 | 1640.4 |
| 1991 | TOR | AL | 0 | 2 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 50.3 | 33 | 13 | 11 | 53 | 2.32 | 1872.4 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | 3 | 2 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 55.7 | 40 | 14 | 22 | 46 | 2.26 | 368.4 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | 5 | 5 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 74.3 | 55 | 24 | 27 | 79 | 2.91 | 1836.9 |
| 1994 | TEX | AL | 3 | 6 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 38.0 | 33 | 16 | 12 | 39 | 3.79 | 414.8 |
| 1995 | STL | NL | 1 | 1 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 54.3 | 42 | 11 | 18 | 48 | 1.82 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 642 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | TEX | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1983 | TEX | AL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | TEX | AL | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | TOR | AL | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | TOR | AL | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | TOR | AL | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | TOR | AL | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | TOR | AL | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | TEX | AL | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | STL | NL | 52 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | WS | TOR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1992 | ALCS | TOR | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1991 | ALCS | TOR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1989 | ALCS | TOR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1985 | ALCS | TOR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 19.7 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 1.83 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ALCS | TOR | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4.7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
| 1992 | WS | TOR | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3.3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.70 |
| 1991 | ALCS | TOR | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 |
| 1989 | ALCS | TOR | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| 1985 | ALCS | TOR | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4.26 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 642 | 0 | 43 | 67 | 2 | 4 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | TEX | P | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | TEX | P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | TEX | P | 25 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | TOR | P | 28 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | TOR | P | 63 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987 | TOR | P | 72 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 | TOR | P | 52 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989 | TOR | P | 64 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | TOR | P | 61 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | TOR | P | 49 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | TOR | P | 57 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | TEX | P | 66 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | TEX | P | 37 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | SLN | P | 52 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 642 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Reliever of the Year Award |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | SLN | NL | $2,325,000 |
| 1994 | TEX | AL | $3,752,625 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | $3,777,625 |
| 1992 | TOR | AL | $3,391,667 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | $1,166,667 |
| 1989 | TOR | AL | $975,000 |
| 1988 | TOR | AL | $725,000 |
| 1987 | TOR | AL | $331,000 |
| 1986 | TOR | AL | $191,000 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $16,695,584 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Central College | Union | MO | 1979, 1980 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1987 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 17.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1985 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 5.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1985 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 7th | 5.0 | 140 | 1 |