Dan Plesac
Born: 2/4/1962 in Gary, IN, USA
MLB Debut: 1986-04-11 | Final Game: 2003-09-28
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 205 lbs
Full name: Daniel Thomas Plesac
Biography
Dan Plesac was a professional baseball pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 until his retirement in 2003. Born in 1962, Plesac began his career with the Chicago Cubs and displayed remarkable versatility and consistency throughout his time in the league. He finished his career with a record of 65-71, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.64, and accumulated 1,041 strikeouts along with 158 saves. His ability to effectively close games and contribute across multiple roles in the bullpen made him a valuable asset to every team he played for.
Plesac was selected as an All-Star three times during his career, showcasing his prowess on the mound and his ability to compete among the league's best. He played during an era that emphasized the evolution of the relief pitcher, as teams increasingly relied on specialized roles within their bullpens. Plesac's contributions helped to shape the modern expectations of relief pitching, and he remains recognized for his durability and effectiveness, leaving a lasting legacy in the game.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 71 | 1064 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 158 | 1072.0 | 977 | 433 | 105 | 402 | 1041 | 3.64 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ATL | AL | 10 | 7 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 91.0 | 81 | 30 | 29 | 75 | 2.97 | - |
| 1987 | ATL | AL | 5 | 6 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 79.3 | 63 | 23 | 23 | 89 | 2.61 | - |
| 1988 | ATL | AL | 1 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 52.3 | 46 | 14 | 12 | 52 | 2.41 | - |
| 1989 | ATL | AL | 3 | 4 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 61.3 | 47 | 16 | 17 | 52 | 2.35 | - |
| 1990 | ATL | AL | 3 | 7 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 69.0 | 67 | 34 | 31 | 65 | 4.43 | - |
| 1991 | ATL | AL | 2 | 7 | 45 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 92.3 | 92 | 44 | 39 | 61 | 4.29 | - |
| 1992 | ATL | AL | 5 | 4 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 79.0 | 64 | 26 | 35 | 54 | 2.96 | - |
| 1993 | CHC | NL | 2 | 1 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62.7 | 74 | 33 | 21 | 47 | 4.74 | - |
| 1994 | CHC | NL | 2 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 54.7 | 61 | 28 | 13 | 53 | 4.61 | - |
| 1995 | PIT | NL | 4 | 4 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60.3 | 53 | 24 | 27 | 57 | 3.58 | 1830.4 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | 6 | 5 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 70.3 | 67 | 32 | 24 | 76 | 4.09 | 3277.6 |
| 1997 | TOR | AL | 2 | 4 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50.3 | 47 | 20 | 19 | 61 | 3.58 | 642.6 |
| 1998 | TOR | AL | 4 | 3 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 50.0 | 41 | 21 | 16 | 55 | 3.78 | 1809.0 |
| 1999 | AZ | NL | 2 | 1 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21.7 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 3.32 | - |
| 1999 | TOR | AL | 0 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.7 | 28 | 21 | 9 | 26 | 8.34 | 218.2 |
| 2000 | AZ | NL | 5 | 1 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.0 | 34 | 14 | 26 | 45 | 3.15 | - |
| 2001 | TOR | AL | 4 | 5 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 45.3 | 34 | 18 | 24 | 68 | 3.57 | 1792.4 |
| 2002 | PHI | NL | 2 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.0 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 27 | 4.70 | -420.3 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | 1 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 3.38 | 364.7 |
| 2003 | PHI | NL | 2 | 1 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 33.3 | 29 | 10 | 11 | 37 | 2.70 | 1122.8 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1064 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.067 | 0.067 | 0.067 | 0.133 | 0.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ATL | AL | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | ATL | AL | 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | ATL | AL | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | ATL | AL | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | ATL | AL | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | ATL | AL | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | ATL | AL | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | CHC | NL | 57 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | CHC | NL | 54 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | PIT | NL | 58 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | 73 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1997 | TOR | AL | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | TOR | AL | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | AZ | NL | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | TOR | AL | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2000 | AZ | NL | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2001 | TOR | AL | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2002 | PHI | NL | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2003 | PHI | NL | 58 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | NLDS2 | ARI | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54.00 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | NLDS2 | ARI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 54.00 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1064 | 14 | 9 | 100 | 3 | 6 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | ML4 | P | 51 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | ML4 | P | 57 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988 | ML4 | P | 50 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | ML4 | P | 52 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | ML4 | P | 66 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 | ML4 | P | 45 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | ML4 | P | 44 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993 | CHN | P | 57 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1994 | CHN | P | 54 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | PIT | P | 58 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | PIT | P | 73 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | TOR | P | 73 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | TOR | P | 78 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | ARI | P | 34 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | TOR | P | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | ARI | P | 62 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | TOR | P | 62 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | PHI | P | 41 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TOR | P | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | PHI | P | 58 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1064 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | PHI | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | $2,200,000 |
| 2001 | TOR | AL | $2,200,000 |
| 2000 | ARI | NL | $1,500,000 |
| 1999 | TOR | AL | $1,500,000 |
| 1998 | TOR | AL | $800,000 |
| 1997 | TOR | AL | $800,000 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | $1,100,000 |
| 1995 | PIT | NL | $1,091,112 |
| 1994 | CHN | NL | $1,700,000 |
| 1993 | CHN | NL | $1,700,000 |
| 1992 | ML4 | AL | $2,766,667 |
| 1991 | ML4 | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1990 | ML4 | AL | $1,466,667 |
| 1989 | ML4 | AL | $765,000 |
| 1988 | ML4 | AL | $275,000 |
| 1987 | ML4 | AL | $180,000 |
| 1986 | ML4 | AL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $23,104,446 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh | NC | 1981, 1982, 1983 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |