Scott Sanderson
Born: 7/22/1956 in Dearborn, MI, USA
Died: 4/11/2019 in Lake Forest, IL, USA
MLB Debut: 1978-08-06 | Final Game: 1996-05-15
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 195 lbs
Full name: Scott Douglas Sanderson
Biography
Scott Sanderson was a professional baseball pitcher who had a notable career spanning from 1978 until his retirement in 1996. Born in 1956, Sanderson made a significant impact on the mound with a career record of 163 wins and 143 losses, complemented by an earned run average (ERA) of 3.84. Over his 18-year tenure in Major League Baseball, he amassed 1,611 strikeouts and recorded 5 saves, showcasing his versatility and durability as a starting pitcher. Sanderson's contributions to the game were recognized with an All-Star selection during his career, highlighting his status as one of the prominent pitchers of his era.
Throughout his career, Sanderson played for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics, among others. His pitching style was characterized by a strong fastball and effective breaking pitches, enabling him to navigate through some of the toughest lineups in the league. Sanderson's longevity in the game was a testament to his skill and work ethic, as he maintained competitiveness in an era that included both the rise of power hitters and the integration of advanced analytics in player evaluation. His career achievements and contributions to the teams he played for have solidified his legacy in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163 | 143 | 472 | 407 | 43 | 14 | 5 | 2561.7 | 2590 | 1093 | 297 | 625 | 1611 | 3.84 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | WSN | NL | 4 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 61.0 | 52 | 17 | 21 | 50 | 2.51 | - |
| 1979 | WSN | NL | 9 | 8 | 34 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 168.0 | 148 | 64 | 54 | 138 | 3.43 | - |
| 1980 | WSN | NL | 16 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 211.3 | 206 | 73 | 56 | 125 | 3.11 | - |
| 1981 | WSN | NL | 9 | 7 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 137.3 | 122 | 45 | 31 | 77 | 2.95 | - |
| 1982 | WSN | NL | 12 | 12 | 32 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 224.0 | 212 | 86 | 58 | 158 | 3.46 | - |
| 1983 | WSN | NL | 6 | 7 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 81.3 | 98 | 42 | 20 | 55 | 4.65 | - |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 8 | 5 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 140.7 | 140 | 49 | 24 | 76 | 3.14 | - |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 5 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 121.0 | 100 | 42 | 27 | 80 | 3.12 | - |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 9 | 11 | 37 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 169.7 | 165 | 79 | 37 | 124 | 4.19 | - |
| 1987 | CHC | NL | 8 | 9 | 32 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 144.7 | 156 | 69 | 50 | 106 | 4.29 | - |
| 1988 | CHC | NL | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.3 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 5.28 | - |
| 1989 | CHC | NL | 11 | 9 | 37 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 146.3 | 155 | 64 | 31 | 86 | 3.94 | - |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | 17 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 206.3 | 205 | 89 | 66 | 128 | 3.88 | -2286.5 |
| 1991 | NYY | AL | 16 | 10 | 34 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 208.0 | 200 | 88 | 29 | 130 | 3.81 | - |
| 1992 | NYY | AL | 12 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 193.3 | 220 | 106 | 64 | 104 | 4.93 | - |
| 1993 | LAA | AL | 7 | 11 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 135.3 | 153 | 67 | 27 | 66 | 4.46 | - |
| 1993 | SFG | NL | 4 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48.7 | 48 | 19 | 7 | 36 | 3.51 | - |
| 1994 | CHW | AL | 8 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 92.0 | 110 | 52 | 12 | 36 | 5.09 | - |
| 1995 | LAA | AL | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 | 48 | 18 | 4 | 23 | 4.12 | - |
| 1996 | LAA | AL | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 39 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 7.50 | - |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 473 | 474 | 20 | 46 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 224 | 0.097 | 0.150 | 0.137 | 0.288 | -2234.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | WSN | NL | 10 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0.105 | 0.0 |
| 1979 | WSN | NL | 34 | 50 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0.160 | -433.5 |
| 1980 | WSN | NL | 33 | 64 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 0.078 | -732.0 |
| 1981 | WSN | NL | 22 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 18 | 0.114 | 0.0 |
| 1982 | WSN | NL | 32 | 57 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 0.140 | -387.9 |
| 1983 | WSN | NL | 18 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
| 1984 | CHC | NL | 24 | 42 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0.119 | 0.0 |
| 1985 | CHC | NL | 19 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.065 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | CHC | NL | 38 | 51 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0.059 | -680.5 |
| 1987 | CHC | NL | 32 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.075 | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CHC | NL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1989 | CHC | NL | 37 | 43 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 0.047 | 0.0 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | NYY | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1992 | NYY | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | LAA | AL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | SFG | NL | 11 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1994 | CHW | AL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | LAA | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1996 | LAA | AL | 5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | WS | OAK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1989 | NLCS | CHN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1984 | NLCS | CHN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1981 | NEDIV | MON | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 11.0 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5.73 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | WS | OAK | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10.80 |
| 1989 | NLCS | CHN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 1984 | NLCS | CHN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5.79 |
| 1981 | NEDIV | MON | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6.75 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 472 | 407 | 153 | 264 | 18 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | MON | P | 10 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | MON | P | 34 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980 | MON | P | 33 | 33 | 14 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 | MON | P | 22 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | MON | P | 32 | 32 | 13 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | MON | P | 18 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | CHN | P | 24 | 24 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | CHN | P | 19 | 19 | 11 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986 | CHN | P | 37 | 28 | 11 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHN | P | 32 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| 1988 | CHN | P | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | CHN | P | 37 | 23 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 | OAK | P | 34 | 34 | 11 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 1991 | NYA | P | 34 | 34 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | NYA | P | 33 | 33 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | CAL | P | 21 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | SFN | P | 11 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | CHA | P | 18 | 14 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995 | CAL | P | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | CAL | P | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 472 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | CAL | AL | $200,000 |
| 1995 | CAL | AL | $250,000 |
| 1994 | CHA | AL | $350,000 |
| 1993 | CAL | AL | $800,000 |
| 1993 | NYA | AL | $250,000 |
| 1992 | NYA | AL | $2,125,000 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | $2,125,000 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | $750,000 |
| 1989 | CHN | NL | $800,000 |
| 1988 | CHN | NL | $950,000 |
| 1987 | CHN | NL | $850,000 |
| 1986 | CHN | NL | $800,000 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | $500,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $10,750,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | TN | 1976, 1977 |