Don Florence
| Don Florence | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 16, 1967 Manchester, New Hampshire | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 8, 1995, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1995, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 3–0 |
| Earned run average | 1.50 |
| Strikeouts | 5 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Donald Emery Florence (born March 16, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched only one season in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets in 1995.
Playing career
[edit]Florence grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire and played baseball and football at Manchester Memorial High School. He credited his time as a high school quarterback with helping develop his arm strength.[1]
Florence began his college baseball career at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri where he managed a 2.82 earned run average as a pitcher and a batting average of .344 as a sophomore. He committed to continue his college baseball career at Tennessee in 1987.[2]
Florence was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in October 1987,[1] and compiled a 28-40 record, with a 3.64 earned run average and 379 strikeouts over seven seasons in their farm system.
He signed with the Mets as a minor league free agent following the 1994 season, and after 47 innings pitched for the Norfolk Tides, in which he only allowed five earned runs, Florence received his first call up to the majors at the robust age of 28.
In his second game, he earned his first major league win against the Philadelphia Phillies[3] on his way to a perfect 3-0 record. He made fourteen appearances out of the Mets' bullpen, and compiled an impressive 1.50 ERA, but never pitched another major league game after 1995.
Personal life
[edit]Florence married the former Tonia Kennedy, from New Boston, New Hampshire, with whom he had a son, Tatum, in 1993.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Nadeau, Guy (February 27, 1994). "Florence eyes a Fenway future". The Boston Globe. p. 18. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ Hyams, Jimmy (June 9, 1987). "Recruiting goes on for Vols". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 17. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ "New York Mets 5, Philadelphia Phillies 1". Baseball-Reference.com. August 10, 1995.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or The Ultimate Mets Database
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- New York Mets players
- Winter Haven Red Sox players
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Baseball players from Manchester, New Hampshire
- New Britain Red Sox players
- Norfolk Tides players
- Pawtucket Red Sox players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Crowder Roughriders baseball players
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American baseball pitcher, 1960s births stubs