Wednesday, April 22, 2015

1982 Profile: Doyle Alexander

"Alex was the club's most effective and dependable starter following a steal of a swap with Atlanta for John Montefusco. He beat Cincinnati to become one of four active pitchers to defeat all 26 major league teams. Alex made a sensational debut with the Giants, going 3-1 with a 1.29 ERA in April; he was 5-4 with a 2.69 ERA before the strike, and 6-3 thereafter.
Born in Cordova, Alabama, dissatisfaction over the Giants' reluctance to extend his contract had Alex threatening retirement at season's end, so a trade was possible. He was the Braves' top starter in 1980, but a contract squabble with Ted Turner led to his trade."

-Nick Peters, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1982 Edition

"After a five-season and three-team hiatus, Doyle Alexander is back in the Pinstripes again this season. Yankee fans hope that Doyle brings as many thrills to the Bronx this season as he did in his first stint with the Bombers back in 1976. During that season, after being acquired by the Yankees as part of a ten-player deal with the Orioles, Doyle flirted with no-hitters past the fifth inning on four occasions. He later started the first game of the '76 World Series against Cincinnati.
Highly regarded as a crafty, experienced veteran, Doyle is one of only four pitchers to have defeated all 26 existing major league teams. Doyle's at his best in the heat of a pennant race, as he showed over the final weeks of two consecutive seasons, 1976-77, when his combined record was 17-4. He will have a chance to uphold this highly respected reputation with the Yankees again this year.
Doyle rejoined the Yankees in March of this year via a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Last year, he led the Giants in victories with 11, and his superb 2.90 ERA was his best since the 1972 season. If Doyle can turn in statistics like that again this season, he surely will disprove the adage 'you can't go home again.'"

-The New York Yankees Official 1982 Yearbook

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