1988 Profile: Rich Dotson

"Acquired from the White Sox with Scott Nielsen for Dan Pasqua, Mark Salas and Steve Rosenberg in November, he is being counted on to stabilize the Yankee rotation. The Yanks were the opponent on July 26 of last season when he threw a perfect game for seven and one-third innings and it became a loss, typifying his streaky season. A clean single by Mike Pagliarulo ended the bid and was followed by three home runs in a 5-2 defeat.
Dotson recorded two shutouts, five-hitting Texas 5-0 on May 15 and zipping Toronto 1-0 on six hits on August 15. He won six of seven from May 15 to July 16 but suffered two four-game losing streaks, from April 11 to May 10 and August 20 to September 4.
Born in Cincinnati, Dotson was originally drafted seventh overall by the Angels in 1977."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1988 Edition

"It was a long time coming, with talks going back to last summer, but a November trade finally made Rich Dotson a Yankee. It was a move that not only helped ease the team's pitching woes but at the same time moved the Yankees that much closer to a pennant. Dotson is just what the Yankees need to complement their potent offense.
The eight-year veteran is a proven quality starter who provides the staff with much needed consistency. In 1987 he reached the double figure mark in wins (11-12) for the sixth time in his seven full seasons. You can add 100 or more strikeouts in each of those six years.
Dotson underwent surgery for what was considered a career threatening circulatory problem near the right shoulder in 1985. He returned in 1986 and was the only Chisox pitcher not to miss a start. Not the hard thrower he was in 1983 when his 22-7 record helped lead the Sox to the AL West title, the experienced right-hander has made the needed adjustments. His strikeouts and innings pitched last year were the third highest single-season totals of his career.
Dotson will be looked upon to continue his consistency as he will no doubt play a major role in the Yankees' 1988 pennant drive."

-The New York Yankees Official 1988 Yearbook

"Dotson was acquired from the White Sox along with pitcher Scott Nielsen in November 1987 in exchange for outfielder Dan Pasqua, catcher Mark Salas and left-handed pitcher Steve Rosenberg.
Dotson finished with an 11-12 record in 31 games (all starts) with the White Sox in 1987, marking the sixth time he reached double figures in wins in his seven full seasons with the Sox (excluding his injury-plagued 1985 campaign). He posted a 4.17 ERA with 86 walks and 114 strikeouts [and a 1.358 WHIP] in 211.1 innings pitched (the third highest IP total of his career). His 114 strikeouts was the third highest single-season total of his career and he now has recorded 100 or more strikeouts in six of his seven full seasons. He finished tied for second on the White Sox in wins, second in innings pitched and third in strikeouts. Rich had seven complete games, including two shutouts: a 5-hit 5-0 win against Texas on May 15 and a 6-hit 1-0 victory at Toronto on August 15. He missed three starts after suffering a sore right shoulder on September 9, but did make one start after that before the end of the season; they were the only three starts he's missed since his recovery from major surgery in July 1985.
He was Chicago's Opening Day pitcher in '87, defeating the Kansas City Royals, but then lost his next four decisions (the first of two four-game losing streaks he suffered in 1987) covering six starts from April 11 through May 10. He rebounded, however, to win six of his next seven decisions, covering 11 starts from May 15 through June 13, his longest winning streak of the year, to give him a 7-5 record in 18 starts with a 3.98 ERA (57 ER, 129 IP) at the All-Star break.
Rich then went 4-7 with a 4.48 ERA (41 ER, 82.1 IP) in 13 starts after the break. On July 26 he made a bid to pitch the first perfect game in Comiskey Park history, retiring the first 22 Yankees he faced before Mike Pagliarulo ended the no-hitter with a sharp single to right with one out in the eighth inning. After Mike Easler followed with a double, Dan Pasqua hit a three-run pinch-hit home run to lead the Yankees to an eventual 5-2 win, with Dotson getting the tough loss.
He had his second four-game losing streak from August 20 through September 4, covering four consecutive starts. In his next outing, on September 9 at Minnesota, he was forced to leave the game after one inning pitched because of stiffness in his right shoulder. After missing three starts Dotson came back to make one more start, on September 30 against California, pitching five innings and gaining credit for the White Sox' 5-2 victory.
He had a season high eight strikeouts on May 6 at California and had a season high six walks on July 9 at New York. At Comiskey Park he was 6-8 with a 4.35 ERA, while on the road he was 5-4 with a 3.99 ERA. Dotson had an overall batting average against of .249 (201-for-807), including .248 (93-for-375) against righties and .250 (108-for-432) against lefties. He allowed 24 home runs, matching his career high total of both 1984 and 1986.
Dotson was originally selected in the first round (the seventh player in the nation) by the California Angels in the June 1977 free agent draft and went 4-5 with Idaho Falls in his first professional season, with 83 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched. He was traded by the Angels along with outfielders Bobby Bonds and Thad Bosley to the White Sox in December 1977 in exchange for catcher Brian Downing and pitchers Chris Knapp and Dave Frost. In 1978 he was 11-10 with AA Knoxville with 152 strikeouts in 145 innings pitched. Rich spent only two full seasons in the minors and never pitched higher than AA before his call-up; he had 368 strikeouts in 326 minor league innings.
He made his major league debut on September 4, 1979 against California and recorded his first major league shutout in his second major league start on September 9, blanking Oakland 7-0 on six hits. The only right-hander in the Sox' 'kiddie corps' of young starters in 1980, his first complete season in the big leagues, Dotson was second on the staff to Britt Burns in wins (12), strikeouts (109) and complete games (6) and tied for second with 32 starts.
The Chisox' most effective starter in his sophomore big league season in 1981, Dotson enjoyed a string of 21 consecutive scoreless innings (May 3-15) with a pair of 4-hit shutouts. He finished tied for the American League lead with four shutouts, all during the season's first half, led the Sox staff with 24 starts and tied for the lead in complete games (5). After a dismal 3-10 first half in 1982, Rich won eight in a row in the second half to climb to 11-11 on September 8 with a win over California. He was named American Pitcher of the Month for August 1982 after going 6-0 with a 1.68 ERA in 48.1 innings.
In 1983 Dotson joined Cy Young Award-winning teammate Lamar Hoyt in posting a 20-win season and leading the White Sox to their AL West Division Championship. His 22-7 record led the American League in winning percentage (.759) and he was second in the league to Hoyt (24-10) in wins. Dotson and Hoyt became only the third Chisox pitching duo in 63 years to win 20 or more games in the same season and the first to turn the trick since Jim Katt (21-13) and Wilbur Wood (20-19) in 1974. They were also the first White Sox twosome to win at least 46 games in one year since 1919 when Ed Cicotte (29-7) and Lefty Williams (23-11) won 52. At age 24, Dotson was the youngest Sox pitcher to record a 20-win season since Reb Russell won 21 in 1913 (Russell was just four months younger). The Chisox were 27-8 in games Dot started and he was 12-3 at Comiskey Park.
On May 18, he pitched the first 1-hitter of his career at Baltimore, only to lose 1-0 on an eighth inning home run by Dan Ford just inside the right field foul pole. Dot won his last eight decisions and 16 of his last 18. From July 15 [through the American League Championship Series], he lost only twice- once in the regular season and once in the ALCS (both times to Baltimore). He joined Hoyt and Floyd Bannister to form the 'Big Three' and fashion a 42-5 won-lost record during the second half [of the season] with a collective ERA of 2.55 in 385 innings. Rich was the American League Pitcher of the Month for September when he was 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 51.1 innings.
Between the 1983 and the 1984 All-Star Games (he participated in the latter), Rich posted a composite 25-6 record with a 2.45 ERA in 272.1 innings. The White Sox' lone representative on the American League All-Star team in '84, he led Sox starters that year with a 3.59 ERA, 245.2 innings pitched and 14 complete games and tied for second on the staff with 14 victories. His 14 complete games ranked third in the AL and were just three shy of league leader Charlie Hough of Texas.
He registered two 3-hitters and three 4-hitters in '84 and established a personal single-game strikeout high with 10 against Texas on May 26 en route to a 4-hit 5-1 victory. His best effort came on June 13 in a 2-1 win at California when he 3-hit the Angels and was deprived of a shutout on an unearned run with two outs in the ninth; he also recorded his 500th career strikeout (Rob Wilfong) in that game. Rich was 11-4 and a 2.64 ERA prior to the All-Star break but lost four consecutive games after the break. 1985 circulatory surgery in his right shoulder probably explains his sub-par second half.
Rich made only a pair of game appearances in spring training of 1985 due to right arm tenderness later diagnosed as a circulatory problem in his upper chest near his right shoulder- the problem was considered career threatening. He opened the season on the 15-day supplementary disabled list and his season came to an end in early June. He underwent surgery which corrected the problem in late July. Considered the ace of the Sox mound staff entering the season, his absence was a severe blow to Pale Hose title hopes. Rich managed just nine starts between April 22 and June 7 and fashioned a 3-4 record. He fired no complete games but lasted a full seven innings on three occasions.
He returned from his July 1985 surgery to pitch the entire 1986 season and was the only Sox starter not to miss a turn in the rotation, leading the club with 197 innings.. He finished with a 10-17 mark and a 5.48 ERA, the most losses and highest ERA of his big league career, and allowed a team-high 24 homers. Rich managed just three complete games, two in the season's final month when his arm strength improved.
His only shutout was his 10th and last win of the season on September 5 against the Blue Jays at Comiskey Park; he limited the Blue Jays to just four hits in that outing. His first complete game was July 4th over the Yankees at Chicago, a 2-1 success. Rich suffered a five-game losing streak after the Independence Day win and did not earn another victory until winning 3-1 at Boston on August 5, and also endured a five-game losing streak at the end of the season. His longest winning streak was a three-gamer, capped by his July 4th win, that temporarily evened his record at 7-7. Rich twice matched his career single-game strikeout best with 10 whiffs at Milwaukee on August 10 (6.1 innings) and 10 against Texas on August 31 (7.1 innings).
Rich had a stellar prep career at Anderson High School in Cincinnati and signed a letter of intent to attend Miami University (Ohio) after graduating, but instead elected to turn professional after the 1977 draft. He met his wife, a Sarasota (FL) native, during spring training.
He served as Chicago's player representative the last three years. His hobbies are hunting and fishing, his favorite spectator sport is football, and his favorite team growing up was the Cincinnati Reds."

-1988 New York Yankees Information Guide