1990 Profile: Lee Guetterman

"Guetterman didn't fit into the Yanks' plans at the start of spring training but emerged as their most dependable pitcher.
He launched the year with 30 2/3 scoreless innings, a major league record for a reliever from the start of the season. He was not scored upon until his 20th appearance when California dented him for five runs in two innings. Guetterman recorded his first major league save on April 12 against Toronto and finished with 13 saves.
The key to his success is his ability to consistently throw strikes. His fine sinker enhances double play possibilities whenever he enters.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Seattle drafted Guetterman in the fourth round in 1981. The Yanks made a great deal when they acquired him from the Mariners with Clay Parker and Wade Taylor for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto prior to 1988. His value was significantly higher than his $137,500 salary in 1989."

-Tom Pedulla, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1990 Edition

"Lee Guetterman will always remember The Streak. For the first 30 2/3 innings of his 1989 season, the straw-thin southpaw went unscored upon, and in the process set a major league record.
Before the season started, Guetterman stood little chance of making the team, never mind setting a record. But hard work and an impressive spring training set the tone for the rest of the year.
He emerged as a main force out of the bullpen, and will combine with newcomer Jeff Robinson this season to shape one of the league's most formidable middle-relief duos."

-The New York Yankees Official 1990 Yearbook

"The most consistent of Yankee relievers in 1989, Lee had an outstanding season. He was 5-5 with 13 saves and a 2.45 ERA over 70 games.
Lee started the season on fire, going 20 outings before allowing a run. On April 12 at Toronto he pitched one inning in a 5-3 Yankee win for his first major league save. He registered his second save in his second game two days later. Guetterman pitched 10 times in April, allowing 12 hits and no runs over 14.2 innings. He pitched nine more scoreless games (15 innings) in May with four more saves before allowing a run; on May 24 against the Angels, he pitched a scoreless inning before allowing a leadoff home run to Chilli Davis in the ninth inning to break his scoreless inning streak at 30.2. Guetterman pitched in 22 games through May and was 0-0 with seven saves and a 1.24 ERA.
He pitched in nine games in June and had a 4.15 ERA (13 IP, 6 ER). He earned his first win of the season on June 14 at Baltimore, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing four hits in a 2-1 Yankee win. Through June, Lee had a 2.01 ERA. He picked up a save on July 4 at Detroit with two scoreless innings, and through the break was 1-1 with 10 saves and a 2.05 ERA.
Lee had a rocky beginning after the break. On July 14 (second game) against Kansas City he allowed four runs on five hits over 0.1 innings, including a three-run homer to Danny Tartabull. On the next road trip, he pitched in five games and was 0-3 with a 14.73 ERA (3.2 IP, 6 ER), boosting his ERA from 2.61 to a season-worst 3.32. On July 30 against Toronto, Guetterman got back on track, pitching a season high 3.2 innings, allowing one hit and no runs and picking up the win.
He pitched in 16 games in August with a 1.31 ERA (20.2 IP, 3 ER), dropping his ERA from 3.14 to 2.70. Guetterman had a string of nine consecutive scoreless outings (10 IP) from August 8-23. In September, he had a 1.10 ERA (16.1 IP, 2 ER), with a span of eight straight scoreless outings (12 IP) from August 27-September 16. From August 8 through the end of the season, he compiled a 0.86 ERA (31.2 IP, 3 ER), dropping his ERA from 3.15 to a season-ending 2.45.
With 30.2 scoreless innings at the start of the season, Lee now holds the major league record for scoreless innings at the beginning of a season by a relief pitcher. It was also the longest scoreless innings streak by any pitcher since Harry 'The Cat' Brecheen started the 1948 season with 32.0 scoreless innings for the Cardinals.
Lee had a team low 2.45 ERA and a team high 70 appearances, the most by a Yankee pitcher since Dave Righetti pitched in 74 in 1986. He was fifth in the American League (10th in the majors) in games and his 103 innings were seventh among AL relievers. He had 13 saves in 14 opportunities.
He prevented a club best 52 inherited runners from scoring. Guetterman entered the game with the bases loaded six times and four times left them full (15 of 18 runners stranded overall in such situations). He pitched at least three innings six times and allowed two runs on 11 hits over 19.1 innings (0.93 ERA) in such situations.
He signed a contract for the 1990 season.
Guetterman was acquired by the Yankees in December 1987 from the Seattle Mariners along with Clay Parker and Wade Taylor in exchange for Steve Trout and Henry Cotto. He made two starts and 20 appearances in 1988, finishing with a record of 1-2 and a 4.65 ERA. In his 18 relief appearances Guetterman retired the first batter he faced 11 times (he was 7-for-11 retiring the first batter he faced when runners were on base) and prevented 12 of 16 inherited runners from scoring.
He came north with the Yankees at the beginning of the season, making his Yankee debut in a relief outing on April 8 against Milwaukee, giving up one run (a solo homer by Robin Yount, one of the two home runs he would give up all year) in one inning pitched. In his first stint with the Yankees, Lee made eight relief appearances without a decision with a 2.45 ERA (4 ER, 14.2 IP), with his last relief appearance coming on May 6 at Texas before being optioned to Columbus for the first time on May 13.
Lee made 16 starts with the Clippers, going 8-6 with a 2.88 ERA. He was named Yankee Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July, going 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA (6 G, 6 GS, 4 CG, 23 K [0.828 WHIP]).
He was recalled to New York on August 5. In the second game of a doubleheader that day against Minnesota, Lee made the first of two starts as a Yankee, losing 11-2 while allowing five runs on six hits in just three innings and giving up a solo homer to Greg Gagne, the second of the two home runs he allowed all year. After that start, he made five relief appearances, going 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA (9 ER, 11 IP) before being optioned on August 21. Included in those relief appearances was an outing on August 16 against California when he gave up six runs (earned) in just 1.1 innings in the Angels' 15-6 win.
Guetterman made two starts in his second tour with the Clippers, going 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA (3 ER, 14.1 IP). Overall in his two stints at Columbus, he posted a combined record of 9-6 in 18 games (all starts) with a 2.76 ERA and a .237 batting average against while averaging just one homer every 53.1 innings pitched. Guetterman finished sixth in the International League in ERA.
He was recalled a second time by the Yankees on September 5. On September 24 against Boston, Lee pitched a scoreless inning of relief and was credited with his only win of the year in the Yankees' 5-4 victory. It was his first major league win since October 3, 1987, when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners. In his next appearance, September 28 at Baltimore, he made his second start of the year and was charged with the Yankees' 2-0 loss, giving up seven hits and two runs (earned) with two walks and two strikeouts in 3.2 innings pitched. Lee made one outing after that, a relief appearance on October 1 at Detroit, when he registered his only blown save of the year, going one inning while giving up four hits and one run (earned), allowing a runner inherited from Tommy John and runner of his own to score and letting the Tigers tie the game 5-5. Guetterman received a no-decision in Detroit's eventual 6-5 win. He has three career complete games, with his last coming on July 2, 1987 in Seattle against Detroit in a 5-2 Mariner win.
He was originally selected by the Mariners in the fourth round (second selection) of the June 1981 free agent draft (with a choice from California as compensation for the signing of Juan Beniquez). In his first professional season, Guetterman ranked fifth in the [short-season] class-A Northwest League with a 2.68 ERA at Bellingham and posted a record of 6-4. In his first season at Bakersfield (Class-A California League) in 1982, he was 7-11 in 26 starts with a 4.44 ERA. His 3.22 ERA at Bakersfield in 1983 ranked him 10th in the league (and second among left-handers) and he finished with a 12-6 record in 25 starts.
Lee spent the 1984 season at AA Chattanooga, where he went 11-7 with a 3.38 ERA. He was recalled to Seattle after the minor league season on September 7 and made his major league debut on September 12 in relief against Texas in the Mariners' 8-1 loss, receiving a no-decision. He made two more relief outings for the Mariners that month.
He was assigned to Calgary from spring training in 1985 and spent the entire season there. He recorded a 5-8 record with a 5.79 ERA. 18 of his 20 appearances were starts and he tossed two complete games. Lee spent most of the 1986 season with the Mariners, going 0-4 with a 7.34 ERA in 41 games (four starts). He made his first major league start on June 7 (second game) at Texas, going the distance in the Mariners' 3-2 loss. He finished third on the club in appearances and also was 1-0 in Calgary in four starts with a 5.59 ERA.
He was the third leading winner on the Mariner staff in 1987 with a record of 11-4 in 25 games (17 starts) and posted a 3.81 earned run average, the best ERA among the club's starters. His winning percentage of .733 tied for first in the major leagues (among pitchers with 15 or more decisions) with Toronto's John Cerutti and Montreal's Dennis Martinez, who also were 11-4.
He was not on the Mariners' 40-man winter roster and did not attend major league spring training in 1987, and opened the season at Calgary, Seattle's AAA affiliate. He was purchased by the Mariners on May 21 when Edwin Nunez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. At that point, Lee was 5-1 at Calgary with a save in 16 appearances (two starts) with a 2.86 ERA.
Lee won his first appearance after his recall to Seattle, a relief outing on May 27 against the Yankees in New York, pitching two hitless innings and giving up one run, and was credited with Seattle's 6-5 victory. He was moved into the rotation after that, and in his first five starts, from May 31 to June 21, he went 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Lee concluded that streak on June 21 at Cleveland, pitching a 3-hit shutout against the Indians in the Mariners' 5-0 victory; it was his first major league shutout and his second big league complete game.
At that point, his overall record was 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six appearances (five starts), and his five-game winning streak was the longest by a Mariner in '87. After having his streak stopped in Kansas City on June 27 (losing 6-0 on a Bret Saberhagen 3-hitter), Guetterman pitched his second complete game of the season in his next start, on July 2 against Detroit, recording a season-high five strikeouts in Seattle's 5-2 victory. That started a three-game winning streak in three consecutive starts to raise his first-half record to 8-1 in 10 games (nine starts) with a 3.36 ERA.
In his first six starts after the All-Star break through August 15, however, Lee went 1-3 with a 6.29 ERA (24.1 IP, 17 ER) and was moved back to the bullpen. He made seven appearances in relief after that without a decision or a save with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP, 2 ER) before being moved back into the rotation. Lee finished the season by making two starts and winning both. Overall in 17 games started he was 10-3 with a 4.05 ERA.
Lee graduated from Oceanside (California) High School in 1977, where he earned All-County honors as a first baseman. He graduated from Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg, Virginia where one of his teammates was Sid Bream of the Pirates, and also pitched for La Romana (Dominican Republic) in winter ball.
His favorite team growing up was the San Diego Padres, his favorite ballpark is Texas Stadium and his most memorable moment in sports was 'throwing a 3-hit shutout against Cleveland on Father's Day' in 1987. His favorite entertainer is Bill Cosby."

-1990 New York Yankees Information Guide