The southpaw worked on a change-up in the off-season to set up his fastball which lost some velocity because of his workload.
'I need to solidify that,' he says on throwing the change-up. 'I've been looking for one that was comfortable for me. I think I've found one that will be good for me. When I establish that and establish I can throw it, it will be a big benefit to me.'
In '89 Guetterman started the season pitching 30 and two-thirds scoreless innings, and the following year he led the team with 11 wins.
But Yankee fans can rest assured the 6-8, 230-pounder from Chattanooga, TN, is prepared to come out firing once again and become a major force in relief."
-The New York Yankees Official 1992 Yearbook
"Per usual, Lee was, in 1991, one of the most frequently used pitchers for the Yankees. Over 64 appearances he was 3-4 with six saves and a 3.68 ERA.
Lee appeared in six games in April, posting a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings. He made his season debut in the club's third game, on April 11 at Detroit. From April 12-May 5 he had a string of eight consecutive scoreless appearances (10.1 IP), lowering his ERA from 13.50 to a season low 0.82.
He sparkled in May, going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA (12.2 IP) over 12 games while posting three saves in as many opportunities. Guetterman earned his first save on May 13 against Oakland, pitching a scoreless inning, and picked up the win in his final appearance of the month, on May 27 against Boston.
Guetterman appeared in 10 games in June, posting a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA (10.0 IP). For the second consecutive month his win came in his final appearance, on June 29 at Milwaukee in a 9-8 New York triumph (1.0 IP). Lee had saves in his first two July appearances: on July 1 at Cleveland, pitching a season high four innings, and on July 4th at Baltimore (1.0 IP).
His toughest month was August, going 0-1 with a save in two opportunities and posting an 8.27 ERA (16.1 IP) over 13 games. Lee rebounded in September, going 1-2 with a 2.50 ERA (18.0 IP) over 11 games and dropping his ERA to 3.56, and pitched three times in October (8.0 IP, 4 ER). After the break, he was 1-3 with a save in four opportunities and a 4.99 ERA over 33 appearances.
Guetterman finished third on the staff and second among relievers (to John Habyan) with 64 appearances. He had led the club in games pitched in each of the previous two seasons, his 64 appearances matching his 1990 total. He was part of a quartet of relievers (along with Habyan, Greg Cadaret and Steve Farr) who each appeared in 60+ games. It was the first time in club history that more than two relievers had made more than 60 appearances.
His 88 innings ranked 16th in the AL (among relievers). Lee had a .269 opponents batting average against, .175 against left-handed hitters, .305 against right-handers. He had a 4.18 ERA at home, 2.97 on the road, 2.39 in day games.
Lee had six saves in nine opportunities. He retired the first hitter upon entering the game 42 of 64 times (66%) and stranded 23 of 33 (70%) inherited baserunners. Lee came in with the bases loaded once and allowed a grand slam to Ken Griffey, Jr. Over the past three seasons he has stranded the bases full six of nine times while allowing six of 27 runners to score.
In 1991, Lee yielded six home runs for the third consecutive season, four to right-handed batters and two left-handed batters (Griffey, Jr. and Alvin Davis). The homer by Davis on May 19 was his first to a left-hander since September 26, 1989 (Mike Greenwell). Lee has allowed 40 career home runs, only five to left-handed hitters: Griffey, Jr. and Davis (1991), Greenwell (1989), Lou Whitaker and Wade Boggs (1986).
Lee pitched three-plus innings five times and posted a 2.41 ERA (18.2 IP, 5 ER) in that capacity. Over the past three seasons, he has pitched three-plus innings 18 times and posted a 1.81 ERA (64.2 IP, 45 H, 13 ER).
He signed a contract for the 1992 season.
1990 was Lee's second straight season as the most consistent of Yankee relievers. He was 11-7 with two saves and a 3.39 ERA over 64 games.
On April 25 against Seattle, over 3.1 innings, he fanned a career high seven batters but allowed two runs. He picked up his first win on April 27 against California. That game started a string of nine straight scoreless outings (13.1 IP), and Guetterman allowed one earned run over 22 outings (20.2 IP) from April 27-June 14.
May was his finest month- he pitched in 11 games, going 1-1 with a 0.63 ERA (14.1 IP). Lee did not allow an earned run through his first nine appearances in June and then allowed five in his final 16.1 innings. His final scoreless game came on June 14 against Boston (1.0 IP, 1 H), reducing his ERA to a season low 1.80. For the month, Lee was 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA (24.0 IP).
July was a month of inconsistency as his ERA rose from 2.10 to a month-ending 2.76 and he was 1-2 with a blown save. At the break he was 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA and in his final appearance of the month on July 18 strained a muscle in his right rib cage. Lee was on the 15-day disabled list from July 19-August 3.
His first game back was August 3, with Lee picking up a win against Cleveland. On August 9 at Seattle, he picked up the first of two saves in 1990, pitching 0.2 scoreless innings. The other save was on August 21 against Toronto. For the month he posted a 3-0 record and had a 2.60 ERA (17.1 IP).
He had an ERA of 2.72 through August, but a September/October ERA of 7.24 raised his season mark to a final 3.39. He picked up the Yankees' final 1990 win on October 2 at Detroit (0.1 IP).
Guetterman led Yankee pitchers in games (64) for the second straight year and his 93.0 relief innings were eighth in the league. He led the club in wins (11), becoming the first pure reliever in Yankee history to lead the team in wins. After getting saves in 13 of 14 opportunities in 1989, Guetterman was 2-for-7 in such situations in '90. He pitched at least three innings seven times (26.2 IP) and posted a 2.03 ERA. Among full-time Yankee relievers, he stranded a team-leading 50 of 67 (75%) of inherited baserunners and got the first batter out upon entering a game 48 of 64 (75%) times.
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 his next time out. Guetterman pitched 10 times in April, allowing 12 hits and no runs over 14.2 innings. He pitched nine more scoreless games (15.0 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. He pitched in 22 games through May and was 0-0 with seven saves and a 1.24 ERA.
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 but got back on track on July 30 against Toronto, pitching a season high 3.2 innings and picking up the win. He pitched in 16 games in August with a 1.31 ERA (20.2 IP) and had a string of nine consecutive scoreless outings (10.0 IP) from August 8-23. In September, he had a 1.10 ERA (16.1 IP), with a span of eight straight scoreless outings (12.0 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 103.0 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.
Guetterman was acquired by the Yankees in December 1987 from the Seattle Mariners along with pitchers Clay Parker and Wade Taylor in exchange for pitcher Steve Trout and outfielder Henry Cotto. He made two starts in 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 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 a solo homer by Robin Yount. In his first stint with the Yankees, Lee made eight relief appearances without a decision with a 2.45 ERA (14.2 IP) before being optioned to Columbus for the first time on May 13.
Lee 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, 47.1 IP, 27 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 12 BB, 23 K [0.82 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 and taking the loss while 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 (11.0 IP) before being optioned again on August 21.
Overall in his two stints at Columbus, he posted a combined record of 9-6 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. 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 in relief of Tommy John.
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 outfielder 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 (his first career appearance 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. 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. 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 (64.1 IP).
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) and was moved back to the bullpen. He made seven appearances in relief without a decision or a save with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP) before being moved back into the rotation. Lee finished the season by making two starts and winning both to raise his final record to 11-4 with a 3.81 ERA. 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, 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."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
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 a solo homer by Robin Yount. In his first stint with the Yankees, Lee made eight relief appearances without a decision with a 2.45 ERA (14.2 IP) before being optioned to Columbus for the first time on May 13.
Lee 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, 47.1 IP, 27 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 12 BB, 23 K [0.82 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 and taking the loss while 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 (11.0 IP) before being optioned again on August 21.
Overall in his two stints at Columbus, he posted a combined record of 9-6 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. 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 in relief of Tommy John.
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 outfielder 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 (his first career appearance 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. 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. 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 (64.1 IP).
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) and was moved back to the bullpen. He made seven appearances in relief without a decision or a save with a 1.69 ERA (10.2 IP) before being moved back into the rotation. Lee finished the season by making two starts and winning both to raise his final record to 11-4 with a 3.81 ERA. 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, 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."
-1992 New York Yankees Information Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment