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Orel Hershiser – Bowling Green (baseball):
Orel Hershiser arrived at Bowling Green in 1977 and competed for two seasons (1977-79) before embarking on a MLB career, which spanned 17 years and included a World Series Championship, was named World Series MVP, Cy Young Award winner, Gold Glove Award winner and a three-time MLB All Star.
At Bowling Green, Hershiser was a 1979 All-MAC First Team performer and was named the team’s Most Outstanding Pitcher as he went 6-2 with a 2.26 ERA, striking out 52 batters in 62.2 innings. His best outing as a Falcon came on May 4, 1979, when he threw a no-hitter at Kent State. He remains the last Falcon pitcher to toss a complete game, no-hitter. He was a 1985 inductee into the Bowling Green Athletics Hall of Fame.
Hershiser was drafted in the 17th round of the 1979 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a few seasons in the Dodgers farm system, he was called up on Sept. 1, 1983 and earned a save against Montreal the night the Dodgers clinched the 1983 National League West title.
Hershiser, nicknamed “The Bulldog”, would make the 1984 Dodgers as a reliever, but was soon converted to a starting pitcher. He finished the season with a record of 11-8 and had the longest consecutive inning scoreless streak of any pitcher with 33.2 innings in 1984. In 1985, Hershiser went 19-3 with an ERA of 2.06.
After 12 years with the Dodgers, Hershiser returned to Ohio where he spent three seasons with the Cleveland Indians, where he recorded a record of 45-21 and a 4.19 ERA in 91 games. He later played one season with both the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets before returning to the Dodgers for his final season in Major League Baseball. Hershiser retired following the 2000 season and finished his career with a 204-150 record and a 3.48 ERA.
During his time in the major leagues, Hershiser was named an All-Star three times (1987-89), awarded the National League Cy Young Award (1988), received the Gold Glove Award (1988) and the Silver Slugger Award (1993). He led the Dodgers to a World Series Championship in 1988, where he was named World Series MVP as well. Hershiser also holds the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched with 59, a feat he set in 1988.
Hershiser has published two books, the first with co-author Jerry B. Jenkins titled Out of the Blue in 1989 and describes his rise to the big leagues, allowing fans an insight of what life in Dodger Blue was like. He also released a book in 2002 titled Between the Lines: Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life, which detailed his career and the values he learned during his tenure in MLB.
Hershiser resides in Las Vegas with his wife, Dana, and son’s Orel and Jordan, along with stepson, Spencer, and stepdaughter, Sloane.
