Clint Hurdle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clint Hurdle |
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Hurdle in 2012
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| Outfielder / Manager | |||
| Born: July 30, 1957 Big Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 18, 1977, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 26, 1987, for the New York Mets | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .259 | ||
| Home runs | 32 | ||
| Runs batted in | 193 | ||
| Managerial record | 1,269–1,345–1 | ||
| Winning % | .485 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Clint Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager. He played as an outfielder for several teams, including the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. After his playing days, Hurdle became a manager. He led the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
When he was 20, Sports Illustrated called Hurdle a "phenom," meaning he was seen as a very talented young player. He played in 515 major league games. As a manager, he led the Rockies in 2007 to their first ever National League (NL) pennant. This meant they reached the World Series. In 2010, the Pirates hired him as their manager. In 2013, Hurdle helped the Pirates have their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1992. He was named the NL Manager of the Year for that season.
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Clint Hurdle's Early Life
Clint Hurdle was named after his father, Clinton. His father played college baseball for Ferris State University. When Clint was four, his family moved from Michigan to Florida. This was because his father got a job at the Kennedy Space Center.
As a child, Hurdle was a bat boy for a minor league team called the Cocoa Astros. He graduated from Merritt Island High School in Merritt Island, Florida. He was offered scholarships to play college baseball and college football (as a quarterback) at the University of Miami. He was also accepted to Harvard University. However, he chose to play professional baseball instead.
Clint Hurdle's Playing Career
The Kansas City Royals picked Hurdle in the first round of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. He was the ninth player chosen overall. He signed with the Royals and received a $50,000 bonus.
Hurdle made his major league debut with the Royals in 1977. In 1978, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The headline called him "This Year's Phenom."
Hurdle played for the Royals until 1981. He had his best year in 1980. He started 109 games in right field for the Royals, who won the American League pennant. Hurdle also played in four games during the 1980 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1981. After playing for the Reds in 1982, he moved to the New York Mets in 1983. He spent most of that season with their Triple-A team, the Tidewater Tides. In 1983, Hurdle set a record for the Tides with 105 runs batted in. He also played in 13 games for the Mets.
Hurdle later played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. He ended his playing career in 1987 at age 29. During his career, he played many positions. These included right field, first base, third base, catcher, and designated hitter.
Hurdle also played winter baseball in Venezuela for the Tiburones de La Guaira. In his first season (1977–78), he led the league in home runs with 18. He also batted .305 with 52 RBIs.
Clint Hurdle's Managerial Career
Starting as a Manager
After his playing career ended in 1987, Hurdle became a manager. In 1988, he managed the St. Lucie Mets, a Class A-Advanced team. He also managed other minor league teams. These included the Jackson Mets (1990) and the Norfolk Tides (1992–1993).
Managing the Colorado Rockies
In 1994, Hurdle joined the Colorado Rockies team as a minor league hitting instructor. He became the Rockies' hitting coach in 1997. In 2002, he was promoted to manager.
In 2007, Hurdle led the Rockies to their best season ever. They won 90 games and lost 73. They won 13 of their last 14 games to force a special tie-breaker game. They beat the San Diego Padres to win the National League Wild Card spot. This was only the second time the Rockies reached the playoffs.
Hurdle's Rockies then beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series. They swept them in three games. Then they faced the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. The Rockies continued their amazing winning streak. They swept Arizona in four games to win their first ever National League pennant. This meant they reached the 2007 World Series.
In the World Series, Colorado played the Boston Red Sox. But the Rockies' winning streak ended, and they lost in four games. Hurdle was fired in May 2009 after a tough start to the season. He then worked as a TV analyst for MLB Network.
Coaching the Texas Rangers
On November 4, 2009, Hurdle became the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers. In 2010, Hurdle helped the Rangers win their first American League pennant. They later lost to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.
Managing the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates hired Hurdle as their manager on November 14, 2010. In 2011, Hurdle led the Pirates to a 47–43 record by the All-Star break. This was the first time the Pirates had a winning record at the All-Star break since 1992. In 2012, they also had a winning record at the All-Star break. However, both seasons ended with the Pirates having losing records.
During the 2013 season, the Pirates played very well. On September 9, 2013, the Pirates won their 82nd game. This meant they would not have a losing season. On September 23, 2013, the Pirates won their 90th game. They also secured their first playoff spot since 1992. Under Hurdle, the Pirates finished the 2013 season with 94 wins and 68 losses.
In the playoffs, the Pirates won the 2013 National League Wild Card Game. But they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 National League Division Series. Hurdle won the National League Sporting News Manager of the Year Award in 2013.
In 2014, the Pirates made the playoffs again. They had 88 wins and 74 losses. They lost the 2014 National League Wild Card Game to the San Francisco Giants.
In 2015, the Pirates again made the postseason. They had an excellent record of 98 wins and 64 losses. However, they lost the 2015 National League Wild Card Game to the Chicago Cubs.
In 2016, the Pirates missed the postseason. Hurdle reached 1,000 wins as a manager on June 24. In 2018, the Pirates had a winning record of 82–79. However, they did not make the playoffs.
On September 28, 2019, Hurdle was fired as manager. This was after the team had a tough second half of the season. He later retired from baseball on November 12, 2019.
Return to the Colorado Rockies
On December 9, 2021, Hurdle came out of retirement. He rejoined the Colorado Rockies team. He now works as a special assistant to the general manager.
Managerial Record
| Team | From | To | Regular season record | Post–season record | ||||||
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| G | W | L | Win % | G | W | L | Win % | |||
| Colorado Rockies | 2002 | 2009 | 1159 | 534 | 625 | .461 | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 2011 | 2019 | 1456 | 735 | 720 | .505 | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 |
| Total | 2615 | 1269 | 1345 | .485 | 19 | 10 | 9 | .526 | ||
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Clint Hurdle's Family Life
Clint Hurdle has children. He has a daughter named Ashley. With his wife Karla (married 1999), he has two more children. Their daughter Madison was born in 2002 with Prader-Willi Syndrome. They also have a son named Christian, born in 2004.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins
