Steve Olin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Steve Olin |
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Steve Olin in uniform
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: October 4, 1965 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
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| Died: March 22, 1993 (aged 27) Little Lake Nellie, Clermont, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 29, 1989, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 4, 1992, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 16–19 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.10 | ||
| Strikeouts | 173 | ||
| Saves | 48 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Steven Robert Olin (born October 4, 1965 – died March 22, 1993) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Steve was known for his special "submarine" pitching style, where he threw the ball from a very low angle. He played for four seasons before his life was sadly cut short in a boating accident in 1993.
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Early Life and College Baseball
Steve Olin was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 4, 1965. He grew up in a nearby town called Beaverton. After finishing Beaverton High School in 1984, Steve went to Portland State University. There, he played college baseball and showed great talent. He even set a record in the Pac-10 Conference by completing 31 games as a pitcher between 1984 and 1987.
Steve Olin's Baseball Career
Steve Olin played as a relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1989 to 1992. A relief pitcher is a player who comes into the game after the starting pitcher. During his career, Steve played in 195 games. He pitched for 273 innings, which means he threw the ball for that many turns.
He had a win–loss record of 16 wins and 19 losses. Steve also earned 48 saves, which means he finished games where his team was winning and kept them ahead. His earned run average (ERA) was 3.10, which is a good score for a pitcher. His last win was on September 9, 1992, against the Milwaukee Brewers.
A Sad Loss
Sadly, Steve Olin passed away during spring training before the 1993 baseball season began. He was in a boating accident on Little Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida. The boat he was in hit a pier. This accident also took the life of his teammate, Tim Crews, and seriously injured another player, Bob Ojeda.
Steve Olin and Tim Crews were the first active MLB players to die since Thurman Munson in 1979. To remember them, the Cleveland Indians wore a special patch on their jerseys during the 1993 season. The patch had both players' uniform numbers on it.
Remembering Steve
Steve Olin was a "submariner" pitcher because of his unique throwing style. Because of this, The Beatles song "Yellow Submarine" was played before each of his home game appearances for the Indians.
Years later, in 1995, the Cleveland Indians won the American League Central Division. To honor Steve, one of his favorite songs, "The Dance" by Garth Brooks, was played over the stadium speakers. The team's manager, Mike Hargrove, had asked for the song to be played.
"I thought it would mean a lot to anyone who was there [with the Indians at the time of the accident]", said Hargrove. "For those who weren't there it had no significance, but it was still a good song. It was a tribute to those guys, to their families. It was part of our promise to never forget them. We didn't tell anyone that we were going to do it. For those who knew, there wasn't a dry eye to be seen. I saw Charlie Nagy; tears were rolling down his face."
See also
- List of baseball players who died during their careers
