Tony Cloninger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Cloninger |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Cloninger in 1962.
|
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: August 13, 1940 Cherryville, North Carolina, U.S. |
|||
| Died: July 24, 2018 (aged 77) Denver, North Carolina, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| June 15, 1961, for the Milwaukee Braves | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 22, 1972, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 113–97 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.07 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,120 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Tony Lee Cloninger (born August 13, 1940 – died July 24, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. He was also a coach. Tony played as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played from 1961 to 1972. His teams included the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Contents
Tony Cloninger's Baseball Career
Playing as a Pitcher
Tony Cloninger was a strong pitcher. He had a career record of 113 wins and 97 losses. He also had 1,120 strikeouts. His ERA was 4.07. He pitched for 1,767 and two-thirds innings pitched.
His best year was in 1965 with the Braves. He won 24 games that year. He also had 211 strikeouts and a 3.29 ERA. He completed 16 games and started 40 games. He pitched 279 innings that season.
A Powerful Hitter
Cloninger was known as a tough pitcher. But he was also a dangerous hitter. He had a career batting average of .192. He hit 11 home runs and had 67 RBIs. In 1966, he hit five home runs.
On July 3, 1966, Cloninger had an amazing game. The Braves played the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco. The Braves won 17–3. Cloninger hit two grand slams in that game. He also had nine RBIs. Both of these are still records for the Braves team in a single game.
Tony Cloninger was the first player in the National League to hit two grand slams in one game. He is still the only pitcher to do this. He used a bat from his teammate, Denis Menke, for both home runs. These were the only two grand slams of his Major League career.
Cloninger finished his playing career with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. He joined the Reds in 1968. He was traded from the Braves with Clay Carroll and Woody Woodward. In return, the Braves received Milt Pappas, Bob Johnson, and Ted Davidson.
Tony Cloninger's Coaching Career
Coaching for the Yankees
After he stopped playing, Cloninger became a bullpen coach. He worked for the New York Yankees from 1992 to 2001. During this time, the Yankees won five American League championships. They also won four World Series championships.
Coaching for the Red Sox
In 2002, he became the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. In early 2003, he had to step down. He needed treatment for bladder cancer. He had been diagnosed during spring training.
In 2004, Cloninger became a player development consultant for the Red Sox. He worked in this role for almost 15 years. He continued until he passed away.
As the Red Sox pitching coach, Cloninger was once ejected from a game. This happened in 2002 against the Baltimore Orioles. After two batters were hit by pitches, fights started. Cloninger, who was 61 years old, got involved. He grabbed Orioles player Brook Fordyce in a headlock.
Tony Cloninger's Passing
Tony Cloninger passed away on July 24, 2018. He was 77 years old. He died in Denver, North Carolina.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball single-game grand slam leaders
- List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning
- Baseball record holders
