Bill Caudill---1984
He was an All-Star?
With a big fastball and a zany
demeanor, Bill Caudill’s star shone
brightly for four seasons before it
flamed out at just 30 years of age.
Caudill first began to shine in 1980,
his second season in the bigs, as a
middle reliever/set up man for the
Chicago Cubs. Helping the woeful
Cubs (68-94) try to get a game to
closer Bruce Sutter’s split fingers was
no easy task, as Caudill pitched a
whopping 127 innings in relief.
In the days just prior to the beginning
of the 1982 season, Caudill was
traded to the Yankees, who minutes
later traded him Seattle. Caudill
assumed closing duties for the
Mariners, collecting 26 saves while
posting 12 victories with a sparkling
2.35 ERA in 1982.
It was in Seattle Caudill picked up his
nicknames, “The Inspector” and
“Cuffs.” The first came when following
a tough stretch for the Mariners
hitters, Caudill donned a Sherlock
Holmes hat and inspected the team’s
bats for the missing hits. It became
his trademark, as the Pink Panther
theme would become his entry song
at home games in the Kingdome.
He would later add the nickname
“Cuffs” after a late night (relatively
innocent) incident in a Cleveland
hotel, where manager Rene
Lachmann and teammates found
their closer in handcuffs courtesy of
hotel security.
He was also fingered as the culprit
who stole the keys to the Mariners
boat, which would deliver relievers to
the mound from the bullpen, and
then parked it in left field one night,
which caused a delay to the start of a
game.
The saves came the following year,
though not as easily, as Caudill
notched 26 more saves, but with a
4.71 ERA. Zaniness can wear thin
during a 101-loss season, thus
Caudill was shipped to Oakland
following the '83 campaign.
The right-hander regained his form in
1984 that would see him save 36
games, while finally earning respect
with his first All-Star Game selection.
In the spotlight, Caudill responded by
striking out the side in the 8th inning
that saw Tim Raines, Ryne Sandberg
and Keith Hernandez step to the
plate.
It would be his lone All-Star
appearance.
Caudill began to lose some of the zip
off his fastball, grabbing only 14
saves for Toronto in 1985 and two
saves in 1986. He would attempt a
comeback with Oakland in 1987,
where he notched the last of his 106
big league saves in six outings,
before losing the season to a broken
finger incurred defending his wife in a
hotel parking lot.
Like so many closers, fame can be
fast and fleeting, as it did for The
Inspector.
But yes, Caudill was an All-Star and
he had a pretty good night at
Candletstick in '84.
With a big fastball and a zany
demeanor, Bill Caudill’s star shone
brightly for four seasons before it
flamed out at just 30 years of age.
Caudill first began to shine in 1980,
his second season in the bigs, as a
middle reliever/set up man for the
Chicago Cubs. Helping the woeful
Cubs (68-94) try to get a game to
closer Bruce Sutter’s split fingers was
no easy task, as Caudill pitched a
whopping 127 innings in relief.
In the days just prior to the beginning
of the 1982 season, Caudill was
traded to the Yankees, who minutes
later traded him Seattle. Caudill
assumed closing duties for the
Mariners, collecting 26 saves while
posting 12 victories with a sparkling
2.35 ERA in 1982.
It was in Seattle Caudill picked up his
nicknames, “The Inspector” and
“Cuffs.” The first came when following
a tough stretch for the Mariners
hitters, Caudill donned a Sherlock
Holmes hat and inspected the team’s
bats for the missing hits. It became
his trademark, as the Pink Panther
theme would become his entry song
at home games in the Kingdome.
He would later add the nickname
“Cuffs” after a late night (relatively
innocent) incident in a Cleveland
hotel, where manager Rene
Lachmann and teammates found
their closer in handcuffs courtesy of
hotel security.
He was also fingered as the culprit
who stole the keys to the Mariners
boat, which would deliver relievers to
the mound from the bullpen, and
then parked it in left field one night,
which caused a delay to the start of a
game.
The saves came the following year,
though not as easily, as Caudill
notched 26 more saves, but with a
4.71 ERA. Zaniness can wear thin
during a 101-loss season, thus
Caudill was shipped to Oakland
following the '83 campaign.
The right-hander regained his form in
1984 that would see him save 36
games, while finally earning respect
with his first All-Star Game selection.
In the spotlight, Caudill responded by
striking out the side in the 8th inning
that saw Tim Raines, Ryne Sandberg
and Keith Hernandez step to the
plate.
It would be his lone All-Star
appearance.
Caudill began to lose some of the zip
off his fastball, grabbing only 14
saves for Toronto in 1985 and two
saves in 1986. He would attempt a
comeback with Oakland in 1987,
where he notched the last of his 106
big league saves in six outings,
before losing the season to a broken
finger incurred defending his wife in a
hotel parking lot.
Like so many closers, fame can be
fast and fleeting, as it did for The
Inspector.
But yes, Caudill was an All-Star and
he had a pretty good night at
Candletstick in '84.
