| Todd Worrell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 28, 1959 Arcadia, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 28, 1985, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 1997, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 50–52 |
| Earned run average | 3.09 |
| Strikeouts | 628 |
| Saves | 256 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Todd Roland Worrell (born September 28, 1959) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played all or part of eleven seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, serving as those teams' closer for most of his seasons from 1985 through 1997. During his playing career, Worrell was a three-time National League (NL) All-Star.
Born and raised in Arcadia, California, Worrell attended Biola University. He seldom pitched until his senior year, but his 94 mile-per-hour fastball caught the attention of a scout for the Cardinals, who made him their first round draft pick in 1982. He was expected to be a starting pitcher, but he was moved to the bullpen in 1985, when the Cardinals called him up for the playoff race. Worrell posted a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) in 17 games at the end of the year. In the 1985 World Series, he tied a World Series record by striking out six consecutive hitters, but the Cardinals lost to the Kansas City Royals in seven games. Still considered a rookie in 1986, Worrell led the NL with 36 saves, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award and the Rolaids Relief Man Award.
In 1987, he became the first pitcher to start his career with back-to-back 30-save seasons, and he made seven appearances in the playoffs that year, as the Cardinals lost the 1987 World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. He was selected to the NL All-Star team in 1988 and finished third in the NL in saves, but he then injured his ulnar nerve in 1989, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery. The recovery from the operation, as well as a later rotator cuff tear, forced him to miss all of 1990 and 1991. Lee Smith had been acquired to close in his absence, but Worrell served as his set-up man in 1992, posting a 2.11 ERA. After the season, Worrell became a free agent.
On December 9, 1992, Worrell signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers. Expected to serve as their closer, he battled injuries his first two years in Los Angeles, prompting the Los Angeles Daily News to call him "perhaps the biggest free-agent bust in baseball this season" in 1993. However, he was selected to the NL All-Star team back-to-back years in 1995 and 1996, recording 32 saves in 1995 and leading the NL in saves with 44 in 1996. That season, he finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting and 21st in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting, as the Dodgers reached the playoffs before getting swept in the NL Division Series by the Atlanta Braves. Worrell pitched one final season, recording 35 saves but posting a 5.28 ERA in 1997 before retiring. He threw a fastball and a slider.