19 Facts About Dave Rozema

David Scott Rozema is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1977 through 1986 for the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers.

Dave Rozema was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 22nd round of the 1974 June amateur draft, but he did not sign with the Giants, instead enrolling at Grand Rapids Community College.

In January 1975, Dave Rozema was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 1975 supplemental draft.

Dave Rozema signed with the Tigers on January 22,1975, and was assigned to the Class A Clinton Pilots managed by Jim Leyland.

Dave Rozema began the 1975 season in the bullpen, but impressed Leyland, and was promoted to the starting rotation.

Related searches

Dave Rozema relied principally on his fastball, but learned to throw a slider while with Clinton.

In 1976, Dave Rozema was promoted to the Tigers' Double-A Montgomery Rebels.

Dave Rozema attended the Tigers' 1977 spring camp as a nonroster player, but impressed manager Ralph Houk and made the major league roster without ever having played a game at the Triple-A level.

Dave Rozema made his major league debut at age 20 and, 10 days later, threw a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox.

Dave Rozema won post-season honors as the American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year and the Tigers' rookie of the year.

Dave Rozema finished fourth in the voting for Rookie of the Year and ninth for the American League Cy Young Award.

Dave Rozema formed part of a distinguished group of rookies with the 1977 Tigers that included Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Steve Kemp.

Dave Rozema ran from the dugout and attempted to deliver a flying karate kick to the Twins' John Castino, but he missed Castino and tore eight ligaments in his knee.

Dave Rozema required a knee surgery the next day and was put on the disabled list for the rest of the 1982 season.

Dave Rozema's selection was based on the "karate kick" misfire, a subsequent injury the same year in which Rozema fell on a flask in his back pocket and needed 11 stitches in his hip, an incident in which he shoved a bar glass into the face of teammate Alan Trammell resulting in 47 stitches near Trammell's eye, missing a team bus when he overslept after judging a wet T-shirt contest, and using Brillo pads to wash his new car.

On December 27,1984, Dave Rozema signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers a contract for an estimated total of $500,000 to $600,000.

Dave Rozema appeared in 34 games for the Rangers in 1985 and had a 4.

Dave Rozema then was signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox on May 20,1986, but did not play for them.

In 2003, Crain's Detroit Business reported that Dave Rozema was working as a salesman for Disposal Management LLC of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, selling the company's services to waste generators in the Detroit area.