47 Facts About Todd Worrell

Todd Roland Worrell was born on September 28,1959 and is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher.

Todd Worrell 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.

Todd Worrell 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.

Todd Worrell 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.

Still considered a rookie in 1986, Todd Worrell led the NL with 36 saves, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award and the Rolaids Relief Man Award.

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Todd Worrell 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.

Todd Worrell pitched one final season, recording 35 saves but posting a 5.

Todd Worrell was born on September 28,1959, in Arcadia, California.

Todd Worrell was raised in Arcadia, and his father frequently took him to Los Angeles Dodgers games at nearby Dodger Stadium when he was growing up.

Todd Worrell was used mostly as a catcher during his junior year, though he pitched as a long reliever.

Todd Worrell was throwing up to 94 miles per hour his senior year, when he caught the attention of Steve Flores, a scout for the St Louis Cardinals who attended a Biola game to watch Tony Woods of Whittier College play.

Flores was impressed with how hard Todd Worrell threw, and the Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft.

Cardinals were hoping Todd Worrell would be a starting pitcher for them in the future.

Todd Worrell began his professional career in 1982 with the Erie Cardinals of the Single-A short season New York-Penn League.

Todd Worrell began the season with Louisville as a starter , but Fregosi grew tired of waiting for him to improve and moved him to the bullpen in the middle of the season.

Todd Worrell joined a Cardinals team that was fighting to make the playoffs.

Cardinals faced the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, and Todd Worrell pitched in four of the six games of the series, making scoreless appearances in Games 1,3, and 5.

Relieving Joaquin Andujar to begin the seventh inning of Game 6, with the score tied at four, Todd Worrell threw a scoreless seventh inning, then gave up a home run to Mike Marshall to start the eighth.

In Game 1 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, Todd Worrell relieved John Tudor with two outs in the seventh and runners on first and third.

Todd Worrell's 36 saves were a record for MLB rookies at the time, though this has since been surpassed by multiple pitchers.

Todd Worrell struck out Sandberg and Andre Dawson to end the inning with no runs scoring, then threw two more scoreless innings for the save.

Todd Worrell did not allow either of the runners to score and pitched three scoreless innings for the save.

Todd Worrell finished the year with 33 saves, becoming the first major league pitcher to have at least 30 saves in each of his first two full seasons.

Todd Worrell got one out but gave up an RBI double to Candy Maldonado and left the bases loaded before getting replaced by Dayley, who finished the game without letting any more runs score to earn the save.

Todd Worrell got the last two outs of the inning and the first out of the ninth, then was replaced by Dayley because a left-hander was due up.

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Todd Worrell spent the rest of the game there, as Dayley retired both of the hitters he faced.

Todd Worrell gave up a triple to Gary Gaetti that scored both of the runners, but he got Tom Brunansky to fly out to end the inning, then threw a scoreless ninth to earn the save.

In Game 7, Todd Worrell entered in the sixth with the game tied at two, no outs, and runners on first and second.

Todd Worrell retired two of the first three hitters he faced, but Roy Smalley walked to load the bases.

Todd Worrell intentionally walked John Kruk to load the bases, then gave up a sacrifice fly to Garry Templeton.

Todd Worrell finished the year with 32 saves in 41 opportunities; the 32 saves helped him rank third in the NL, behind John Franco and Jim Gott.

In 1989, Todd Worrell got a "whopping" raise according to the Associated Press, as his salary was increased from $215,000 to $875,000; Todd Worrell had threatened to take the Cardinals to arbitration if they did not offer him at least $862,500.

Todd Worrell came back in 1992 but just as a set-up man, as the Cardinals had acquired veteran Lee Smith in his absence; Smith had led the NL in saves in 1991 with 47.

Todd Worrell had 129 saves with the Cardinals, briefly the team record until Smith broke it in 1993.

Todd Worrell began the 1993 season as the team's closer but hurt his right elbow in only the second game of the year and went on the disabled list, losing the closer role to Gott in his absence.

In 1995, Todd Worrell opened the year with a scoreless streak, not allowing a run until July.

Todd Worrell struck out Jeff Conine but then walked the next two hitters to load the bases.

Todd Worrell converted 32 saves in 36 opportunities, ranking fourth in the NL in saves.

Todd Worrell enjoyed what reporter Jason Reid called "his best season" in 1996.

Todd Worrell finished the season with a career-high 44 saves, tied with Jeff Brantley's total for the NL lead and a Dodger single-season record until Eric Gagne had 52 in 2002.

Todd Worrell finished fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting and finished 21st in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Todd Worrell threw a scoreless ninth in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Braves, but that was his only appearance of the series as Atlanta swept Los Angeles in three games.

Todd Worrell had 35 saves but blew nine, topped only by the 11 blown by Greg McMichael of the Mets.

Todd Worrell retired following the 1997 season, with agent Rich Bry explaining the decision was because of a desire to spend more time with his family.

Todd Worrell's 127 saves with the Dodgers were the team's record for a few years, until Jeff Shaw recorded his 128th with Los Angeles in 2001.

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Todd Worrell used to be the pitching coach for the River City Rascals, a former franchise in the independent Frontier League.

Three years, Todd Worrell served as president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes; he has been involved in the organization for more than 14 years.