Mark Eichhorn
Mark Eichhorn had one of the most interesting career paths to the majors. Drafted 30th overall by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 1979 amateur entry draft, Eichhorn's pitching style was rather conventional. He pitched from a three-quarters deliver and possessed good velocity on his fastball, which at the time was his go-to pitch. However, after suffering a shoulder injury in 1982, he was forced to alter his deliver to compensate for the velocity he lost on his fastball. The May 5th, 1986 edition of The Sporting News explains how the transition took place:
Eichhorn altered his delivery. He went from three-quarters motion to throwing from down under. "Once I changed my delivery it was like I was resting my shoulder," he said. "It gave my arm a year of rest. Then, as it got stronger, I brought the angle of my delivery up to throwing side-arm."
Prior to his injury, he had the potential to be an everyday major league starter. In fact, in a game that pitted the two most recent expansion teams at the time, Eichhorn had a perfect game through 6 1/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners at the Kingdome. Manny Castillo, who would go on to hit only three home runs all season, hit a home run in the 7th inning to put an end to his bid for a perfect game...
However, after he altered his delivery, he became a completely different pitcher. Rather than relying on his fastball, he consistently threw one of the best change-ups in all of baseball. In fact, in the Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers, Eichhorn's change-up is listed as one of the very best of all time.
After achieving good results with his new delivery throughout the 1985 season, Eichhorn posted one of the best seasons ever by a relief pitcher when he burst onto the major league scene in 1986. In 69 GP, he posted a record of 14-6 with an ERA of 1.72 and a microscopic WHIP of 0.96. Moreover, his ERA+ was an otherworldly 246. Had he pitched five innings in addition to the 157 he had thrown that season, he would have qualified for the ERA title and would have easily taken the crown away from Roger Clemens, whose ERA of 2.46 that season was remarkably higher than Eichhorn's. Legend has it that Eichhorn kindly turned down the chance to throw those five extra innings; a very classy gesture indeed. However, had he not missed two weeks of the season due to a brief DL stint, he would have likely qualified, regardless. In 1987, he tied an AL record by appearing in 89 games that season.
After absolutely owning right-handed batters, Eichhorn became below league average within two seasons. As a result, the Blue Jays lost confidence in him and sold him to the Atlanta Braves in 1989, where his struggles would continue. That wouldn't last for long, however, as his career was salvaged with the California Angels. He once again owned right-handed batters -- though not to the same extent as he did in 1986 -- and he no longer had trouble holding runners.
In 1992, he was traded by the Angels to the Blue Jays in exchange for Greg Myers and Rob Ducey. In what turned out to be a good trade for the Blue Jays, Eichhorn helped win two championships in his second stint with the organization. And until his final season in 1996, he consistently posted above average totals.
In the end, the quality of Eichhorn's career is probably overlooked by most contemporary baseball fans. In a Baseball Prospectus article entitled "The Top Pitchers of the 1990s," Eichhorn is listed as the 6th best relief pitcher from 1990-1998.
Mark was introduced to Lifewave by Greg Smith and he and his family have enjoyed all the products. Mark has used the Y-Age patches and the Energy Patches on his son Kevin when he pitches. He uses Icewave as a cooling down procedure instead of ice. Mark coaches at Aptos High School where Kevin is a nationally ranked high school pitcher!