Orel Hershiser

Quick Facts

Full Name Orel Leonard Hershiser IV
Date of Birth September 16, 1958
Birth Place Buffalo, New York
Nick Name Bulldog
Religion Christianity
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Age 63 Years Old
Height 1.9 m (6 feet 2 inches)
Weight 87 kg (191.8 lb)
Hair Color Grey (now)
Eye Color Black
Build Athletic
Father’s Name Orel Leonard Hershiser III
Mother’s Name Mildred Hershiser
Siblings Brother, Gordie Hershiser
Education Cherry Hill High School EastBowling Green State University
Jersey Number 55
Wife Jamie Byars (divorced in 2005)
Dana Deaver (married in 2010)
Kids Two sons, Orel Leonard V (known as Quinton) and Jordan Hershiser
A daughter, Sloane Hershiser
Profession Baseball player
Position Pitcher
Affiliations Los Angeles Dodgers (1983–1994)
Cleveland Indians (1995–1997)
San Francisco Giants (1998)
New York Mets (1999)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2000)
Active Years 1983-2000
Net Worth $20 million
Social Media Instagram, Twitter
Merch JerseyBooks Autographed Items
Last Update August, 2022

People perceive you as being difficult to deal with despite your rugged exterior and fiery attitude.

The same is true for former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Orel Hershiser, an American who played professionally from 1983 to 2000.

We know very little about the other, delightful and enjoyable, side of his personality, so we plunge you into his more significant days with this.

The former baseball player started playing when he was a high school student, and he has since appeared in 18 MLB seasons.

While playing for different clubs, including the Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers, he accomplished many achievements and won many accolades.

He later served as a coach and team executive with the Texas Rangers before switching to work as a broadcast colour analyst for ESPN and the Dodgers when he announced his retirement.

Aside from his work, he also encourages us to step beyond of our comfort zones, and we desire to be like him.

“I’m living proof that if you work hard and never give up, even regular people can achieve amazing things.”

Childhood

Hershiser was born on September 16, 1958, to Mildred and Orel Leonard Hershiser III, a Virgo, according to the zodiac.

Gordie Hershiser is his brother, and they both are from Buffalo, New York, where he was born. His mother used to run a snack store they owned, while his father was both a baseball instructor and league administrator.

Little League Baseball.(Source=Instagram)

Hershiser’s family relocated numerous times as well; the first time was when they moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was just six years old.

When he was twelve, they went back to Toronto, Canada, and a few years later, they relocated to New Jersey.

Education and Amateur Games

Hershiser began playing games at a young age since he had a strong interest in them when he was a young child. He thus participated in state-level and inter-school events.

As a result, we can draw the conclusion that he had a solid foundation in games because, when he was eight years old, he placed third in a national hit, run, and throws competition.

He started him in Little League Baseball when he was twelve years old before his shift, and after they went to Canada, he started him in ice hockey.

He participated in hockey back then for the Greater Toronto Hockey League’s Don Mills Flyers. After finishing primary school, they moved to New Jersey, and he enrolled at Cherry Hill School East.

At that time, he began as a Freshman, moved up to Junior Varsity, and could only join the Varsity team during his Junior year.

Hershiser kept up his reputation during his senior year, setting a strikeout record in 1976 by getting rid of 15 batters in one game.

He also played the primary role while recording the best strikeout rates, earned run averages, and winning percentages. In fact, he was named to the all-conference team because of his stellar performance over the years.

College

He was unable to play baseball at Bowling Green State University because of his subpar academic performance.

He was only eligible for a partial scholarship as a result, which left him with little choice except to drop out of school.

Having said that, he did leave; nonetheless, he continued working for his father’s paper business and enrolled in summer courses to advance his education.

Orel improved his game during the same break by increasing the speed of his fastball by 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h), which was made possible by his increased weight of 15 pounds (6.8 kg).

Orel then started playing against Kent State on May 4, 1979, and with an all-Mid-American Conference All-Star team, he got a no-hitter. He struck out two batters during the entire game to earn a 2-0 victory.

How did Orel Hershiser Start His Career?

He was chosen in the 17th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers after becoming thrilled about a hoax of making it to the minor league.

His talents were questioned in his report, which led him to throw a shaky fastball, an inaccurate curveball, and a simple error.

Hershiser therefore made his professional debut with the Midwest League’s Clinton Dodgers, a Class A farm team.

He played in 11 games during his stint, starting four of them, and finished the 1979 campaign with a 4-0 record and a 2.09 ERA.

Orel was transferred to the San Antonio Dodgers of the Texas League in AA for the next season in 1980, where he played as a reliever (a pitcher).

Hershiser claimed that this season was his worst since he allowed 20 runs in seven innings and felt like giving up as a result. His supervisors were, nevertheless, encouraging enough to keep him continuing.

Later, in 1982, he was promoted to the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League, where he started seven out of 47 games and had a 3.71 earned run average for the entire season.

Hershiser won the Mulvey Award and was named the best rookie during spring training the following year, in 1983.

World Series History.(Source=Instagram)

After that, he was transferred to Albuquerque, where he appeared in 49 games for the Dukes, starting 10 of them, while compiling a 4.09 ERA. He also had 16 saves during that season.

Major League Career

The Year 1983

The Dodgers’ 8-game series against the Montreal Expos on September 1, 1983, was Hershiser’s first MLB appearance.

He pitched three hitters out of a game and by the end of the month, he had an ERA of 3.38.

He participated in the Dominican Republic’s winter ball to close off the season, where he worked on his pitching delivery with coach Dave Wallace.

The Year 1984

Orel played a key role on the Dodgers Opening Day roster, where he mostly served as a long reliever.

His moniker “Bulldog” was given to him along with the season because of how hesitant he was in the field and how much more respect he showed the hitters. On April 5 of that year, in a 12-inning game against the St. Louis Cardinals, he recorded his first victory.

Orel started being tough after receiving a lot of verbal abuse, only allowing one run throughout May’s gaming. After Jerry Reuss’ injury, he simultaneously took over as the Dodgers’ primary starter.

By the end of the season, he had started 20 of the 45 games that he had played while keeping his ERA at 2.66.

The Year 1985

He made his National League debut in the year 1985, and immediately went on a lengthy winning streak that saw him finish the season 19-3 with a 2.03 ERA.

Hershiser led the Dodgers to the NL West title and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting, on the one hand. Yet in the 1985 National League Championship Series, he had a pitching appearance.

He finished the year with a 16-16 record, a 3.06 ERA, and a successful appearance in his first All-Star Game. Right after that, Orel underwent an urgent appendectomy.

The Year 1988

Hershiser had a winning streak and a terrific year in 1988 when all he did was win championships and give the other players his skills.

Initially, Orel started the season ordinarily. Then, starting on August 30, he went on an unbroken run that allowed him to lead the league with 23 victories overall, including 267 innings pitched, 8 shutouts, and 15 complete games.

Second, he outdid former Dodger Don Drysdale’s record of 59 straight scoreless innings while moving up to third in ERA (2.26) at the same time.

In addition, he played a key role in his second All-Star game and was chosen to receive the National League Cy Young Award. Third, he competed in the 1988 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets while winning the Glove Award.

Finally, after winning the World Series MVP Award in Game 5, he was chosen as the NLCS MVP in Game 7.

By the end of the season, Hershiser had also won Sportsman of the Year from Sports Illustrated in addition to The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award.

He became the only player in history to win the Cy Young Award, MVP of the Championship Series, and MVP of the World Series all in the same year

Retirement Life

Hershiser was terminated by the Dodgers on June 26, 2000, but he continued to work as a player-personnel consultant.

Later, he quit his job and began a career as a broadcaster. He worked for the Little League World Series for ABC and ESPN in 2000–2001, and he even made an appearance on Wednesday Night Baseball for ESPN.

Orel served as General Manager John Hart’s special assistant in the fall of 2001, and on June 2, 2002, he began working as a pitching coach.

He continued to serve as a coach through 2005 before becoming the Rangers’ Executive Director until 2006.

As an analyst for Baseball Tonight, Sunday Night Baseball, and the Little League World Series soon after, Orel returned to ESPN.

Hershiser joined the Dodgers in 2014 as a television analyst to represent their brand-new local sports network SportsNet LA.

He started working with Joe Davis as the lead broadcast duo for Dodger baseball in 2017. He also worked as an announcer for the LA Dodgers.

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Pitching statistics of Orel Hershiser

The most crucial aspect of the game that affects the entire contest is pitching. Hershiser, on the other hand, has his own strategies to make it work and, as he noted in 1989, is a better pitcher himself.

Hershiser claims that he has a sinking fastball to either side of the plate, a cutter to either side of the plate (which alters his fastball’s path so it breaks instead of sinking), a curveball with three speeds and three angles, and a straight change.

His sinker also resembles batting practice fastballs.

Awards & Highlights

  • 3× All-Star (1987–1989)
  • World Series champion (1988)
  • NL Cy Young Award (1988)
  • World Series MVP (1988)
  • 2× LCS MVP (1988 & 1995)
  • Gold Glove Award (1988)
  • Silver Slugger Award (1993)
  • NL wins leader (1988)
  • MLB record 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched

 Beyond Baseball

Poker

The baseball player is gifted beyond measure; in fact, he began playing poker in 2006 while hanging out with the Summerlin, Nevada, poker instructor. When Orel signed up with Poker Royalty to pursue a career in poker, he initially began playing $2-$5 No-Limit Hold’em.

His most notable performance occurred in the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where he represented PokerStars and defended the winners Ted Forrest, Allen Cunningham, and Freddy Deeb.

Following that, he participated in the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure as well as the 2008 World Series of Poker. He had earned $54,570 throughout his employment here in 2008.

Books

Orel has led a charmed life, and throughout his journey, he has written books which are;

  • Orel Hershiser and Jerry B. Jenkins (Out of The Blue in 1989)
  • Orel Hershiser (Between The Lines: Nine Things Baseball Taught Me About Life in 2002)

How was the Networth Value of Orel Hershiser?

Hershiser’s estimated net worth as of 2022 is $20 million.

He listed his two-story Las Vegas home for $1 million in 2015.

The house has a view of the golf course and was constructed in 2004 in the Red Rock Country Club neighbourhood.

The interior of the opulent home had stone flooring, vaulted ceilings, four bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining room, as well as bathrooms. The house has a 4,100 square foot footprint.

Did you know about Relationship status of Orel?

In 1981, while Hershiser was playing in San Antonio, he wed Jamie Byars for the first time. At a team party, they first got to know one another, and within just six months, they were engaged.

Their early years were easy because of this; nonetheless, they separated in 2005 since they were unable to keep their marriage together.

Hershiser with his wife.(Source=Instagram)

He also has two sons from his first marriage, Orel Leonard V (also known as Quinton) and Jordan Hershiser.

Later, in 2005, while Dana was away on business in Minneapolis, he met his second wife, educational expert Dana Deaver.

The couple began dating and got hitched in 2010 in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Fountains. Sloane Hershiser, their daughter, was born recently.

Social Media

username on Instagram: @orelhershiser55
username on Twitter: @OrelHershiser

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