Andy Ashby - Correct Height: 6 ft 5 inches As a rookie with the Phillies in 1991 Andy Ashby accomplished what only ten other major league pitchers ever did before and also the first Phillies to do – on June 15 1991 he struck out the side on just 9 pitches. However a few starts later with a 0-4 record he was sent back to the minors with Scranton Wilkes-Barre AAA. Although he broke a hand there, he was able to pitch in a streak 25 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Andy Ashby returned to the Phillies that season and won his first major league game on September 24 1991 defeating the Chicago Cubs. None-the-less his record for the year was 1-5 with a 6.00 ERA. In early May with a 1-0 record and a solid 3.00 ERA Andy Ashby fractured his thumb and a line drive by Mackey Sasser. It was the second time in two seasons he had a break in his right hand – his pitching hand. This time the young pitcher missed 93 games. In 1993 he was traded to the Colorado Rockies, then on August 27 1993 he was traded to San Diego Padres and joined their starting rotation. In the six seasons in San Diego he learned control and limited his walks and won some important games. In 1997 Andy Ashby was 6th lowest in the National League in walks per innings. On September 5 1997 he tossed first-pitch strikes to 23-of-32 batters and came just 3-outs from being the first Padre ever to pitch a no-hitter – yielded just two hits. In 1998 the lanky Andy Ashby won a career-high 17 games, going 17-9, with a 3.34 ERA. baseballhistorian.com |
