American baseball player and coach (born 1951)
Baseball player
William Glenn Abbott (born February 16, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and former pitching coach for the Syracuse Mets. During an 11-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1973–76), Seattle Mariners (1977–81; 1983), and Detroit Tigers (1983–84). Abbott, along with Vida Blue, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers combined for the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history.
Professional career
Oakland Athletics
Abbott was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round of the 1969 MLB Draft.
On September 28, 1975, Abbott pitched one inning of a no-hitter over the California Angels on the last day of the regular season, relieving Vida Blue, who threw the first five innings. Abbott retired Ike Hampton, Jerry Remy and Dave Chalk in order in the sixth inning before being replaced by Paul Lindblad and later Rollie Fingers. This was the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history.[citation needed] He pitched four seasons with the Athletics going 13−16 with a 4.08 ERA in 73 games, 45 for starts.
Seattle Mariners
In November 1976, Abbott was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 MLB expansion draft. He played for the Mariners longer than any other player from their original 1977 opening day roster. Abbott led all Mariners pitchers in wins in 1977 and 1980, winning 12 games in each of those seasons. Abbott said this about being chosen by the Mariners:
Wes Stock, my pitching coach in Oakland, had gone up there, and I was excited about going to a new ballclub, but I never dreamed the team would be so crummy. I went from an A's team that had won three straight World Series with still quite a few veterans on it, to a team of young guys who didn't know what they could do.[1]
Abbott finished his career with the Mariners going 44−62 with a 4.54 ERA in 155 games, 146 for starts.
Detroit Tigers
On August 23, 1983, Abbott's contract was purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the Mariners for $100,000.[2] In two seasons with the Tigers, Abbott was 2−2 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 games, 15 for starts before his release on August 14, 1984.
Coaching career
As listed below, Abbott has had a long career with many different stops as a minor league pitching coach.[citation needed]
1985: Little Falls. 1986-1987: Jackson Mets. 1990; 1993-1996: Huntsville Stars. 1991-1992: Tacoma Tigers. 1999: Midland RockHounds. 2000-2002: Modesto A's. 2003-2004: Oklahoma RedHawks. 2005: Spokane Indians. 2006: Mobile BayBears. 2007; 2010: San Antonio Missions. 2008-2009: Portland Beavers. 2011: Savannah Sand Gnats. 2012-2016: Binghamton Mets. 2017: Binghamton Rumble Ponies. 2018: Las Vegas 51s. 2019: Syracuse Mets
Personal life
Abbott was married to his wife Patti in 1971. They have three children: Todd, Jeff, and Amy.
