He won 197 games in his career, very impressive. He saved 390 games in his career, also very impressive. Put it all together and it's no wonder Dennis Eckersley was a first ballot Hall of Famer. His career was far from a fairy tale come true though. He lost a wife to a team mate, battled alcoholism, and gave up a couple famous and dramatic post season home runs (he coined the term "walk off homer" after Kirk Gibson limped off the bench and took him deep in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series) but fought through it all like a champion. This is a small painting I did as part of my Cooperstown collection but gets chosen by many as one of their favorites.
Dennis Eckersley
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