Paul Hartzell

Paul F. Hartzell is a former Major League baseball pitcher who played in the American League from 1976 to 1984. During that time Hartzell pitched six seasons for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Milwaukee Brewers. Hartzell retired in July 1981 but returned to baseball in 1984 and played in each level of professional baseball in one season, culminating with his first major league appearance since June 14, 1980 when he appeared in relief for the Milwaukee Brewers on September 15, 1984. That stood as the major league record for period of time between pitching appearances until broken in 2012.

Baseball career

Hartzell was selected in the 10th round of the 1975 amateur draft by the California Angels. Signing soon after being drafted, Hartzell pitched the 1975 season at the minor league A-level followed by the short season Fall Instructional League.

In 1976 Hartzell made the California Angels major league staff out of spring training. Manager Dick Williams effectively used Hartzell as a starting pitcher and late inning relief specialist. For the season Hartzell pitched in 37 games totaling 166 innings, starting 15 games of which 7 were complete games and two were shutouts. Hartzell pitched 22 games in relief, finishing 14 games and earning two saves. For the season Hartzell was 7-4 with an ERA of 2.77 which ranked seventh in the American League. Hartzell was also among the top five league leaders in fewest home runs and fewest walks allowed per nine innings. Hartzell finished 4th highest in the league in hit batsmen with 10. The California Angels finished the season with a record of 74-88 and in fifth place in the West Division of the American League.

In 1977 Hartzell's role on the pitching staff was similar to that of the prior season – a versatile arm used in the starter and late inning relief role. Appearing in 41 games totaling 189 innings, Hartzell started 23 games and had 6 complete games. In the relief role Hartzell pitched in 18 games, finishing 14 of those and earned 4 saves. On Sunday June 26, 1977 Hartzell became one of the very few major league pitchers to be credited with two wins in one day in defeating the Texas Rangers in both games of a doubleheader. For the season Hartzell finished with a record of 8-12 and an ERA of 3.57 which was 11th best in the American League. Hartzell's rate of 1.9 walks per nine innings was third best. The California Angels again ended the season with a record of 74-88 and a fifth-place finish in the West Division of the American League.

In 1978 Hartzell was primarily used in a relief role, appearing in 54 games and finishing 28 with 6 saves. As a starter Hartzell had 5 complete games among his 12 starts. Hartzell's record was 6-10 with an ERA of 3.44 which led the Angels among pitchers with more than 100 innings. The California Angels challenged for the West Division title in finishing with a record of 87-75, five games behind the Kansas City Royals.

On February 3, 1979 Hartzell was traded by the California Angels with Dave Engle, Brad Havens and Ken Landreaux to the Minnesota Twins for Future Hall of Fame player Rod Carew. During the 1980 season Hartzell was used almost exclusively as a starting pitcher by the Minnesota Twins. Hartzell started 26 times with 4 complete games and appeared in relief twice. Totaling 163 innings Hartzell's record was 6-10 with an ERA of 5.63. Hartzell was the only pitcher to beat the American League Champion Baltimore Orioles twice during the regular season and his 2.4 walks per nine innings was seventh best in the league. The Minnesota Twins finished 82 – 80 and in fourth place in the West Division. Battling injuries for much of the 1979 season and on through Spring training in 1980, Hartzell was released by the Twins and only pitched another 28 innings in the Major Leagues.

Collegiate – Lehigh University

Hartzell was a two-sport varsity athlete, starring in baseball for the Lehigh Engineers for three varsity seasons. In 1975 he posted one of the best seasons in Lehigh history for a pitcher, setting school records with 92 innings, 10 complete games and a 1.66 ERA. That mark is currently is second in school history. Hartzell graduated Lehigh in 1975 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and was inducted into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Later life

Hartzell is currently vice president of EVault, a Seagate company, and oversees the Asia Pacific operation from the headquarters in Singapore. Prior to EVault, Hartzell was senior vice president for Merrill Corporation, LLC., a firm specializing in technologies and printing for capital markets transactions such as initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions. At Merrill Corporation Hartzell was instrumental in the worldwide launch and finance-industry adoption of DataSite, a virtual data room which has redefined M & A due diligence.

Hartzell resides in Singapore and Sun Valley, Idaho, with his wife of 37 years and has two daughters, both of whom have attained post-graduate degrees.

Active in the community throughout his careers, Hartzell and family have had leadership roles in supporting the following organizations:

• Lehigh University
• Washington & Lee University
• Sun Valley Symphony
• Columbia County Historical Society, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
• Central Columbia High School, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
• Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association
• The Danny Thompson Memorial Tournament, benefiting leukemia and cancer research

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pura Pelota