Is married...wife's name is Tracy...the couple has three sons named Brody, Quinn and WyattGraduated from Savanna (Calif.) High School, where he played baseball and basketball...Attended Cypress College and the University of Arizona...His brother, Glenn, was a Major League infielder with Boston, Los Angeles and California from 1980-89...he is now the third-base coach with San Diego...His father, Ed, was a singing usher at the "Big A" in Anaheim for Angels games...a marine, he had been a singer with the Royal Guards, a troupe that traveled the world and played Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra...As a member of the Padres was a six-time nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award...Received the 1999 Chairman's Award, presented to the Padres player or coach who best exemplifies the community spirit of the Moores family...Was a national spokesman for Major League Baseball's support of "The Big Bam's" Breast Cancer Awareness program in 2002...Was the recipient of the 2004 Hutch Award, presented by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to the Major League Baseball player displaying honor, courage and dedication to baseball both on and off the field...Provides support to the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California...Hoffman lost a kidney as an infant...He and his wife purchase tickets for Marine families, many with a deployed parent.
2009
Signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on 1/13...Began the season on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle (missed the first 17 games)...Was reinstated from the disabled list on 4/26 after a pair of rehab appearances at Triple-A Nashville...Went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 37 saves in 55 relief appearances during his first season with the Brewers...Extended his all-time Major League saves record to 591...Ranked fifth in the National League in saves (37)...Went 37-for-41 in save opportunities (90.2%)...Took his only blown saves on 6/17 at Cleveland, 7/10 vs. Los Angeles, 9/8 vs. St. Louis and 10/4 at St. Louis...His 89.3 career save percentage (591-for-662) trails only Mariano Rivera (89.5%, 526-for-588) among pitchers with at least 300 opportunities...Had 20 or more saves for the 15th time and 30 or more
saves for the 14th time, extending his own Major League records...His 1.83 ERA was the second-lowest of his career behind only his 1.48 mark in 1998 with San Diego...Was an All-Star for the seventh time...replaced the Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton...allowed 1 hit in 1.0 inning...Named National League Pitcher of the Month for May
and Brewers Pitcher of the Month for May and August...Was unscored on in 47 of his 55 appearances, including each of his first 18 outings of the season (18 IP)...Retired 42 of 55 first batters faced (76.4%)...Held opponents to a .183 batting average...Made his Brewers debut on 4/27 vs. Pittsburgh (1 IP) and earned his first save as a Brewer the next night against the Pirates (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K).
2008
Went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 30 saves in 48 relief
appearances during his final season with San Diego...Went 30-for-34 in save opportunities, bringing his career total to 554 saves, extending his Major League record...Tied for sixth in the National League in saves...Held opponents to a .224 batting average...Recorded 20 or more saves for the 14th time to set a new Major League record (Lee Smith, 2nd, 13 times)...Recorded 30 or more saves for the 13th time, extending
his own Major League record...His 3.77 ERA was his highest since 1995 (3.88)...Posted a 5.14 ERA through his first 29 appearances (28 IP, 16 ER) and a 1.56 ERA in his last 19 appearances of the season (17.1 IP, 3 ER)...Finished with 902 career appearances as a Padre, extending his own Major League record for games pitched with one team...Signed as a free agent with Milwaukee on 1/13/09.
2007
SUMMARY: All-time saves leader with 524 career saves, converted 42 saves in 49 opportunities while posting
a 4-5 mark and 2.98 ERA (19 ER/57.1 IP) in 61 appearances...42 saves were third most among National
League pitchers...reached 60 appearances for 11th time in his career...recorded 44 strikeouts compared to
15 walks...held opponents to a .228 average (49-for-215), including limiting right-handed hitters to a .169
clip (20-for-118)...did not allow a run in 48 of his 61 outings...tallied a 1.80 ERA (7 ER/35.0 IP) at PETCO Park,
converting 23 of 24 save opportunities to go with a 3-2 record at home.
MR. 500: Became the first pitcher in Major League history to reach the 500-save plateau on 6/6...tossed a
scoreless ninth against the Dodgers.
20, 30, 40: Recorded his 20th save of the season and 500th as a Padre with a scoreless 10th inning on 6/26
at SF, marking his 13th season with at least 20 saves...according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 13 campaigns
with 20 saves ties Lee Smith for the most all-time...notched his 30th save 8/16 vs. COL, extending his own
Major League record with his 12th, 30-save season...collected his 40th save 9/20 vs. PIT, extending his Major
League record for 40-save seasons to nine.
ALL-STAR AGAIN: Named a National League All-Star for the sixth time in his career, working 1.0 inning of
one-hit ball during a scoreless ninth in the Midsummer Classic at San Francisco's AT&T Park on 7/10.
SITTING DOWN 1,000: Recorded 1,000th career strikeout on 9/8 at COL in the ninth inning (Todd Helton)...
according to the Elias Sports Bureau, only seven other relievers in Major League Baseball history have
recorded 1,000 strikeouts: Hoyt Wilhelm (1,359), Goose Gossage (1,340), Lee Smith (1,225), Rollie Fingers
(1,183), Jesse Orosco (1,169), Lindy McDaniel (1,164) and Billy Wagner (1,014).
DELIVERY MAN OF THE MONTH: Named winner of the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery
Man of the Month Award" for May, his third career Delivery Man of the Month honor...was 11-for-11 in save
opportunities during the month, tied with Colorado's Brian Fuentes for the most saves in the Major Leagues
in May...allowed no earned runs in 13 games, striking out 10 batters and walking one over 12.1 innings
while only surrendering six hits...was also one of 10 finalists for the Delivery Man of the Year award.
JUNE AND JULY BOOM: A perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities, yielding two runs (one earned) in 10.0
innings (0.90 ERA) in June...converted each of five save opportunities, allowing just one hit and walking one
batter while compiling six strikeouts in five July outings.
ONE-TEAM TENURE: Made his 803rd appearance with the Padres on 4/28 vs. LAD, breaking the Major
League record for games pitched with one team...Walter Johnson pitched in 802 games for the Washington
Senators and Roy Face appeared in 802 contests with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
PETCO PARK PROWESS: Converted 22 consecutive save opportunities at home from 4/28 through the
end of the season, posting a 0.89 ERA (3 ER/30.1 IP) over 31 games during that span.
TOP 25: Converted 25 consecutive save opportunities over 33 games from 4/28-8/5, going 1-1 with a 0.84 ERA
(3 ER/32.1 IP) during that stretch...struck out 20 batters and walked five during the 33-game span.
2006
SUMMARY: Converted 46 of 51 save opportunities (.902) to lead the National League for the second time
in his career...passed Lee Smith on the all-time list and now sits at 482 career saves...went 0-2 with a 2.14
ERA (15 ER/63.0 IP)...held opponents to a .206 average (48-for-233)...62 of his 65 appearances were for 1.0
inning of work...did not convert his first save until April 13 at Florida, the ninth game of the season...allowed
only one run over 7.0 innings in April...tallied eight saves in May, posting a 1.50 ERA (2 ER/12.0 IP)...picked up
his 450th career save June 9 vs. Florida, allowing one run on two hits in 1.0 frame...appeared in the All-Star
game for the fifth time in his career...converted all seven of his save opportunities in August, not allowing
a run in 10 appearances (9.1 innings)...after the season, he was named the Padres Pitcher of the Year and
received the inaugural Fireman's Award which is given to San Diego's top reliever.
MOWING 'EM DOWN: Had not allowed a run in 10.0 consecutive innings (June 14-July 8) before being
tagged for three over 0.2 inning July 14 vs. Atlanta.
BY THE WAY: Converted his 30th save of the season Aug. 5 vs. Washington, giving him his Major League best
11th 30-save season...passed Lee Smith for sole possession of the record...extended his own Major
League record when he tallied save number 40 on Sept. 19 vs. Arizona...his all-time mark for 40-save
seasons is now eight...recorded the second highest save total of his career with 46 in 2006...the Padres went
55-10 in his 65 appearances.
R-E-L-I-E-F: Won the National League Rolaids Relief Man Award for the second time in his career, accumulating
124 points to beat New York's Billy Wagner (112)...he is tops all-time with 1,332 career points in the
Rolaids Relief standings.
DIVISION DOMINANCE: Converted the save in his only playoff appearance in 2006, working 1.0 perfect inning with one strikeout October 7 at St. Louis...has now converted all three of his career save opportunities in the Division
Series, allowing two earned runs over 6.2 innings of work (2.70 ERA).
CLOSE RACE: Finished second in the 2006 Cy Young voting to Arizona's Brandon Webb...received 77 total points
compared to Webb's 103, including 12 first-place votes...Hoffman was listed on 23 of the 32 ballots cast by the
Baseball Writers' Association of America.
2005
Converted 43 of 46 save opportunites in
2005...the 43 saves match the second-highest total of his career
(53 in 1998) and ranked second in the National League trailing only Chad Cordero of Washington (47)...the
Padres went 51-9 in his 60 appearances...Notched the 400th save of his career May 6 at St. Louis, becoming just the third player to
reach that milestone...three days later on May 9 at Cincinnati, tallied his 402nd save, and his 400th with the
Padres, becoming the first pitcher with 400 saves for a single team...Converted his 32nd save of the season, and the 425th of his career in
the Padres 7-4 win over the Astros on August 24...with the save, surpassed John Franco (424) for second
place on the all-time saves list...finished the season with 436 career saves, trailing all-time leader Lee Smith
(478 saves), by 42 for first place...Named National League Pitcher of the Month for May after converting 12 of 12 save
opportunities while posting a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP) in 12 games...earned the honor for the first time in
his career, becoming only the seventh Padres' pitcher and second Padres' reliever (Mark Davis; April, 1989)
selected...Beginning April 30, converted 38 consecutive save opportunities, the second-longest stretch
of his career...Hoffman's longest streak was 41 straight converted saves August 24, 1997-July 25, 1998.
2004
Returned to form after an injury shortened 2003... saved 41 games, tying him for sixth among league leaders... was responsible for saving or winning 51% (44-of-87) of the Padres 87 victories... his 91.1 save percentage marked his fifth time converting at least 90% of his save opportunities and ranked third among NL leaders... his 2.30 ERA (14 ER/54.2 IP) was his lowest since 1999 (2.14) and ranked eighth among NL leaders (one-third IP per team game)... the Padres finished the season 77-3 when leading after the eighth inning... has saved 391 games while with the Padres extending his own Major League record for most saves with one team... tossed 1.1 innings September 21st vs. Arizona, marking the first time he had thrown more than 1.0 inning since September 12, 2002 (2.0 innings)... his 55 appearances were his fewest in a full season since 1995 (also 55 games)... Padres went 48-7 in games in which he pitched... saved back-to-back-to-back games April 27-29, the first time he had done so since August 13-15, 2002... recorded 11 saves in the month
of July, his highest total of the season and the second most in baseball (Jose Mesa - Pittsburgh) during the month... over his final 11 appearances, spanning 11.0 innings, allowed just four hits with no runs (0.00 ERA) while striking out 17... tallied 10 saves and one victory in that time frame.
AMONG THE GREATS: In his 12th big league campaign, surpassed Jeff Reardon (367) and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Eckersley (390) for third place on the all-time saves list... on June 21 vs. Arizona, tossed 1.0 inning while striking out one to tally his 368th save to move into sole possession of fourth place... on September 18 at San Francisco, retired A.J. Pierzynski, the only batter he faced, on a foul out to third base to record his 391st career save to claim third place on the all-time list.
30'S AND 40'S: With his 30th save of the season on August 10 at Chicago (NL), chalked up his ninth career 30 save season, good for second most behind Lee Smith who registered 10 30+save seasons during his 18-year career... saved game number 40 on September 25 vs. Arizona to extend to six his own Major League record for 40-save seasons.
2003
HIGHLIGHTS: Missed the first five months of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on February 28...
was placed on the 15-day DL on March 25, marking the first trip to the disabled list in his career...was transferred
to the 60-day DL on April 11...was recalled from a
rehabilitation assignment on September 2...made his first
appearance of the season that night vs. Arizona...tossed 1.0
perfect inning of relief...made a total of nine appearances,
all lasting 1.0 innings, going 0-0 with a 2.00 ERA (2 ER/9.0
IP)...gave up just seven hits and walked three while striking
out 11...did not allow a hit in four of his nine appearances
and did not allow a run seven times...did not register a save
for the first time in his career.
WORKING OUT THE KINKS: Made three appearances at Lake
Elsinore on a rehabilitation assignment...in three 1.0 inning
appearances, allowed only two hits and no runs while
striking out four.
RE-UPPING: On November 5, 2003, agreed to terms on a oneyear
contract for 2004 with an option for 2005.
2002
PLAYERS STELLAR STINTS: Hoffman's 179 saves from 1998-2001 are the most by a closer over any 4-year span in
history...Dennis Eckersley posted 178 saves in 201 chances (88.6 percent) from 1990-93...Hoffman has the 2nd
most saves in a 5-year stint, 217 from 1998-2002, trailing Eckersley (220 saves from 1988-1992).
2002 HIGHLIGHTS: Turned in another stellar season, recording 38 saves in 41 opportunities...earned his 4th
trip to the All-Star Game...did not reach the 40-save plateau for the fi rst time since 1997 and only the 2nd time
since 1996...recorded his 350th career save Septem ber 8 at Colorado in Padres' 9-4 victory...recorded a .927 save
per cent age, 3rd best in the Major Leagues...trailed only At lan ta's John Smoltz (.932) and Los An ge les'
Eric Gagne (.929)...saved 57.6 per cent of the Padres' 66 wins, the 2nd-best ratio in the Major
Leagues...only Pittsburgh's Mike Williams (63.9%) recorded a high er percentage...finished 7th in the
National League Rolaids Relief Man standings with 102 points...recorded 23 of 38 saves at Qualcomm
Stadium.
MOVIN' UP THE CHARTS: Finished the year ranked 5th on the all-time saves list with
352...be gan the season ranked 9th...passed Rick Aguilera (314), John Wetteland (330), Rollie
Fingers (341) and former teammate Randy Myers (347) in 2002...en ters the 2003 season within
striking distance of Jeff Reardon (4th with 367) and Den nis Eckerlsey (3rd with 390)...needs 16 to
surpass Reardon and 39 to supplant Eckersley.
GREAT START: Allowed 2 runs, but converted his first save in his 2002 debut, April 3 at
Arizona...proceeded to allow only one run in his next 24 ap pear anc es, going 1-0 with a 0.37 ERA (1
ER/24.1 IP) and 17 saves in that span...was 1-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 18 saves after working 1.0 scoreless
inning on June 16 vs. Seattle...went 1-5 with a 3.97 ERA (15 ER/34.0 IP) and 20 saves there af ter.
SAN DIEGO'S BEST, AGAIN: Won his 7th Clyde McCullough Award as the Padres Pitch er
of the Year presented by the San Diego Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America...the
award was his 7th in 9 seasons with the Friars.
MR. EVERYTHING: With 2 wins and 38 saves, had a hand in 40 of the Padres' 66 victories (61
percent)...was in on a higher percentage of wins only once in his career, that being 2000, when he
earned the win (4) or save (43) in 47 of the Friars' 76 wins.
NO COVER JINX HERE: Appeared on the May 13, 2002 cover of Sports Illustrated [The Secret
of San Diego, Why Trevor Hoffman of the Padres is the best closer (ever)]...the story chronicled
Trevor's career and how few on the east coast realize how consistently dom i nant Hoffman
has been.
ROYAL PAIN: Recorded one save apiece against Tam pa Bay, Baltimore and Boston...has recorded
at least one save against 22 of the 25 teams which he has faced at the big league level, in clud ing the
Padres...the lone holdouts are Kansas City and the New York Yankees...did not record a save against the Royals during the Padres' 3-
game stay at Kauffman Stadium, June 28-30, as the Padres went just 1-2...the lone win came in a 10-inning 8-4 win...pitching in a non-save situation, Hoffman worked
a score less 10th inning.
MILLER HIGH LIFE: Was the Padres' lone All-Star Game representative at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI...the All-Star invite was his 4th...allowed just one hit during a score less 6th inning,
with one strikeout...relieved Eric Gagne...retired Miguel Tejada (F9) before giving up a ground-rule double to Paul Konerko...then retired A.J. Pierzynski (3u) and Jorge Posada (K) to escape the
inning...the game ended in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings.
TURNING 30 AIN'T SO BAD: With 38 saves, recorded 8th season with 30 or more saves...is just the 5th closer
in history to reach the 30-save plateau 8 times:
PITCHER |
SEASONS |
YEARS |
Lee Smith |
10 |
1984-87, '90-95 |
Trevor Hoffman |
8 |
1995-2002 |
Dennis Eckersley |
8 |
1988-93, '96-97 |
John Franco |
8 |
1987-91, '94, '97-98 |
John Wetteland |
8 |
1992-93, '95-2000 |
Trevor Hoffman |
7 |
1995-2001 |
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE: Converted 27 straight save opportunities, September 17, 2001-June 25, 2002
before having his streak bro ken on June 26 at Pac Bell Park vs. the Giants...the streak was the longest in baseball
at the time...from May 29, 2001-June 25, 2002, successfully convert ed 53 of 54 save opportunities.
OTHER NOTES: Allowed only 2 home runs, however, both were hit by left-handed batters...last gave up a home run to a right-handed batter on June 7, 2001 (San Francisco's Pedro Feliz)...on August 4 vs. Cincinnati, committed his first error since May of 1997...posted a 1.29 ERA (1 ER/7.0 IP) and 5 saves in 7 interleague contests...recorded a 1.72 ERA (9 ER/36.2 IP) in 37 games at Qualcomm Stadium...continued his dominance of left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .186 mark (19-for-102)...3 blown saves came June 26 at San Francisco, August 1 at Chicago
(NL) and September 12 vs. San Francisco.
HOFFMAN IN THE COMMUNITY: Trevor received the 1999 Chairman's Award, presented annually to the Padre who best exemplifi es the com mu ni ty spirit of the Moores family...Trevor, who lost a kidney as an infant, donates $200 for every save to the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California...he serves as celebrity spokesman for the foundation's San Diego region and meets with Kid ney Kids prior to Saturday home games...to honor both his father's and father-in-law's military service, Trevor and Tracy pur chase tickets for Marine families, many with a deployed parent...in 2002, Trevor was also one of the national spokesmen for MLB's support of "The Big Bam's" breast cancer awareness program...on Mother's Day, a pitcher on each team placed a pink chair out in the bullpen to represent the women that
have lost their lives to breast cancer...Trevor is also a part of Garth Brooks' Touch 'Em All Foundation, a
charitable collaboration among Major League Baseball players, entertainers and corporate sponsors through which players pledge to make a donation based on performance in statistical categories such as base hits, home runs, stolen bases, wins, strikeouts or saves...those contributions are then matched by entertainers or other celebrities and corporate sponsors, with the money raised distributed to children's charities across the country, including in San Diego...Trevor was chosen as Combined Health Agencies' Celebrity Health Hero of 1997...served as spokes man for the Junior Padres Club and participated in the Junior Padres Clinic, and regularly participates in the Padres' holiday and winter caravans.
2001
SUMMARY: In the season in which he joined only 13 others in the 300 career saves club, Hoffman reached unprecedented heights among relief pitchers with his 5th career 40-save season, his 4th straight 40-save campaign and his 7th 30-save season in succession, all major league firsts...won his 6th Clyde McCullough Award as Padres Pitcher of the Year Award presented by the San Diego Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, his 6th such honor in the last 8 seasons...his .935 (43-for-46) save percentage trailed only Houston's Billy Wagner (39-for-41, .951) in all of baseball, while his 43 saves trailed only San Francisco's Robb Nen (45) in the N.L...only the Yankees' Mariano Rivera (50) and the Mariners' Kazuhiro Sasaki (45) saved more games in the A.L...no pitcher in baseball saved a higher percentage of his team's wins than Hoffman, who saved 43 of the Padres' 79 victories (54.4 percent)...led the club with 62 appearances and 45 games finished...limited oppopnents to a .216 average, giving up 48 hits in 60.1 innings...walked 21 and struck out 63, 3.1 walks and 9.4 K's per 9 innings...finished 2nd in the N.L. Rolaids Relief Man standings with 128 points, 2 behind Armando Benitez (130) of the Mets...has finished among the top 4 in the league in each of his 8 full Padres seasons.
NO. 300: Worked a perfect 9th to preserve a 2-1 win over the Mets August 15 at The Q for career save No. 300...struck out Matt Lawton and induced Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to fly out to right to end the game...3 days later, got the final 4 outs to close out a 4-3 win vs. Montreal for his 300th save as a Padre.
TALE OF TWO SEASONS: Opened the year 2-3 with 16 saves, 2 blown saves and a 4.50 ERA (15 ER/30.0 IP) in 30 games through June 30, but went 1-1 with 27 saves, one blown save and a 2.37 ERA (8 ER/30.1 IP) in his final 32 outings...was perfect in July and August, with 18 saves and no runs allowed in 19 appearances (17.0 IP)...from July 3-September 7, posted 20 saves and did not allow a run in 22 games (20.1 IP), the longest scoreless streak by a Padre in 2001...lowered his ERA to 2.68 from 4.50 in that 22-game span during which opponents hit .079 (5-for-63) with 5 walks and 23 strikeouts.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Worked 1.0 inning or less in 52 of his 62 appearances...worked more than 1.0 inning for a save 8 times (1.1 innings on each occasion)...posted a 2.86 ERA (14 ER/44.0 IP) in his 46 save opportunities and a 4.96 ERA (9 ER/16.1 IP) in 16 appearances when a save was not on the line...stranded 27 of 34 inherited runners (79.4 percent), tied for the 4th-best ratio in the National League...allowed 10 homers, 5 to the first hitter he faced upon entering a game...first batters faced batted .241 (14-for-58) with 5 homers, 4 walks and 19 strikeouts...lefties hit .214 (21-for-98) with 5 homers, while righthanders hit .218 (27-for-124) with 5 homers...was 29-for-29 in save chances at night, and 14-for-17 during the day...earned all 7 of his decisions (3 wins and 4 losses) at home...faced 18 opponents (all N.L. clubs except Philadelphia and all A.L. West clubs), and did not allow a run against 12...posted a 9.00 ERA (10 ER/10.0 IP) in 11 games against the Dodgers and a 2.32 ERA (13 ER/50.1 IP) against all other foes...had 2 of his 3 blown saves against Arizona (May 27 and September 8) and the 3rd against Los Angeles on April 22...opposing base stealers were 2-for-2 and are 33-for-42 all-time...averaged 15.1 pitches per inning.
MORE 2001 NOTES: Converted 26 consecutive save opportunities from May 29-September 7, the longest streak in all of baseball in 2001...earned the N.L. Rolaids Relief Award for the month of August (the 5th such honor of his career), when he had 10 saves in 10 appearances and did not allow a run...the winner of the 1998 Rolaids Relief Man Award, Hoffy had previously earned monthly honors in April and August of 1998, June of 1999 and May of 2000...led all of baseball by converting 7 "tough saves," defined as save opportunities when the tying run is on base when the reliever enters the game...no other closer had more than 5 "tough saves"...worked a season-high 2.0 innings June 19 vs. San Francisco and September 22 vs. San Francisco...made his 500th career appearance as a Padre May 24 vs. Arizona...finished the season with 543 Padres appearances, extending his club record...earned saves in 15 consecutive appearances July 19-September 1...saved all 3 games of a 3-game sweep in Los Angeles, September 17-19.
Career Notes:
DEATH, TAXES AND HOFFY: Including a 43-for-46 (.935) mark in 2001, Trevor Hoffman enters the 2002 season having converted 314 of 355 career save opportunities...his .885 career save percentage tops Tom Henke's .8698 mark for the best in all of baseball (among pitchers with at least 150 saves) since the blown save rule went into effect in 1988...Trevor's 314 lifetime saves rank 9th on the all-time major league list, 2nd only to the Mets' John Franco (422) among active pitchers...Hoffman begins the 2002 season 164 saves behind all-time leader Lee Smith, who retired with 478 saves.
NOBODY'S PERFECT, BUT...: Including a 69-2 (.972) record in 2001, the Padres are 371-6 (.984) when leading after 8 innings since a 6-4, 10-inning loss at Houston on July 24, 1996...due in large part to Hoffman's continued dominance, the club had won 181 consecutive games when leading after 8 innings before a 4-3 loss at New York on April 28, 1999, baseball's longest streak in the 1900s.
40 AGAIN: With his 43 saves in 2001, Hoffman became the first pitcher in baseball history to post 5 seasons of 40 saves in his career and the first ever to record 4 in a row...only Dennis Eckersley and John Wetteland had previously recorded as many as 4 seasons with 40 or more saves, and only Eckersley (1990-92) and Lee Smith (1991-93) had previously recorded as many as 3 consecutive 40-save campaigns...Trevor has logged a major league-record 7 straight 30-save seasons (1996-2001)...he is one of only 6 closers to post as many as 7 seasons with 30 or more saves in his entire career:
PITCHER |
30-SAVE SEASONS |
YEARS |
Lee Smith |
10 |
1984-87, '90-95 |
Dennis Eckersley |
8 |
1988-93, '96-97 |
John Franco |
8 |
1987-91, '94, '97-98 |
John Wetteland |
8 |
1992-93, '95-2000 |
Trevor Hoffman |
7 |
1995-2001 |
Jeff Reardon |
7 |
1985-89, '91-92 |
NONE BETTER: In 4 years since Opening Day, 1998, Hoffman has converted a major league-high 179 saves in 193 opportunities, a 93 percent success rate...in that span, he has 12 wins and a 2.47 ERA (75 ER/273.0 IP), while limiting opponents to a .200 (197-for-983) batting average...he has walked 68 and struck out 307, an average of 2.2 walks and 10.1 strikeouts per 9 innings...Hoffman's 179 saves over the last 4 seasons are the most by a closer over any 4-year span in history...Dennis Eckersley posted 178 saves in 201 chances (88.6 percent) from 1990-93.
OUR SAVIOR: Hoffman ran his Padres career record save total to 312 in 2001...only Dennis Eckersley has logged more saves for one team in baseball history (320 for Oakland):
|
PITCHER |
TEAM |
SAVES |
1. |
Dennis Eckersley |
Athletics |
320 |
2. |
Trevor Hoffman* |
Padres |
312 |
3. |
Jeff Montgomery |
Royals |
304 |
4. |
John Franco* |
Mets |
274 |
5. |
Rick Aguilera |
Twins |
254 |
6. |
Dan Quisenberry |
Royals |
238 |
7. |
Dave Righetti |
Yankees |
224 |
8. |
Tom Henke |
Blue Jays |
217 |
9. |
Bobby Thigpen |
White Sox |
201 |
10. |
Dave Smith |
Astros |
199 |
|
Rod Beck |
Giants |
199 |
*Active with team |
KEY TO SUCCESS: Hoffman earned the victory (3) or save (43) in 46 of the Padres' 79 victories in 2001, 58 percent...since joining the Padres on June 24, 1993, he has won (41) or saved (312) 353 of the Padres' 644 wins, 55 percent.
YEAR |
W |
SV |
W+SV |
TEAM WINS |
PCT. |
1993 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
33* |
.152 |
1994 |
4 |
20 |
24 |
47 |
.511 |
1995 |
7 |
31 |
38 |
70 |
.543 |
1996 |
9 |
42 |
51 |
91 |
.560 |
1997 |
6 |
37 |
43 |
76 |
.566 |
1998 |
4 |
53 |
57 |
98 |
.582 |
1999 |
2 |
40 |
42 |
74 |
.568 |
2000 |
4 |
43 |
47 |
76 |
.618 |
2001 |
3 |
43 |
46 |
79 |
.582 |
*After Hoffman's arrival |
HOFFMAN IN THE COMMUNITY
Trevor received the 1999 Chairman's Award, presented annually to the Padre who best exemplifies the community spirit of the Moores family...Trevor, who lost a kidney as an infant, donates $200 for every save to the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California...he serves as celebrity spokesman for the foundation's San Diego region and meets with Kidney Kids prior to Sunday home games...Trevor is also a part of Garth Brooks' Touch 'Em All Foundation, a charitable collaboration among Major League Baseball players, entertainers and corporate sponsors through which players pledge to make a donation based on performance in statistical categories such as base hits, home runs, stolen bases, wins, strikeouts or saves...those contributions are then matched by entertainers or other celebrities and corporate sponsors, with the money raised distributed to children's charities across the country, including in San Diego...Trevor was chosen as Combined Health Agencies' Celebrity Health Hero of 1997...serves as spokesman for the Junior Padres Club and participated in the Junior Padres Clinic, and regularly participates in the Padres' holiday and winter caravans.
2000
SUMMARY: An All-Star for the 3rd consecutive season, Hoffman logged 43 saves and a 2.99 ERA in 70 appearances...with the 2nd-highest save total of his career (3rd-highest in Padres history), he ranked 2nd in the major leagues, 2 behind Florida's Antonio Alfonseca...Trevor tied M.L. records with his 4th 40-save season, his 3rd consecutive 40-save season and his 6th consecutive season with 30 or more saves...his 70 appearances matched his 1996 and 1997 career bests.
AN ALL-STAR AGAIN: Named to his 3rd straight N.L. All-Star team, Hoffman was touched for 3 runs on 3 hits in 1.0 inning in the July 12 Mid-Summer Classic at Turner Field in Atlanta...fanned 2...came on to start the 9th inning and allowed consecutive singles to Ray Durham, Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Lawton to produce one run before Magglio Ordonez hit a sac fly for the 2nd run and Darin Erstad reached on a Jose Vidro error plating the 3rd A.L. run of the inning...Hoffman fanned Jorge Posada and Fred McGriff to escape the jam...the only other Padres who have been named to 3 or more All-Star teams are Tony Gwynn (15), Dave Winfield (4), Benito Santiago (4), Nate Colbert (3) and Terry Kennedy (3).
STRONG FINISH: 3-4 with 25 saves, 6 blown saves and a 4.34 ERA (22 ER/45.2 IP) in 44 appearances through August 1, Hoffman finished the year by going 1-3 with 18 saves, only one blown save and a 0.67 ERA (2 ER/26.2 IP) his last 26 times out...allowed one unearned run after August 29, to go 0-1 with 8 saves in 8 chances and a 0.00 ERA over his last 12 outings (13.2 IP)...opponents batted .128 (6-for-47) in those 12 games...had 5 saves in 6 chances and a 0.77 ERA (1 ER/11.2 IP) in his first 10 appearances through May 3, then went 3-4 with 20 saves (in 25 chances) and a 5.56 ERA (21 ER/34.0 IP) in 34 games through August 1 before the strong finish.
NIFTY 250: Became the 17th pitcher in history to earn 250 career saves when he recorded the final 4 outs to preserve a 4-3 win at Texas July 9...earned his 250th Padres save with a scoreless 9th to close out a 3-2 win over the Giants July 25 at The Q (Hoffy had 2 saves as a Marlin in 1993).
HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF?: Finished 4th in the N.L. Rolaids Relief Man race with 111 points, trailing Florida's Antonio Alfonseca (125), New York's Armando Benitez (116) and San Francisco's Robb Nen (115)...earned his 4th career Rolaids Relief Man N.L. monthly award in May.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Allowed 9.0 baserunners per 9 innings (72 in 72.1 IP), 3rd-fewest by any reliever in the majors behind San Francisco's Robb Nen (7.9) and Colorado's Gabe White (8.8)...his .860 save percentage was 4th-best in the N.L. among pitchers with at least 25 saves behind Florida's Antonio Alfonseca (.918), New York's Armando Benitez (.891) and Nen (.891)...stranded 16 of 20 inherited runners...was 2-5 with 26 saves in 28 chances and a 2.51 ERA (13 ER/46.2 IP) in 42 games at The Q and 2-2 with 22 saves in 28 chances and a 3.86 ERA (11 ER/25.2 IP) in 28 games on the road...lefties hit .200 (26-for-130) with 2 homerd, while righties batted .246 (35-for-142) with 5 long balls...opponents were 0-for-6 with the bases loaded and hit .132 (19-for-144) with 85 strikeouts with 2 strikes against them.
MORE 2000 HIGHLIGHTS: Fanned 7 straight hitters over 3 games in Houston April 21-23, one strikeout short of the club record for consecutive K's set by Tim Lollar in 1984...in 3.0 scoreless innings in the series, posted 2 saves, allowed one hit and K'd 7...earned saves in every game of a 3-game series 3 times: June 16-18 vs. Cincinnati, August 11-13 at Florida and September 4-6 vs. Milwaukee...earned saves on 3 consecutive days 4 times and has done so on 10 occasions in his career (last: September 4-6 vs. Milwaukee)...recorded saves in 8 straight appearances August 2-13...with that streak and a pair of 5-game streaks in 2000, Hoffy has rung up saves in 5 or more appearances in a row 17 times, including 3 career-best strings of 9 saves in 9 outings, all in 1998.
1999
SUMMARY: Led the major leagues in save percentage for the 2nd straight year, closing out 40 of 43 opportunities, including a 1999 M.L.-best 31 in a row to end the season...earned his 2nd consecutive trip to the All-Star Game, registering a 2.14 ERA, limiting opponents to a .197 average and finishing 2nd in the league in saves (one save behind Montreal's Ugueth Urbina)...finished 2nd in the Rolaids Relief Man standings (5 points behind Houston's Billy Wagner)...won his 5th Clyde McCullough Award as Padres Pitcher of the Year, his 4th such honor in a row and 5th in 6 seasons...with 40 saves in 1999, Hoffman logged 93 saves in 1998-99, one shy of Dennis Eckersley's M.L. record of 94 saves in back-to-back seasons.
WHAT A FINISH!: In his first 19 appearances through June 2, was 0-3 with 9 saves, 3 blown saves, a 4.87 ERA (11 ER/20.1 IP), a .256 (21-for-82) opponents average allowed, 6 walks and 21 strikeouts...in 45 games the rest of the way, went 2-0 with 31 saves in 31 opportunities, a 0.96 ERA (5 ER/47.0 IP), a .167 (27-for-162) average allowed, 9 walks and 52 K's...was 2-0 with 19 saves and a 0.92 ERA in 27 games after the All-Star break, including a 2 wins, 14 saves and a 0.41 ERA (1 ER/22.0 IP) in his final 20 appearances beginning August 5.
BELLS TOLL 200 FOR HOFFY: Hoffman struck out Scott Spiezio, Eric Chavez and Jason Giambi in succession June 10 to preserve a 2-1 win over the A's and register the 200th save of his career...of the 24 other pitchers who had reached that plateau to that point, only Bobby Thigpen (397 games) reached the milestone in fewer appearances than Hoffy (398)...June 18 vs. Pittsburgh, Hoffy became the first Padre to log 200 saves.
SEEING STARS: Making his 2nd consecutive All-Star appearance, struck out Minnesota's Ron Coomer, the only hitter he faced, to start the 8th inning in the July 13 All-Star Game at Fenway Park in Boston.
SO HE'S ALMOST HUMAN: Hoffman blew 3 saves in 1999, all on the road and all on 9th-inning home runs...April 28 at New York, started the 9th with a 3-2 lead but surrendered a leadoff single to John Olerud, then a first-pitch 2-run homer to Mike Piazza...the blown save snapped the Padres' run of 181 consecutive wins when leading after 8 innings since 1996, the longest such run in baseball in the 1900s...May 26 at Arizona, took a 2-1 lead to the 9th and set down Luis Gonzalez, before Matt Williams slugged a game-tying home run on a 2-0 pitch...the Diamondbacks went on to win, 3-2 in 11 innings...June 2 at Chicago, the Padres scored 3 in the top of the 9th to take an 8-5 lead, but, after retiring the leadoff man, Hoffy allowed a single to Jeff Blauser and walked Henry Rodriguez before Mark Grace delivered an RBI single and Sammy Sosa drilled a 3-run homer on a 1-1 pitch to end the game.
MILESTONES: Logged his 500th Padres strikeout May 26 at Arizona, fanning Kelly Stinnett in the 10th inning...became the club's all-time pitching appearance leader with No. 376 to break Craig Lefferts' record June 22 at Los Angeles.
FREQUENT FRIAR: Posted 8 saves during the club-record 14-game winning streak June 18-July 2, including saves in each of the first 5 games, the only time he has locked up 5 saves in 5 team games (or 6 days).
HOW'D HE DO THAT?: Performed the greatest escape act of '99 August 29 at Atlanta...came in to a 3-3 game with the bases loaded and no outs in the 9th...struck out Ozzie Guillen, induced Gerald Williams to hit into a 6-2 fielder's choice, then completed the amazing escape when Bret Boone fouled out to third base...Hoffy pitched a 1-2-3 10th before the Braves scored against Carlos Reyes in the 11th to win 4-3.
GOOSE EGGS: Did not allow a run over 11 outings (11.0 IP) June 4-27...did not surrender an earned run in 11 games (14.1 IP) August 5-September 5.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Worked one inning or less in 52 of his 64 appearances...threw a season-high 2.0 innings on 4 occasions...did not allow an earned run in 53 of his 64 appearances, including 20 of his last 21 beginning August 5...retired 46 of 64 first batters faced (72%) and stranded 19 of 22 inherited runners...opponents hit .180 (18-for-100) with runners on base, .159 (10-for-63) with runners in scoring position and .069 (2-for-29) with runners in scoring position and 2 outs...held righthanders to a .182 (25-for-137) average and 4 homers (Mike Piazza, Matt Williams, Sammy Sosa and Dante Bichette)...lefties hit .215 (23-for-107) with one homer (Rafael Palmeiro)...was 1-1 with 24 saves in 24 chances and a 1.67 ERA (7 ER/37.2 IP) in 36 games at The Q...opponents hit .201 (28-for-39) in Mission Valley...on the road, finished 1-2 with 16 saves in 19 chances, a 2.73 ERA (9 ER/29.2 IP) and a .190 (20-for-105) average allowed...after going 371 days between victories, earned both of his 1999 wins in an 11-day span August 29 vs. Milwaukee and September 8 at Pittsburgh...went 1-for-3 with a 2-run double August 5 at St. Louis off Manny Aybar...it marked Trevor's first hit and first RBI since June 1, 1997 at Houston.
NEW DEAL: Signed a 4-year contract through 2003 (with a club option for 2004) March 9, 1999.
1998
SUMMARY: Enjoyed arguably the greatest season ever by a major league closer, posting 4 wins, a National League-record tying and major league-leading 53 saves and a 1.48 ERA in 66 relief appearances for the N.L. champions...converted 53 saves in 54 tries, to become only the 5th closer to reach the 50-save mark in a single season...Hoffman's .981 success rate was the best in history by a closer with 30 or more saves (Randy Myers was 45-for-46, .978 for the '97 Orioles)...pitched shutout ball in 57 of 66 appearances (86%) and earned the win or save in 58 of San Diego's 98 wins (59%)...the Padres were 62-4 (.939) when he pitched and did not lose a game that Hoffman entered with the lead...limited opponents to a .165 average, 3rd-best in the majors...lefties hit .171 (21-for-123) with no homers and righties hit .159 (20-for-126) with 2 homers...in his last 32 appearances, went 1-1 with 29 saves and a 0.76 ERA (3 ER/35.1 IP).
AWARDS AND HONORS: Was named to his first N.L. All-Star team as well as to the AP post-season Major League All-Star team...he won his first N.L. Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award and his 2nd Sporting News Fireman of the Year award...it marked the 5th time a Padre has won the Rolaids award (Rollie Fingers in 1977, 1978 and 1980 and Mark Davis in 1989) and the 6th time a Padres has won The Sporting News honor (Fingers in 1977, 1978 and 1980, Davis in 1989 and Hoffman in 1996)...Hoffman's 112 Rolaids Relief Points were 3rd-most in history behind Bobby Thigpen (116 for the White Sox in 1990) and Dennis Eckersley (115 for the A's in 1992)...despite receiving more first place votes than any pitcher, he finished 2nd to Atlanta's Tom Glavine in N.L. Cy Young voting...placed 7th in N.L. MVP voting...Hoffman shared Padres Pitcher of the Year honors with Kevin Brown.
53 SAVES: Worked a perfect 9th to preserve a 3-2 win at Arizona on September 27, the season's final day, for his 53rd save, matching Randy Myers' 1993 N.L. record for the 2nd-highest total in big league history.
A CHECK OF THE LEADER BOARD: In addition to his N.L. record-tying 53 saves and his M.L. record .981 save conversion rate, Trevor led all M.L. relievers by allowing only 7.8 runners per 9 innings (63 in 73.0 IP)...he ranked 2nd among all M.L. relievers with a 1.48 ERA (Montreal's Ugueth Urbina posted a 1.30 ERA)...was 3rd in baseball with a .165 (41-for-249) average allowed...limited first batters faced to a .129 (8-for-62) batting average, 3rd-best in the N.L. and 5th-best in all of baseball.
ALL-STAR DEBUT: Named to the N.L. All-Star team for the first time in his career...allowed a run on a home run by Baltimore's Roberto Alomar and fanned one at the Mid-Summer Classic, played July 7 at Coors Field...struck out the Yankees' Scott Brosius and induced Anaheim's Darrin Erstad to ground out to short...gave up the homer to Alomar before the Yankees' Paul O'Neill bounced to third.
THE STREAK: After converting his last 8 save opportunities in 1997, Hoffman opened '98 by converting 33 straight, to tie Rod Beck's M.L. record with 41 straight save conversions...the streak, which was later surpassed by Boston's Tom Gordon, ended when he inherited a 4-3 lead to start the 9th July 26 vs. Houston and allowed a first-pitch home run to Houston's Moises Alou to tie the game...the Padres went on to win 5-4 in 10 innings.
NUMBER CRUNCHING: Posted a 0.49 ERA (3 ER/55.2 IP) in save situations and a 4.67 ERA (9 ER/17.1 IP) in non-save situations...first batter faced hit .129 (8-for-62)...of the 12 runs he allowed, 4 came in 4.1 innings of interleague work...had a 1.05 ERA (8 ER/68.2 IP) against the N.L. and an 8.31 ERA (4 ER/4.1 IP) vs. the A.L...allowed only one run in 43 night games for a 0.18 ERA (1 ER/49.1 IP)...went 2-2 with 27 saves and a 1.23 ERA in 33 appearances at home and 2-0 with 26 saves and a 1.73 ERA in 33 road outings.
MONTH BY MONTH: Was 2-0 with 7 saves and a 1.35 ERA in April, 0-0 with 8 saves and a 0.84 ERA in May, 1-0 with 9 saves and a 3.55 ERA in June, 0-0 with 11 saves and a 0.73 ERA in July, 1-1 with 9 saves and a 1.35 ERA in August and 0-1 with 9 saves and a 0.84 ERA in September...was N.L. Rolaids Relief Man of the Month in April and August.
SCORELESS STREAKS: Did not allow a run over 14 consecutive outings (17.2 IP), April 7-May 14...threw 9.1 consecutive scoreless innings over 9 outings, July 3-25...did not allow a run in 9 straight outings (9.1 IP), August 25-September 14.
MILESTONES: Logged his 150th career save (148th as a Padre) May 27 at Arizona...notched his 150th as a Padre with a scoreless 9th June 8 vs. Cincinnati.
IN THE POST-SEASON: Went 1-1 with 3 saves and a 2.89 ERA (3 ER/9.1 IP) in 8 post-season outings...posted 2 saves and did not allow an earned run in 3.0 innings, as he appeared in all 4 games of the Division Series vs. Houston...saved Games 1 and 3...was 1-0 with a save and a 2.08 ERA (1 ER/4.1 IP) in 3 games in the N.L.C.S. vs. Atlanta...after blowing a save, earned the win in Game 1, when Ken Caminiti homered in the 10th to give the Friars a 3-2 victory...came on to protect a 2-1 lead with the bases loaded and Javy Lopez at the plate with 2 outs in the 8th in Game 3 and fanned the Braves catcher, then struck out 2 more in a scoreless 9th, to earn a save...was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA (2 ER/2.0 IP) in the World Series vs. New York...took the loss in Game 3, allowing an 8th-inning 2-run homer to Scott Brosius in a 5-4 setback.
JAPAN TOUR: Following the season, pitched for the Major League All-Star team that toured Japan, winning 6 of 8 games against the Japanese All-Stars in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka...made 5 appearances on the tour, earning 3 saves without allowing a run...worked 5.0 innings, surrendering only 2 hits...walked 2 and fanned 6.
1997
SUMMARY: Finished 2nd in the N.L. with 37 saves and tied for 3rd in the league's Rolaids Relief Man standings with 101 points...won the Clyde McCullough Award as Padres Pitcher of the Year...equaled his 1996 career-high with 70 appearances...converted 37 of 44 save opportunities (84 percent), including his final 8 in a row and 27 of his last 28 to rank 5th in the majors in save percentage...went 3-1 with 22 saves and a 1.44 ERA in his last 36 outings...in 53 games from May 17 through the end of the season, went 5-1 with 31 saves and a 2.23 ERA (64.2 IP, 42 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 17 BB, 90 K)...pitched shutout ball in 30 of his final 34 outings...posted a 4.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (111 K's, 24 walks)...the 111 K's in 81.1 innings matched his 1996 personal high and represented a career-best average of 12.3 K's per 9 innings.
SAVE KING: A day short of the 4-year anniversary of the trade that brought him to the Padres from Florida, Hoffman became the all-time Padres save leader June 23 in San Francisco, recording his 109th Padres save to pass Rollie Fingers, who notched 108 in 265 games (1977-80)...Hoffman set the record in 241 Padres outings...fanned J.T. Snow with the bases loaded to preserve the 11-6 win...notched his 100th save as a Padre May 3 vs. Montreal, striking out 3 in 1.1 perfect innings...recorded his 100th M.L. save (including 2 with Florida) April 13 at Philadelphia, allowing a hit and striking out 2 in a shutout inning.
WORKHORSE: Won or saved 43 of the Padres' 76 victories (57 percent), including 34 of 54 (63 percent) after May 31...pitched in 6 of 7 games July 11-17 (including 4 straight for the first time in his career July 11-14), going 0-1 with 5 saves and a 1.35 ERA.
CAREER DAY: Worked a career-long 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing a hit, a walk and matching a career high with 7 strikeouts August 27 at Philadelphia...had worked 3.1 innings July 8, 1995 in a 17-inning game at Houston...previously fanned 7 April 6, 1996 at Montreal.
ETC.: Went 6-2 with 34 saves and a 2.22 ERA in 60 appearances from May 1 through the end of the season, including a 3-1 record, 21 saves and a 1.44 ERA in 35 games after the All-Star break...worked 1.0 inning or less in 51 of 70 appearances...finished 59 of the 70 games in which he appeared...worked 2.0 innings or more 11 times...limited lefthanders to a .185 average...righties batted only .217...retired 58 of 70 first batters faced (83 percent)...stranded 31 of 44 inherited runners (70 percent)...posted a 1.69 ERA in 22 day games and a 3.13 mark in 48 night games...registered a 1.04 ERA in 13 appearances on artificial turf...went 1-for-3 with an RBI at the plate...delivered an RBI single to center off John Hudek, June 1 at Houston, part of a 2-run 9th to secure a 6-3 win...was unbeaten at Qualcomm Stadium (6-0 with 16 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 37 games) and winless on the road (0-4 with 21 saves and a 2.45 ERA in 33 games).
1996
SUMMARY: Established then career-bests in wins (9), ERA (2.25), strikeouts (111), saves (42) and appearances (70) for the N.L. West champions...his 42 saves were 3rd-most in the N.L...at the time, the total was 2nd-most in club history and a record for a Padres righthander...led N.L. relievers in wins, strikeouts and opponents' average (.161)...chalked up his 111 K's in only 88.0 innings for an average of 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings...won the Clyde McCullough Award as Padres Pitcher of the Year and was named N.L. Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News...tied for 5th in Cy Young Award balloting and received a pair of 10th-place votes in MVP voting...had 18 consecutive saves to finish the season, including the final 3 games, September 27-29 in Los Angeles, as the Padres captured the N.L. West...signed a 3-year extension through 1999 August 23.
AWARDS AND HONORS: Hoffman was named The Sporting News' N.L. Fireman of the Year, the 3rd Padre to capture the honor and the first since Mark Davis in 1989...Trevor also finished in a tie with Cincinnati's Jeff Brantley for the Rolaids N.L. Relief Man of the Year title...he lost the crown to Brantley on the first tie-breaker, save percentage...Hoffman converted 42 of 49 saves (86%), while Brantley cashed in on 44 of 49 opportunities (90%)...tied for 22nd in N.L. Most Valuable Player balloting with 2 points, at the time the most garnered by a Padres pitcher since Davis finished 6th with 76 points in 1989.
ESCAPE FROM LA: Was nearly flawless in saving the final 3 games of the season September 27-29 at Dodger Stadium...tossed a total of 3.0 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts, allowing just one hit and one walk...caught the Dodgers' Chad Curtis looking at a fastball on the last pitch of the regular season to clinch the National League West Division title...in all, saved 7 victories over Los Angeles in 1996.
3 DAYS, 3 SAVES: Earned saves on 3 consecutive days 3 times: June 28-30 in San Francisco, August 27-29 in New York and September 27-29 in Los Angeles.
GET AHEAD: Led the majors by holding batters to an .089 average with 2 strikes...held opponents to a .122 batting average once getting ahead in the count, tied with Hideo Nomo for tops in the N.L.
MORE '96 HIGHLIGHTS: Fanned a career-high 7 in his first win of the year April 6 at Houston...tossed 3.0 perfect innings, striking out 7 of the 9 hitters he faced...had 3 streaks of 10 or more appearances without allowing an earned run...yielded only 2 earned runs over 22.1 innings for a 0.81 ERA in his first 17 games through May 27...started another tear June 3...did not allow a run over 15.0 consecutive innings, dropping his ERA from 1.61 to 1.05 on July 3...pitched scoreless ball in 56 of 70 appearances...was perfect in 12 August outings, going 1-0 with 9 saves and a 0.00 ERA in 14.1 innings...allowed 5 hits and fanned 12...was particularly tough at home, holding opponents to a .137 average and only 19 hits in 40.0 innings in Mission Valley.
1995
Led the club with 55 appearances, recording a then career-high 31 saves, 6th-best in the N.L...his .816 save percentage (31-for-38) was 7th-best in the N.L...finished 4th in the N.L. Rolaids Relief Man standings...including 33 K's in his last 32.2 innings, struck out 52 batters in 53.1 innings, an average of 8.8 K's per 9 innings...held lefthanders to a .202 average...recorded 12 straight saves in 14 appearances July 21-August 22 and cashed in on 20 of his last 23 save opportunities...tossed 3.1 innings, at the time a career-high, in game one of a July 8 doubleheader at Houston...in his first at-bat of season May 28 at Philadelphia, blasted a 2-run double in the Padres' record-setting 9-run 10th inning for his first big league extra-base hit and RBI...on October 7, underwent a procedure on his right shoulder performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum and Dr. Jan Fronek, to clean and smooth the rotator cuff.
1994
Won his first Clyde McCullough Award as Padres Pitcher of the Year...earned 20 saves (7th-most in the N.L.) in 23 opportunities and stranded 21 of 31 inherited runners...held opponents to a .193 average...finished 4th in the N.L. Rolaids Relief Man Standings, trailing Rod Beck of the Giants, Doug Jones of the Phillies and John Franco of the Mets...fanned 68 in 56.0 innings...in 25 home games, posted a 3-2 mark with 11 saves and 2.63 ERA...did not allow a home run in his first 33 appearances.
1993
After being selected by the Florida Marlins with the 4th pick in the first round of the Expansion Draft, made the big league club out of spring training and made his major league debut April 6 against the Dodgers, facing one hitter and striking him out...his longest stint was 3.0 innings, April 12 at San Francisco...Hoffman's first big league win came by a 4-3 score April 27 at Cincinnati...threw 2.0 scoreless innings while fanning 3...his first M.L. save was a 1.0-inning performance April 29 in Atlanta...at the time of his June 24 trade to the Padres, was 2-2 with 2 saves and a 3.28 ERA in 28 games for the Marlins...stranded his first 17 inherited runners with the Padres and finished the season having left 28 of 29 on base...in 39 contests with San Diego, fanned 53 batters in 54.1 innings...with the Marlins and Padres, limited opponents to a .234 average...recorded his first win as a Padre with 3.0 innings of relief July 30 at Cincinnati.
1992
Split his final season in the Reds chain between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Nashville...after going 3-0 in 6 starts in Double-A, was promoted to Nashville...allowed less than 3 hits in 4 of his 6 Chattanooga starts...did not allow an earned run in his final 15.0 innings...after his promotion, started his first 5 games with Nashville, going 1-2 with a 4.10 ERA...the starts would be the last of his pro career...moved to the bullpen for his final 37 appearances, and posted a 3-4 mark and 4.38 ERA while striking out 45 in 39.0 innings.
1991
Began the season at Single-A Cedar Rapids as a relief pitcher after starting his pro career as an infielder...ranked 2nd in the Midwest League with 13.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings...his 12 saves led the staff...promoted to Chattanooga on August 1, and collected 8 saves in 14 appearances.
1990
Hit .212 with 23 RBI in 103 games while playing short and third for Single-A Charleston.
1989
After signing as an 11th-round selection in the June Draft out of the University of Arizona, hit .249 in 61 games as a shortstop at Rookie-level Billings in the Pioneer League.