Steve Trachsel

Stephen Christopher Trachsel
(The Rain Delay)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 205 lb.
• School Fullerton College, California State University, Long Beach
• High School Troy High School (Fullerton)
• Debut September 19, 1993
• Final Game June 7, 2008
• Born October 31, 1970 in Oxnard, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Steve Trachsel pitched 16 years in the majors, mostly with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, winning 15 games once with the Cubs and 15 or more twice with the Mets.

He won 13 games in the minors in both 1992 and 1993.

He was at California State University, Long Beach at the same time as Jason Giambi.

He had a well-deserved reputation as one of the slowest-working pitchers in baseball, and because of this has earned the name "the Human Rain Delay" (which had previously been attributed to Mike Hargrove for his propensity to take endless time making adjustment between pitches while batting; the two never got to face one another, though).

He was on the mound for Mark McGwire's 62nd home run in 1998.

He is often credited for the record of making 61 pitches in one inning in 1997, when he was pitching for the Cubs. However, the sites that mention this record never cite the game or inning in which this feat is supposed to have happened. Research conducted by SABR member Ed Hartig failed to uncover a game when the supposed feat could have occurred, meaning that this is likely an urban legend. As a consequence, no one knows for sure what the record is for most pitches thrown in an inning.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1996)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1998, 2003 & 2006)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1996-2000, 2003 & 2004)

Further Reading

• Tyler Kepner: "Trachsel Takes a Pounding, and Then Gets Ripped", The New York Times, May 18, 2001, p. D1. [1]

Related Sites

• Steve Trachsel at the SABR Bio Project
• 1990 Alaskan League page