Steve Wilkerson

Stephen Beaty Wilkerson
(Stevie)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
• School Clemson University
• High School Pope High School
• Debut June 20, 2018
• Final Game June 26, 2021
• Born January 11, 1992 in Roswell, GA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Steve Wilkerson set a couple of marks for the Baltimore Orioles on July 24, 2019. He started in centerfield against the Los Angeles Angels in what turned out to be an epic game not decided until the 16th inning, when Jonathan Villar hit a two-run homer off Griffin Canning to put Baltimore ahead, 10-8. It was at that point that he made history, as he was called in to pitch the bottom of the inning as the Birds' 10th pitcher of the night. Although he did not throw a single pitch faster than 55 mph, he retired the Angels in order as Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols all made easy outs, ending an epic game that had taken 6 hours and 19 minutes to play. He thus preserved the win and became the first position player to earn a save since it became an official statistic in 1969. He was also the first pitcher to have a been a starter in the game to do so as well. Of course, in the early days of baseball in the 19th century, what he did was common, but that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. He was less successful in his next outing as a pitcher, that one coming in more typical circumstances, i.e. at the tail end of a blowout loss on August 10th. The O's lost 23-2 to the Houston Astros that day, and he pitched the final inning and a third, allowing 3 runs, two of them coming on the third homer of the game by rookie slugger Yordan Alvarez.

Wilkerson became a coach with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2023 and then a hitting coach for the FCL Braves in 2024.

Further Reading

• Joe Trezza: "O's center fielder pitches 16th inning for the save: Wilkerson becomes first position player to ever record a save", mlb.com, July 26, 2019. [1]

Related Sites

• Steve Wilkerson on mlb.com
• Clemson bio