David Wells Biography
David Wells is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was considered to be one of the game’s better left-handed pitchers.
He was named the ALCS MVP in 1998. David played for the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees again, the Padres, the Red Sox, the Padres again, and finally the Dodgers, before unofficially retiring in 2008.
Prior to this, he pitched the 15th perfect game in baseball history. He is tied only with Kenny Lofton for appearing in the post-season with six teams. Wells is currently a broadcaster on MLB on TBS and the host of The Cheap Seats on FOXSports.com.
In addition, he is nicknamed “Boomer”.
David Wells Age
Wells was born on May 20, 1963, in Torrance, California, United States of America. Therefore, he is 56 years of age as of 2019.
David Wells Height
He stands at an approximate height of 6 feet 4 inches.
David Wells Family
His parents were never married and he was thus raised by his mother. Wells grew up with the belief that his father, David Pritt, was dead. However, at the age of 22, he learned that Pritt was alive and tracked him down to start a new relationship with him.
Growing up in the San Diego neighborhood of Ocean Beach where he attended local public schools, Wells was dependent on his mother who worked numerous jobs to support him and his four siblings.
He graduated from Point Loma High School, where he played baseball and basketball, in 1982. While there he was a self-described “gym rat” who spent most of his time at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center and Robb Field. Wells was Point Loma High School’s star pitcher and threw a perfect game his senior year.
David Wells Wife
David has been married to his beautiful life spouse named Nina Fisher since 2000 up to date. Prior to this, their marriage is blessed with two gorgeous sons. He currently resides in San Diego with his family. In addition to this, he is also a big fan of Babe Ruth and even has a tattoo of him.
David Wells Perfect game
Wells of the New York Yankees pitched the 15th perfect game in Major League Baseball history and the second in team history on May 17, 1998. He retired all 27 batters he faced after he pitched against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx in front of 49,820 fans in attendance.
The game took 2 hours and 40 minutes to finish, from 1:36 PM ET to 4:16 PM ET. Wells asserted in a 2001 meeting with Bryant Gumbel on HBO’s Real Sports that he tossed the ideal game while being hungover.
Jimmy Fallon guaranteed in a 2018 meeting with Seth Meyers that he and Wells had gone to a Saturday Night Live after-party until 5:30 A.M. ET the morning of the game. In a meeting, Wells likewise referenced having celebrated with Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers the prior night. In any case, there was no new scene of Saturday Night Live the earlier night, as the season finale had publicized the week earlier.
Wells’ perfect game was the 245th no-hitter in MLB history and the tenth no-hitter in Yankees history. It was the first regular-season perfect game pitched by a Yankee; the franchise’s previous perfect game was thrown by Don Larsen during the 1956 World Series. By coincidence, Wells graduated from the same high school as Larsen – Point Loma High School in San Diego, California. The previous perfect game in MLB history was nearly four years prior when Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitched a perfect game against the California Angels at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on July 28, 1994.
Most importantly, his perfect game was the first Yankee no-hitter since Dwight Gooden’s against the Seattle Mariners on May 1996. Prior to this, his performance tied the record for franchises with the most perfect games. At the time, the Cleveland Indians were the only other team to have two perfect games; David Cone added a third perfect game to Yankees history, breaking the record in July 1999.
Three months later, on September 1, Wells took a perfect game into the seventh inning in a game against the Oakland Athletics, but he gave up a two-out single to Jason Giambi to end his bid for an unprecedented second perfect game. Wells ended up with a two-hit shutout as the Yankees won the game, 7-0.
David Wells Babe Ruth Cap
David was a big fan of Babe Ruth. So big, when he joined the New York Yankees and realized he could not wear the Bambino’s No. 3 uniform, the left-handed pitcher asked for No. 33.
Never mind that Wells grew up around the Hell’s Angels, loved metal bands like Metallica and AC/DC and sported several tattoos. Underneath that uniform beat the heart of a baseball fanatic. He threw a perfect game on May 17, 1998, but the title of his 2004 autobiography sums up his life perfectly: “Perfect I’m Not.”
A year before his gem, Wells pulled off one of his more memorable stunts. On June 28, 1997, at Yankee Stadium, Wells started against the Cleveland Indians and sported a baseball cap worn by Ruth. He wound up getting fined by manager Joe Torre, who made Wells take the cap off.
“It turned out,” James Buckley Jr. wrote in 2002, “that Wells was as much of a baseball history geek as you or I.” ”I didn’t know he had it on until he was out in the middle of the diamond,” Torre explained to writers after the game. “It wasn’t the standard uniform.” Wells paid that $2,500 fine during the next homestand—in the form of 2,500 one-dollar bills.
Prior to this, Wells had originally purchased the cap for $35,000 and sold it through SCP Auctions five years later for $537,278.40 in 2012. Now, it’s been consigned once more as part of the company’s Spring 2018 sale. This time, auction officials estimate it could bring $600,000-$800,000.
David Wells Net Worth
David sits at an approximate net worth of $20 Million as of 2019. He has earned his lucrative income through his successful career as a Major League Baseball pitcher.
David Wells Yankees
Wells returned to the Yankees after a short season with the White Sox. This was a deal that was again immersed in controversy as he had already reached an oral agreement to join the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite having lost some velocity from his fastball, he retained his excellent curveball and his control and posted an outstanding 19–7 record in 2002.
Moreover, he was the subject of some controversy prior to the 2003 season. This was when his autobiography Perfect I’m Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches, and Baseball, was published. The book upset the Yankees’ management, and Wells was fined $100,000 by the team for disparaging comments which appeared in it. One of them included himself having a hangover when he pitched his perfect game.
Among the other controversial statements claimed that he strengthened his pitching arm as a youth by throwing rocks at homeless people and that his minor league team, the Kinston Blue Jays, had segregated stands in 1983 despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Amusingly, Wells claimed to have been misquoted in the book, which was presumably penned by a ghostwriter. The problems didn’t carry over to the field, however.
Wells posted a 15–7 record and helped the Yankees win another pennant.
On September 28, 2003, the final day of the regular season, Wells earned the 200th win of his career in a game managed by Clemens. Clemens had won his 300th game earlier in the season and was thought to be retiring from baseball. Otherwise, Clemens ended up delaying his retirement. Regular Yankees manager Joe Torre let Clemens manage the final game of the regular season, and Clemens pulled Wells from the game in the eighth inning.
He was also criticized by Yankee fans for not being able to pitch during Game 5 of the 2003 World Series. He started the game but left during the first inning because of a bad backache. This which caused Torre to use his bullpen to finish the game. The Yankees ended up losing the game and the series to the Florida Marlins in six games.
David Wells Baseball – David Wells Pitcher
found his passion and talents where awards and recognition came soon afterward. A proud American, standing at unknown, unknown has received recognition for a lot of success on and off the field unknown. Throughout a decorated career, the nicknames of the unknown have stuck.
Prior to this, he attended Point Loma High School and matriculated in 1982. He spent a lot of the time in the gym, specifically the Ocean Beach Recreation Center as well as Robb Field.
Wells made his MLB debut in 1987 as part of the Toronto Blue Jays but had to wait until he was 30 years old to become a full-time starter. He played six seasons with the Blue Jays and was part of the 1992 World Series-winning team. During spring training in 1993, he was released, and then signed with the Detroit Tigers, becoming one of the top pitchers of the team; in 1995 he made his first All-Star Game appearance. His net worth was starting to increase at this point.
However, he was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds later in the 1995 season, and at the end of the season, he was traded again, to the Baltimore Orioles. During his time with the team, he would pitch a career-high 224 innings. In 1997 he signed with the New York Yankees, and would perform well in the Yankees’ record-setting season in the following year; he was third in the Cy Young Award voting, and had an 18-4 record, including pitching just the 15th perfect game in baseball history, and almost recorded a second perfect game later in the season.
In 1999, David returned to the Blue Jays and would play there for the next two years. He was then traded to the Chicago White Sox but struggled due to back problems. He returned to the Yankees and posted a great 19-7 record in 2002, so his net worth continued to increase, plus he then released his autobiography “Perfect I’m Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches, and Baseball”, some contents proving to be controversial. However, he continued to pitch well for the team and got his 200th career win in 2003.
In 2004, he signed a one year contract with the San Diego Padres, and would then sign a two year deal with the Boston Red Sox. After a rocky start, he went on to perform well again with a 15-7 record. In 2006, he returned to the San Diego Padres, then in 2007 was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his first multi-hit game at 44 years old but then moved on to free agency. He announced that his pitching career was over the following year.
In 2009, Wells began working for “MLB on TBS” and became the host of “The Cheap Seats”. He was appointed assistant baseball coach at his alma mater Point Loma High School, becoming the head coach in 2014 – the team’s home field was renamed as the David Wells Field.
David Wells Trade
The Blue Jays traded Wells to the White Sox in January 2001, but he was limited to 16 starts due to surgery to repair two damaged discs in his back. While rehabbing, he lost 30 pounds, in part by giving up beer, and just as he had shaken hands in agreement with the Diamondbacks, awaiting only a physical, Steinbrenner swooped in and stole him away over a lunch of burgers and a two-year, $7 million offer — well exceeding Arizona’s one year, $1 million offer.
Though his first year back was marred by a September fight in which he lost two teeth after being sucker-punched, Wells enjoyed two more strong seasons in the Bronx, winning a combined 34 games and delivering 7.5 WAR. No longer able to reach the 90s with his fastball as he did in his younger days, he still had exceptional control of a big curveball and slider to offset two-and four-seamers that he could place seemingly at will.
In his second season back in the Bronx, he walked a league-best 0.8 per nine, offsetting a strikeout rate that dipped to 4.3 per nine. He helped the Yankees win another pennant via strong postseason starts against the Twins and Red Sox, and pitched well in a losing cause in the World Series opener against the Marlins, backed by a bleary-eyed team still basking in the glory of Aaron Boone’s pennant-winning home run.
David Wells Hall of Fame
Boomer appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2013, but received only 1.1% of the vote and was dropped.
David Wells may see the inside of Cooperstown, but it will be as a guest like the rest of us. Mandatory Credit – IslesPunkFan – FlickrThe 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released to the Baseball Writers of America Association, and as expected, it has created an ample amount of debate among those voting and those not.
That was not difficult to imagine as this is the first true test of voter fortitude in regards to steroid era players, with the ballot featuring the likes of first-time nominees Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza.
But outside of the debate regarding the eligibility of those players, the ballot is also significant for Toronto Blue Jays fans, as there are four former Jays that are appearing on the ballot this year. In this series, I will examine the case that each of these players has for their induction into the Hall of Fame and then make a determination if they truly belong enshrined in Cooperstown.
David Wells enjoyed a solid, 21-year career in Major League Baseball, throwing for nine different teams during that time. Like Jack Morris, whose candidacy we reviewed earlier this week, Wells is at best a borderline candidate, falling short of many of the benchmarks of a Hall of Fame pitcher. It is a sheer testament to his longevity that he receives any consideration at all, but consideration we will give him.
Source: https://jaysjournal.com
David Wells Red Sox
On December 11, 2004, Wells signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox and took the uniform number 3, in honor of Babe Ruth. Getting off to a bad start, many fans questioned the decision of general manager Theo Epstein. Otherwise, after coming off of the DL and getting rocked in his first start back in Oakland and changing his uniform number from 3 to 16. Afterward, Wells became the same dominating pitcher he was in the past.
He went on to post a 15–7 record, with a 4.45 ERA. Wells pitched much better than his ERA may show, but had a few very poor outings. This caused his ERA to “balloon.” After the 2005 season, Wells requested a trade back to the West Coast, but he eventually withdrew that request and resigned himself to one last year pitching for the Red Sox.
Wells began the 2006 season on the disabled list, as he was still recovering from surgery performed on his right knee. After pitching one game on April 12, he was again placed on the 15-day disabled list. He announced that if his knee did not improve he would retire. Wells came off the disabled list on May 26, to make his second start of the year against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
David Wells Trade
In 2004, he signed a one year contract with the San Diego Padres, and would then sign a two year deal with the Boston Red Sox. After a rocky start, he went on to perform well again with a 15-7 record. In 2006, he returned to the San Diego Padres, then in 2007 was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his first multi-hit game at 44 years old but then moved on to free agency. He announced that his pitching career was over the following year.
David Wells Old Timers Day and retirement
On August 2, 2008, Wells took part in the 62nd Annual Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium. Here, he said that he was not going to officially retire. Nevertheless, he admitted that his pitching career was probably over.
David Wells Coaching
Wells served as a baseball assistant coach at his alma mater Point Loma High School for several years. The high school announced on June 17, 2014, that Wells will be the head baseball coach there. He started his coaching career with the 2014–2015 school year. The team’s home field was named David Wells Field in 2010. In 2014, David Wells Field went through a $2-million renovation which was underwritten by the San Diego Unified School District and David Wells.
David Wells Health
On March 18, 2007, the media revealed that Wells has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes is more closely associated with lifestyle factors. Some of the lifestyle factors include diet.
Nevertheless, the condition of people with a genetic disposition for diabetes can be exacerbated with chronic high blood sugar.
On August 8, the Padres announced they would cut ties with Wells. This was after Chris Young was ready to come off the disabled list.
David Wells Twitter
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