Rod Scurry

Rod Scurry
Pitcher
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
April 17, 1980, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last appearance
September 30, 1988, for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics
Win-Loss Record	19-32
Strikeouts	431
Earned run average	3.24
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1980-1985) New York Yankees (1985-1986) Seattle Mariners (1988)

Rodney Grant Scurry (March 17, 1956 – November 5, 1992) was a Major League pitcher for eight seasons, and was the first Major League Baseball player directly linked to the Pittsburgh drug trials that dogged baseball during the mid-1980s. He died of a cocaine-induced heart attack on November 5, 1992.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Scurry was born in Template:City-state, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the eleventh overall pick in the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft after his Hug High School Template:City-state team won the state AAA championship. He spent six seasons in the Pirates' farm system, compiling a 37-51 record and 3.89 earned run average, before making the major league club out of Spring training 1980.

He had primarily a starter in the minors, while he spent his first season with the Pirates as a relief pitcher. In 1981, Scurry was added to the starting rotation. He won his first start on April 19, pitching seven innings, and giving up four hits and no earned runs in seven innings pitched.

As a starter, he had a 1-2 record and 4.31 ERA. He made two more starts in August, winning one and losing one. For the season, he went 4-5 with a 3.77 ERA and seven saves. In 1982 he appeared in 76 games for the Pirates, and went 4-5 with a 1.74 ERA and fourteen saves.

Pittsburgh drug trials

Scurry entered a drug-treatment program in April 1984, and was suspended by the Pirates in June 1985 for failure to follow his rehabilitation program. On August 19, 1985, he became the first player directly named in the cocaine distribution trial of Curtis Strong. He and Pirates teammates Dale Berra, Lee Lacy, Lee Mazzilli, John Milner and Dave Parker, along with several other notable major league players, were called before a Pittsburgh grand jury for their involvement in the Pittsburgh drug scandal. Their testimony led to the drug trials, which made national headlines in September 1985. He and the other players brought before the Pittsburgh Grand Jury were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony. On September 14, 1985, his contract was sold to the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees

Scurry pitched effectively during his time with the Yankees, going 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 36 appearances over a season plus with the team. He failed to make the team out of Spring training 1987. He signed with the San Francisco Giants in June of 1987 and spent the entire season with their triple-A affiliate.

Seattle Mariners

During Spring training 1988, the Giants dealt Scurry to the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later. After starting the season in the minors, he joined the team in May, and went 0-2 with a 4.02 ERA and two saves.

Death

On October 29, 1992, responding to a call from a neighbor, the Washoe County Sheriff's Department found Scurry outside his home complaining that snakes were in his home, crawling on him and biting him. He became violent and stopped breathing when deputies attempted to put handcuffs and leg restraints on him. He was taken to Washoe Medical Center, and remained in life-support systems until his death a week later.

He was married to Laura, and had two children. His son, Rod, Jr., is a pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization.

References

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)