Norm Charlton

Norman Wood Charlton III (born January 6, 1963), nicknamed "The Sheriff", is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[1]

Norm Charlton
Pitcher
Born: (1963-01-06) January 6, 1963
Fort Polk, Louisiana
Batted: Switch Threw: Left
MLB debut
August 19, 1988, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
October 7, 2001, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
Win–loss record51–54
Earned run average3.71
Strikeouts808
Saves97
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Charlton was born in Fort Polk, LA, and graduated from James Madison High School in San Antonio, TX. He attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, playing for coach David Hall, before being drafted by the Montreal Expos with the 28th pick in the first round of the 1984 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Professional playing career
Charlton with the Nashville Sounds in 1987

The left-handed Charlton was best known as being part of the infamous "Nasty Boys" relief pitching corps for the 1990 Reds team who won the World Series.[2] Randy Myers and Rob Dibble were the other two members. The Boys were renowned for their clutch, shutdown performances, particularly during the playoff run; their blazing fastballs; and their bruising beanballs. Charlton is also famous in Cincinnati for plowing over Mike Scioscia to score a run in a nationally televised Sunday night game.[3]

Charlton was also a key member of the two most beloved Mariner teams. During the 1995 "Refuse to Lose" team that was the first Mariner team to reach the playoffs, he was the team's closer after a midseason trade. As a member of the 2001 team that won an MLB record 116 games, Charlton was a lefty specialist, fleshing out a bullpen which also featured Japanese closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, Jeff Nelson, and fellow lefty Arthur Rhodes.

Before the 1998 season, Charlton signed a contract to join the Baltimore Orioles bullpen. He was released on July 28. Charlton signed with the Braves a few days later.

Coaching career

On October 22, 2007, the Mariners named Charlton as their bullpen coach. His contract, along with those of the remainder of the 2008 coaching staff, was not renewed following the hire of Don Wakamatsu as the club's field manager in November 2008.[4]

Personal life

Charlton holds three degrees from Rice University.

References
  1. "Norm Charlton Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  2. John Erardi; John Fay (June 23, 2002). "Surprise '90 Series sweep of A's defined team effort". reds.enquirer.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  3. "95 more gems round out top 100". reds.enquirer.com. September 22, 2002. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  4. Geoff Baker (November 25, 2008). "Bullpen coach Norm Charlton told he won't back with Mariners". seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
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