Eric Plunk

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Eric Plunk

|image=Eric Plunk (19015039666) (cropped).jpg

|caption=Plunk at Progressive Field in 2015

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1963|9|3}}

|birth_place=Wilmington, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=May 12

|debutyear=1986

|debutteam=Oakland Athletics

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 2

|finalyear=1999

|finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=72–58

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.82

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=1,081

|teams=

Oakland Athletics ({{By|1986}}–{{By|1989}})
New York Yankees ({{By|1989}}–{{By|1991}})
Cleveland Indians ({{By|1992}}–{{By|1998}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{By|1998}}–{{By|1999}})

}}

Eric Vaughn Plunk (born September 3, 1963) is an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 through 1999. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Career

The New York Yankees selected Plunk in the fourth round of the 1981 MLB draft.{{cite web|last=Castrovince |first=Anthony |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/rickey-henderson-eric-plunk-trades-history |title=Rickey Henderson, Eric Plunk trades history |work=MLB.com |date=April 9, 2020 |access-date=September 15, 2020}} On December 5, 1984, the Yankees traded Plunk with Tim Birtsas, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, and José Rijo to the Oakland Athletics for Rickey Henderson, Bert Bradley, and cash.{{cite web|author=Murray Chass |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/06/sports/yanks-and-a-s-complete-deal-for-henderson.html |title=Yanks And A'S Complete Deal For Henderson - The New York Times |work=Nytimes.com |date=December 6, 1984 |access-date=September 15, 2020}} On June 21, 1989, he was traded by the Oakland Athletics with Greg Cadaret and Luis Polonia to the Yankees for Henderson.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/22/sports/yankees-send-henderson-back-to-oakland.html |title=Yankees Send Henderson Back to Oakland - The New York Times |work=Nytimes.com |date=June 22, 1989 |access-date=September 15, 2020}}

Plunk signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent after the 1991 season. He was the winning pitcher in the first ever game played at Jacobs Field on April 4, 1994. Plunk became one of the most reliable set-up men in baseball, posting a sub-3.00 earned run average in four consecutive seasons from 1993 to 1996. On September 17, 1996, Plunk pitched the final three innings and got the save in the Indians' 9-4 win over the White Sox that clinched Cleveland's second consecutive Central Division title.

Plunk's regular season success never translated over to the postseason. In 15 playoff appearances with the Athletics and Indians, Plunk had a 7.53 ERA and walked 10 batters in 14 innings of work. He was the losing pitcher for Game 3 of the 1997 World Series, his final postseason appearance.

Days before the trade deadline during the 1998 season, the Indians traded Plunk to the Milwaukee Brewers for Doug Jones. Plunk pitched one more season in the major leagues for the Brewers in 1999.