Juan Eichelberger

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1953)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Juan Eichelberger

|position=Pitcher

|image=Juan Eichelberger Indians.jpg

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1953|10|21}}

|birth_place=St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 7

|debutyear=1978

|debutteam=San Diego Padres

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 20

|finalyear=1988

|finalteam=Atlanta Braves

|debut2league = NPB

|debut2date=April 9

|debut2year=1989

|debut2team=Yakult Swallows

|final2league = NPB

|final2date=May 9

|final2year=1989

|final2team=Yakult Swallows

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=26–36

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.10

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=281

|stat2league = NPB

|stat21label=Win–loss record

|stat21value=0–3

|stat22label=Earned run average

|stat22value=7.04

|stat23label=Strikeouts

|stat23value=6

|teams=

• San Diego Padres ({{mlby|1978}}–{{mlby|1982}})
• Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|1983}})
• Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|1988}})
• Yakult Swallows ({{npby|1989}})

}}

Juan Tyrone Eichelberger (born October 21, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He graduated from Balboa High School of San Francisco, California, in 1971, played collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley and pitched for the San Diego Padres (1978–82), Cleveland Indians (1983) and Atlanta Braves (1988). He also pitched one season in Japan (1989) for the Yakult Swallows.

On June 2, 1982, Juan almost threw the Padres' first no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs. A questionable umpiring call resulted in Scot Thompson being credited with a 2nd inning single on a ground ball that was not cleanly fielded by Tim Flannery.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Juan kept the Cubs hitless over the next 7 innings and ended up with a complete game 1 hitter. The Padres won the game 3–1.{{Cite web|title=Boxscore|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198206020.shtml}}

In 1982 he was traded by the Padres along with first baseman-outfielder Broderick Perkins to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Ed Whitson.

In 7 seasons Eichelberger had a 26–36 win–loss record, 125 games, 79 games started, 14 complete games, 1 shutout, 16 games finished, {{frac|603|1|3}} innings pitched, 575 hits allowed, 312 runs allowed, 275 earned runs allowed, 50 home runs allowed, 283 walks allowed, 281 strikeouts, 8 hit batsmen, 25 wild pitches, 2,605 batters faced, 20 intentional walks, 14 balks and a 4.10 ERA. His career WHIP was 1.422.

Eichelberger was known for his unusual set position. While most pitchers would come to a standing position with their feet together and bring the ball and glove to their chest or chin, Eichelberger would keep his feet spread apart with his knees bent in a crouch and ball and glove at his belt.

Juan Eichelberger's son Jared followed his father into professional baseball, as a RHP originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2001.{{Cite web|title=Jared Eichelberger Stats, Highlights, Bio {{!}} MiLB.com Stats {{!}} The Official Site of Minor League Baseball|url=http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=458160|access-date=2021-02-11|website=MiLB.com|language=en}} Juan is the founder and head instructor at Baseball Science, a baseball training program in San Diego, California.{{cite web |url=http://www.baseballscience.org/ |title=Home |website=baseballscience.org}}