This is Part 5 of a 13-part series examining the 65 men who have collected exactly one hit as a member of the San Diego Padres. Our current installment features four right-handers (one of whom earned 139 minor-league victories, one who once was traded for Cito Gaston, one who threw the knuckleball, and one about whom I can think of nothing interesting to say) and a left-hander who attended the same school as Khalil Greene.
Steve Fireovid
Pos: RHP Years: 1981-1983 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K BA OBP SLG OPS+ 8 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .143 .143 .143 -16
Taken by the Padres in the seventh round of the 1978 June draft that netted them several members of the ’84 championship team (Andy Hawkins, Tim Flannery, Eric Show, Mark Thurmond), Fireovid enjoyed considerable success in the minor leagues, notching 139 wins over 16 seasons. He won just three games in the big leagues, none with the Padres.
On September 12, 1981, Fireovid made his first career start, in front of 3950 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. With his team leading, 4-1, in the fifth inning, Fireovid singled to center field against Braves right-hander Rick Mahler. The hit followed a double by Flannery and a three-run homer by Joe Lefebvre, and ended Mahler’s night. Fireovid himself departed in the sixth, still up, 4-2. Show, working in relief, coughed up a two-run blast to Claudell Washington with one out in the ninth and Atlanta went on to win in extra innings.
Danny Frisella
Pos: RHP Years: 1975 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K BA OBP SLG OPS+ 65 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 .200 .200 15
Frisella, selected by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1966 June draft (secondary phase) out of Washington State (Ron Cey, Jon Olerud, Ryan Leaf… heh), spent 10 years in the big leagues. He made 351 appearances, all but 17 in relief, for five different teams. The Padres acquired Frisella from the Braves in November 1974 straight up for Cito Gaston.
Frisella pitched reasonably well (97.2 IP, 3.13 ERA, 112 ERA+) in his lone season with the Padres. He also collected the last of his 14 big-league hits. On August 23, 1975, Frisella relieved starter Dan Spillner with one out in the seventh inning and his team leading, 4-3. After the Padres erupted for three runs in their half of the frame, manager John McNamara let Frisella bat for himself in the eighth. Frisella led off the inning with an infield single off Phillies right-hander Wayne Twitchell and later came around to score San Diego’s final run on a Hector Torres sacrifice fly.
Chad Gaudin
Pos: RHP Years: 2009 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K BA OBP SLG OPS+ 17 28 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 14 .036 .069 .036 -70
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays took Gaudin in the 34th round of the 2001 draft. Although he hasn’t enjoyed a distinguished big-league career, it has been more successful than that of their first-round pick that year (Dewon Brazelton, who also collected exactly one hit for the Padres).
Gaudin, whose most similar pitcher according to Baseball-Reference is Kevin Correia (I had trouble telling the two apart when they were rotation mates here in San Diego), has spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues and recorded 35 wins. He also has knocked one hit. On May 31, 2009, at Coors Field, Gaudin singled to center field against right-hander Jason Grilli in the sixth inning.
Rusty Gerhardt
Pos: LHP Years: 1974 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K BA OBP SLG OPS+ 23 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .167 .167 .167 -4
The Padres picked Gerhardt out of Clemson (John Curtis, Khalil Greene) in the 12th round of the 1972 June draft, which also featured Dave Roberts (the third baseman), Randy Jones, and Jerry Turner. After starting the ’74 season at Triple-A Hawaii, Gerhardt joined the big club toward the end of July and served primarily in mop-up duty (the Padres went 4-19 in his appearances).
On September 10, Gerhardt worked 4 1/3 innings in relief of starter Joe McIntosh, who failed to survive the second. In the third inning, after Dave Hilton and Chris Cannizzaro struck out, Gerhardt singled to center off Cincinnati southpaw Don Gullett. That would be the only hit of Gerhardt’s big-league career, although he once homered while playing for Tri-City of the Northwest League back in ’72.
Charlie Haeger
Pos: RHP Years: 2008 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K BA OBP SLG OPS+ 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 459
Haeger was taken by the White Sox in the 25th round of what was, for them, a disastrous 2001 draft (Arizona center fielder Chris Young is the only player who has had a significant career, and he never made it to Chicago). The knuckleballer from Catholic Central HS in Redford, Mich. (Frank Tanana) has made brief appearances with three big-league teams over the past five years. Haeger owns a career line of 2-7, 6.40 ERA (67 ERA+).
He also owns one big-league hit. It came in his first at-bat, on September 23, 2008, at Dodger Stadium. After starter Wade LeBlanc surrendered six runs in the first inning and another in the third, Haeger came on to do damage control. It didn’t work, and the Padres trailed, 10-1, when he departed in the fifth. It is small consolation that with two out in the fourth and Edgar Gonzalez at first base, Haeger lined a single to left-center off right-hander Chad Billingsley. Then again, sometimes small consolation is better than none at all.
Don’t remember Rusty Gerhardt, but I remember Danny Frisella who, sadly, was killed a year after leaving the Padres.