Athletes - Frank Tanana

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	Athletes - Frank Tanana

Frank Daryl Tanana (born July 3, 1953, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was the California Angels' 1st round draft pick in 1971.

Tanana's major league career spanned from 1973 to 1993 and saw him playing for the Angels, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees.

June 21, 1975 was a memorable day in Tanana's career – he struck out 17 batters in one game. In his prime, he was known for a blazing 100+ MPH fastball, which he abruptly lost when he injured his arm. However, he was able to develop an assortment of off-speed pitches (including an excellent curveball) and continue his career.

Frank appeared in three consecutive All-Star Games from 1976 to 1978, and led the league in strikeouts in 1975 as well as in ERA and shutouts in 1977. Throughout his career, he accumulated 34 shutouts, 4000 innings pitched, and nearly 3000 strikeouts.

Texas Rangers

In 1984 Tanana was named the pitcher of the year for the Texas Rangers as he went 15-15 with a 3.25 era. This was a great accomplishment for Tanana since an arm injury earlier in his career had forced him to stop being a power pitcher and rely on pure junk.

Detroit Tigers

In 1987 Tanana pitched a 1-0 complete game shutout over the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch the American League East title for the Tigers.

Frank is also known for having converted to Christianity midway through his career and becoming a leader in the Christian community within professional baseball.

He was given the nickname "Frank Tanana Daiquiri" by broadcaster Chris Berman of ESPN. It was one of the first of many nicknames that Berman has become notorious for developing and remains one of his favorites.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Frank Tanana ]

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