Athletes - Tony Saunders

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	Athletes - Tony Saunders

Anthony Scott "Tony" Saunders (born April 29, 1974 in Baltimore, Maryland) was an American Major League baseball pitcher for 3 seasons between 1997 and 1999. He was the first player selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft.

Saunders initially signed with the Florida Marlins' minor league system in 1992, a year before their expansion season. He was part of the Marlins' opening day roster in 1997 and finished with a 4-6 record in 22 starts. Remarkably, his first three wins were all against the powerhouse Atlanta Braves. The Marlins earned a wild card berth into the playoffs, and after being left of the Division Series roster, Saunders was placed on the LCS roster against the Braves. He started game 3 of the series, which Livan Hernandez won in relief of Saunders.

In the World Series, Saunders started game 4 against the Cleveland Indians, but took the loss after giving up 6 earned runs in 2 innings pitched. Nonetheless, he earned a ring as the Marlins defeated Cleveland.

Saunders was one of many members of that team who left Florida following the season, joining the Devil Rays for their inaugural season after being the first pick in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft. Saunders was 9th in the American League in strikeouts but also 1st in walks as he struggled to a 6-15 record. He started the 1999 season 3-3, but on May 26, while pitching against the Texas Rangers, Saunders' arm broke while throwing a pitch in a frightening incident. He missed the remainder of the season. In 2000, he broke the arm again in a rehab assignment, forcing Saunders to retire at the age of 26.

In his controversial book, Jose Canseco, a teammate of Saunders in 1999, implied that Saunders' broken arm was a result of him abusing steroids.

In 2005, Saunders announced a comeback when he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization and was added to their spring training roster. He pitched one inning against the St. Louis Cardinals before he was reassigned to the minor leagues. He remained listed on the Bowie Baysox' roster for the whole 2005 season but never pitched in a game.

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