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Original story and credit to: Garry Brown, Special to The Republication

 

When Steve “Turk” Wendell was pitching for Dalton’s Wahconah Regional High School, he remembers stepping on the first-base line as he was heading to the mound.

“I gave up a run in that inning, and I vowed never to step on a baseline again,” he said.

And he never did. Any time he would head to the mound, he would take a little jump over the baseline. He did that for the rest of his high school career. He did it as a Quinnipiac University strikeout ace – and he did it for 11 years in the big leagues.

No doubt about it, this guy stood out as a free spirit among major league players. He also stood out as a reliable reliever, appearing in 552 games and working 645 innings.

“I enjoyed just being in the big leagues. I only wanted a few things out of life – a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer, and I’ve done all that,” he said.

Now he can add another achievement: election to the Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame. He will be inducted Friday in the Class of 2020.

“Will I be there for induction night? Absolutely. Anyway, I get back to Dalton as often as I can,” he said.

Now 52, he lives on Wykota Farm, a 208- acre hunting and fishing expanse in Larkspur, Colorado.

Wendell was pitching for Quinnipiac and, in summers, for the Dalton Collegians when he caught the attention of major league scouts. In June 1988, he became part of a treasure-trove draft by the Atlanta Braves, who took lefty Steve Avery as their No. 1 pick (third in the nation), Wendell in the fifth round and Holyoke power pitcher Mark Wohlers in the eighth.

All three went on to pitch in the World Series – Avery and Wohlers for the Braves, Wendell for the New York Mets.

The Turk had just finished a successful 1991 season (11-5) as a starter in Atlanta’s minor league system when was surprised by a trade to the Chicago Cubs, who kept him in a starting role, including a few major league starts in 1993 and ’94, as he shuttled between Triple A and the majors. In 1995, when he made the big leagues to stay, the Cubs converted him to a bullpen role.

“It was a case of me being out of options, so the best way to keep me was in the bullpen,” Wendell said. “I would have preferred to be a starter, but no regrets. The pen worked out well for my career.”

In August 1997, the Cubs traded him to the Mets. His New York years (1998-2000) were the height of his career. In 1999, when the Mets lost the NLCS to the Braves, Wendell made a career-high 80 appearances.

He pitched in 77 games the following year as the Mets won the pennant. They lost to the Yankees in the World Series, but just being there was a thrill for the Turk of Dalton.

“Pitching in the World Series – my dream as a kid,” he said.

He was well known for his charitable work during and after his retirement from baseball. In 2000, that led the New York Press Photographers Association to present him with its “Good Guy Award.”

Throughout his career, he was a sportswriter’s dream, always there with candid comments. For instance, he was well known for blasting Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa for their perceived steroid use.

In July 2001, the Mets traded him and bullpen pal Dennis Cook to the Phillies, bringing an instant response from Wendell: “You can’t take the heart of your bullpen out of there without thinking they’re throwing in the towel.”

Over a pro career from 1988 to 2005, Wendell made friendships that have lasted a lifetime. One is with Rheal Cormier, whose 18-year MLB career included stops with the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and the Phillies.

“When I made my major league debut (June 17, 1993), I started for the Cubs at Wrigley Field against the Cardinals, and Rheal started for them. Eight years later, we wound up together in the Phillies bullpen, and we’ve been friends ever since,” Wendell said.

As for his dealings with major league managers, he has two favorites: Jim Riggleman with the Cubs, Bobby Valentine with the Mets. Both gave him the opportunities he needed to show what he could do as a reliever.

He still follows baseball, but devotes a lot of his time watching and encouraging his children, both excellent athletes. Son Wyatt pitches for Indian Hills Community College of Ottumwa, Iowa, and daughter Dakota plays soccer at Minnesota State University- Mankato.

“Wyatt’s a big guy, 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds. He throws 92 (mph), and I hope he gets a chance at pro ball. Dakota? She’s an All-American in soccer,” proud pop said.

 

Garry Brown can be reached at geebrown1918@gmail.com Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of stories highlighting this year’s inductees into the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame.