After completing his secondary education, he graduated from San Jose City College in 1988 with an AA degree in business. He was a Junior College 1st Team All American at San Jose. He then majored in accounting with a minor in psychology at the University of Arizona. Erickson was inducted into the Arizona Wildcat Hall of Fame after just one year of pitching at Arizona.[citation needed] Erickson set a school record for wins with an 18–3 record, as he led the country in wins (18), innings pitched (175), and complete games (14). Those impressive numbers earned him a unanimous First Team All-American honor. His teammates at Arizona included Trevor Hoffman, Kevin Long, and J. T. Snow.[1] In 1989, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]
Career
Minor leagues
Erickson began his professional career after being selected in the major league draft four times. He was drafted by the New York Mets in 1986 out of Homestead High School; the Houston Astros in 1987 and Toronto Blue Jays in 1988 out of San Jose City College; and in 1989 he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the amateur draft out of the University of Arizona. He finally signed his first pro contract with Minnesota. After 27 minor league starts,[3] Erickson rose to the major leagues in his second season of professional baseball with the Class AA Orlando Sun Rays.[4] He was on a five-game win streak with a record of 8–3 in the first half as an All Star in the Southern League.
Major leagues
Minnesota Twins
Erickson finished 1990 with a combined record of 16–7 between Double-A and the majors; he went 5–0 in September and tied Dave Stewart for American League Pitcher of the Month. In 1991, Erickson posted a record of 12–2 with a 1.39 ERA in the first half season and was awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for May and June.[5] The Twins went on to win the World Series, and Erickson finished second to Roger Clemens for the American League Cy Young Award[6] and received votes for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.[7]
The following season, Erickson started 32 games, going 13–12 with 5 complete games. He regressed the following year, however, leading the majors with 19 losses. On April 27, 1994, Erickson no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers 6–0 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the first no-hitter ever pitched in that stadium. He became the third Twins pitcher, after Jack Kralick in 1962 and Dean Chance in 1967, to pitch a no-hitter; the former's had been the last no-hitter in a Twins home game, that game having taken place at the Metrodome's predecessor, Metropolitan Stadium.[8]
Baltimore Orioles
In 1995, he started with a 4-6 record and 5.95 ERA with the Twins, then was traded to the Baltimore Orioles.[9] More effective after the trade, Erickson turned in 9 wins in 16 starts for Baltimore. Between both teams, he finished 13–10 with 7 complete games. In 1996, Erickson won 13 games for the second straight year, with 6 complete games and 100 strikeouts for the 6th straight year. In 1997, Erickson turned in his best season since 1992, winning 16 games with a 3.69 ERA in 33 starts. He later signed a five-year, $32 million contract with Baltimore through 2003.[10] In 1998, Erickson once again won 16 games for the Orioles, while leading the league in complete games (11) and innings pitched (251.1).
In 1999, Erickson went 15–12 with a 4.81 ERA while leading the league in shutouts (3). He also led the majors in ground balls induced with 454.
On March 3, 2000, Erickson had bone chips removed from his elbow, and was out of action eight weeks.[11][12] Erickson made 16 starts for the Orioles in 2000. He was hampered by the nagging elbow issue and visited the disabled list twice, the second one being a season ending elbow injury.[13] After over 2000 innings pitched, the elbow injury caused him to miss the entire 2001 season. Erickson returned in 2002, becoming the first pitcher to start Opening Day after missing an entire season. That season, he made 28 starts, pitching 160.2 innings. In 2003, Erickson suffered a torn labrum and missed the entire 2003 season.[14][15]
Later career
In 2004, Erickson signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets.[16] Set back by injury, he made his Mets' debut in July, then was traded to the Texas Rangers at the July 31 deadline.[17]
Erickson signed a deal with the New York Yankees on February 16, 2006. He was released by the Yankees on June 19, and officially retired from baseball at the beginning of the 2007 season.
Pitching profile
Erickson was a groundball pitcher. He led the league five times in most double plays in a season and is in the Top 5 in Major League history for groundball to flyout ratio.[citation needed]
In 2002, Erickson was arrested and charged with second-degree assault after an argument with then-girlfriend Lisa Ortiz spilled out into the hallway outside their condominium. Investigators later dropped the charges.[22]
On January 27, 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office charged Erickson with reckless driving in connection with a 2020 hit-and-run that killed two young children.[23] Prosecutors alleged that Erickson and his then-lover Rebecca Grossman, a wealthy socialite and estranged wife of Peter Grossman, a prominent doctor and son of A. Richard Grossman, who founded the world-renowned, Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, California had been drinking cocktails at Julios, a restaurant in Westlake Village. They left Julio's in their separate SUV's and raced their vehicles through suburban streets at over 80 miles per hour (130 km/h), and struck and killed the two young brothers at a Westlake Village crosswalk.[24] During the murder trial against Grossman, her defense team argued that it was actually Erickson who struck the boys, placing the blame on him;[25][26] however the jury was not convinced, and Grossman was found guilty of double second degree murder.[24] Erickson's earlier misdemeanor in connection with the crash[23] was later dismissed after he made a public service message about safe driving.[27]
