Incaviglia was a traditional slugger -- if he swung at a ball, it either left the park or ended up behind him in the catcher's mitt. Though his accomplishments as a college player far outshone his feats in the major leagues, Inky played hard as a journeyman outfielder with an assortment of teams. He may not have lived up to his potential as the College Baseball Player of the Century but, as he put it, "was willing to bust my ass every day."
Incaviglia's career really started at Oklahoma State University. In 1985 (his junior year) he was selected Baseball America's NCAA Player of the Year, establishing NCAA single-season records in homers, slugging percentage, RBIs, and total bases. Chosen by the Montreal Expos in the first round of the free-agent draft that June, Inky refused to sign with the Canadian team until they had negotiated a deal to trade him to the Texas Rangers. Montreal complied, receiving two players who would end up out of the organization two years later.
Inky didn't start a day in the minor leagues. Instead, he jumped directly to the major league team as an outfielder/designated hitter and put up astonishing numbers his first year, tying a club record with 30 dingers while whiffing 185 times, three shy of Bobby Bonds' record mark. Over the next four years with the Rangers, Incaviglia averaged 23 home runs and 151 strikeouts a season.
Despite his slugging prowess, Pete could not disguise his defensive failings and enormous strikeout totals. He was released by the Rangers in 1991, but quickly signed on with the Detroit Tigers. By the end of the next season it was clear that Detroit had no intention of re-signing a no-field outfielder who batted just .214 with 11 dingers and 92 K's over 97 games, and Inky signed on with the Houston Astros. He resurrected his career fairly well, boosting his average up 52 points, but the emergence of Eric Anthony limited his appearances.
In December 1992, Incaviglia signed on with the burly, tobacco-chewing Philadelphia Phillies just in time for their 1993 worst-to-first year. In his best season after his Ranger days, Inky helped the Phils reach the World Series by slugging 24 homers and driving in 89 runs as a platoon outfielder.
Though Incaviglia was no gazelle in the field, he hustled as well as anyone. He showed that desire with the Phils in 1994 when he injured his shoulder crashing into the outfield wall on a ball he had almost no chance on. Playing through the pain he slumped again that year, and used the strike as an excuse to flee to Japan, reuniting with his Ranger manager Bobby Valentine on the Chiba Lotte Mariners in 1995. But the presence of his former skipper could not turn around Incaviglia's struggles. He batted just .181 with five dingers, and came back to America to sign with the Phillies once more.
The well-traveled outfielder performed as expected in Philly, with a high strikeout total and a low average, but not enough power to make up for his liabilities. Included in a deal that sent him and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Baltimore Orioles mid-season, Inky once again got his shot at postseason play. He went 2-for-7 over the Division and League Championship Series, with strikeouts accounting for three of his five outs.
Though he was re-signed, Inky was dropped by the O's in July 1997. From there he signed on with the one team that could always make room for big, washed-up sluggers -- the New York Yankees -- but was released just three weeks later. Incaviglia hoped to reach good standing with the Detroit Tigers in 1998 (after all, manager Buddy Bell and he were teammates for the Rangers), but after going 1-for-14 and yelling at an official scorer during one of the games, Pete was released in April 1998. He briefly signed on with the Astros, but had similar struggles.
As a non-roster invitee to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Incaviglia was placed on the Triple-A squad to start out the season, but asked for his release in April 1999. He officially retired on December 9, 1999, taking a job as a marketing representative for a Las Vegas hotel.
In January 1999 however, Incaviglia got one more taste of athletic glory when he was named the College Baseball Player of the Century by an assortment of fans and a panel of baseball experts that included George Will, Bob Costas, and Steve Wulf. With many of his career statistics still NCAA records, Inky finished ahead of Bob Horner (2nd) and fellow OSU alum Robin Ventura (3rd) for the award. (AG/ME)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»November 2, 1985: The Expos finally sign their top draft pick, Pete Incaviglia, and then trade him to the Rangers for infielder Jim Anderson and a minor league pitcher. Incaviglia, who refused every chance to sign with Montreal, will blast a team-record seven homers in spring training.
»September 2, 1992: Phillies P Terry Mulholland sets a major league record with his 14th pickoff of the season, as he catches Pete Incaviglia of the Astros off base in the 6th inning. Houston wins the game by a score of 3–2.
»May 24, 1994: At home, the Cardinals set a new major-league record for futility by stranding 16 base runners in a shutout, a 4–0 loss to the Phils. The Cards collect nine hits and eight walks to strand runners in every inning but the first. At the end of the eight innings the game is scoreless, but new Cards reliever Mike Perez gives up two hits and a walk, then a 3-run homer to Pete Incaviglia. The old record of 15 baserunners in a shutout had been done four times, the last on May 12, 1975. The 1998 Mariners will match the Cards futility and set the American League record.
»May 28, 1996:
In Philadelphia, Pete Incaviglia hammers a pair of three-run homers to lead the Phils to a 9–3 win over the Dodgers. The win goes to rookie Mike Grace (7–2), who gives up three runs in seven innings. At Arlington Albert Belle dings his 21st in the 4th inning of the Indians 11–3 win over the Rangers Belle, who is collecting his home run balls this season, asks for the ball when he is lifted in the 6th inning. Ken Logan, the fan who caught it. requests an autographed ball in exchange, prompting Belle to tell him to "@#$%^& off." The Indian management quickly apologizes to Logan, and gets him another autographed ball. Belle did the same thing in 1995.
»June 4, 1996: Gregg Jefferies celebrates his return to the Phillies lineup by going 4-for-5, and Pete Incaviglia clubs two 3-run homers as the Phils coast to a 12–3 rain-delayed win over visiting Chicago. Jefferies has been out of the lineup since April four with a thumb injury.
»August 29, 1996:
The Orioles obtain two right hand sluggers, 3B Todd Zeile and OF Pete Incaviglia from the Phillies for two players to be named. Free agents at the end of the season, both will sign elsewhere.
»August 30, 1996:
Eddie Murray clouts his 499th homer and newly acquired Pete Incaviglia adds a grand slam as the Orioles beat the Mariners, 5–2. The O's are four back of the Yankees, down from 12 games on July 29.
»May 31, 1997:
In Miami, Andres Galarraga golfs a 529-foot grand slam, the longest home run ever at Pro Player Stadium, then gets ejected four innings later. His homer gives the Colorado Rockies a 7-0 lead over the Marlins, and they eventually win, 8–4. Galarraga has three home runs in the past three games against Florida that traveled 1,435 feet, an average of 478 feet. He hit a 455-foot homer Thursday and a 451-foot homer Friday. The longest previous homer at the stadium was 482 feet by Pete Incaviglia of the Phillies off Al Leiter on May 1, 1996.
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