The Athletics needed a left-hander who could get them innings in relief and they saw in minor leaguer Scott Baker the pitcher who could do that, manager Tony La Russa told The San Francisco Examiner in July 1995.
For Baker, then usually a starter, it would be his first trip to the majors in his sixth season.
"I was a little surprised when they told me I'd be in relief," Baker told The Examiner then. "This has been a roller-coaster year for me."
Baker's major league time, though, would prove brief. He got into a single game, 3.2 innings of work. That outing proved his only time in the majors.
Baker's career started in 1990, taken by the Cardinals in the seventh round of the draft out of Taft College in California.
Baker started with the Cardinals at rookie Johnson City. He went 4-2, with a 2.28 ERA over 32 relief outings.
That July, he picked up one of his wins after throwing two innings of relief and helped stop a team losing streak, The Johnson City Press wrote.
"We were making some stupid mistakes," Baker told The Press of the team's slide. "It was a mental thing. But it was good to win this one."
Baker moved to single-A Savannah and high-A St. Petersburg for 1991. He went 5-12, with a 3.91 ERA overall in 27 outings, 24 starts. He returned to St. Petersburg for 1992 and went 10-9, with a 1.96 ERA in 24 starts.
Baker then moved to AA Huntsville and the Athletics for 1993. He stayed at Huntsville two seasons, then made AAA Edmonton to start 1995.
Called up in July, he made his debut and only game July 17 at Milwaukee. He went 3.2 innings of relief, gave up five hits and four earned runs. He didn't get into another game.
Baker then played 1996 briefly at independent Grays Harbor. He saw four starts in 1997 at AA Akron with the Indians and went 15-7 in 1998 in Korea with Samsung.
He's then credited as playing at independent Tri-City and in Mexico in 2000 and at independent Chico and Solano in 2002 to end his career.
- Johnson City Press, July 16, 1990: Cardinals beat Burlington, 3-2
- San Francisco Examiner, July 17, 1995: Athletics Beat
Made the Majors:1,417-32.2-X
Never Made Majors:2,990-67.8%
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