A photo of Dan Wheeler.
Daniel Michael Wheeler (born December 10, 1977 in Providence, Rhode Island) is a Major League Baseball pitcher currently playing for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted in the 1996 amateur draft by the Rays out of Central Arizona Junior College. He has also played for the New York Mets, who traded him to the Astros for minor leaguer Adam Seuss in 2004. In 2005, Wheeler established himself as a top setup man for the Astros going 2-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 71 games. He participated on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in the offseason.
On April 9th, 2007, Dan became the Astros closer replacing Brad Lidge. Wheeler recorded his first save of the year against the Chicago Cubs in a 5-3 win at Wrigley Field.[1] However, Wheeler lost the closer job when Brad Lidge overcame injury and returned to the team.
On July 28, 2007 Wheeler was traded back to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for third baseman Ty Wigginton.
Chris Sampson Incident[]
After giving up four runs in the 8th inning and blowing a 3-2 Astros lead over the Oakland A's on June 13, 2007, Wheeler pushed fellow pitcher Chris Sampson in the dugout. Sampson was reportedly attempting to console Wheeler after another tough outing. Wheeler later apologized for his outburst and claimed he had no ill feelings toward Sampson, but he was called into manager Phil Garner's office after the game because of the incident.[2]
Personal life[]
Wheeler is married to Stephanie, daughter of Rays broadcaster Dewayne Staats. Dan and Stephanie have a son, Gabriel Michael, and live in Seminole, a city near St. Petersburg.
Wheeler is a native of Warwick, Rhode Island. He pitched his high school ball at Pilgrim High School in Warwick.
See also[]
References[]
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
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