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On this day in 1962 William Edward Wegman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was 18 when the Brewers selected him in the fifth round (124th overall) in the 1981 draft, and made his major league debut as a September callup in 1985.
We've now discussed nearly all of Wegman's career transactions: He was drafted by the Brewers, called up to the big leagues for the first time by the Brewers and represented Milwaukee in all 262 of his major league appearances over eleven seasons, including 216 starts. The best stretch of Wegman's career was 1991-92, where he pitched 455 innings over two seasons and posted a 3.05 ERA despite striking out just 4.3 batters per nine innings.
Looking back, the most remarkable thing about Wegman's Brewer career has to be his control. He walked just 2.1 batters per nine innings, which is a big part of the reason his tendency to give up home runs (1.1 per nine innings) didn't become a bigger issue.
Wegman struggled in 1995 and the Brewers moved him to the bullpen, where he posted a 5.35 ERA over 70.2 innings. He became a free agent after the season and retired. He's still fourth on the Brewer all-time list with 1482.2 innings pitched, sixth with 81 wins (one spot ahead of Yovani Gallardo) and second with 90 losses.
Thanks to the B-Ref Play Index for reminding me that Wegman turns 50 today. We'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:
- 2012 Brewer Vinnie Chulk, who turns 34.
- 2004-05 and 2008 Brewer Russell Branyan, who turns 37.
- 1995 Brewer Joe Slusarski, who turns 46.
- 1992-97 Brewer Mike Fetters, who turns 48.
- 1976 Brewer Art Kusnyer, who turns 67.
- 1973 Brewer Rob Gardner, who turns 68.
Today is also the second anniversary of the 2010 trade that brought Zack Greinke to Milwaukee as part of a six-player deal. We covered that event in this space last year.