David Cone - Biography

Last Editor: maro_pat				David Cone Biography -   Name : David Cone Profession : Baseball Player Birth Details : born January 2, 1963 in Kansas City, Missouri Birth name : David Brian Cone Height : 6' 1" (1.85 m) Nickname : Coney Personal quotes : "He was the guy I identified with. And I still do. He was such a gamer. Tough, competitive, hated to lose." (on former KC Royals ace Dennis Le Spouse : Lynn DiGioia (1994 - present) Trade mark : "Mental" pitcher - known for varying arm angles and inventing new pitches on the mound.

David Cone Trivia -

His David Cone Foundation, established in 1996, is dedicated to assisting numerous charities and educational programs throughout the country. Lived in an English manor-style home in Greenwich, Connecticut, with wife, Lynn, an interior decorator. The house boasted a $250,000 sound, video, lighting and security system. Was a star quarterback in high school. 1994 American League Cy Young award winner. July 18, 1999: Pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees, only the 16th perfect game in MLB history. August 27, 1992: Traded by the New York Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays. March 27, 1987: Traded by the Kansas City Royals to the New York Mets. One of the lead Players' Union representatives during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. Was the last man to pitch to Cal Ripken, Jr. The Oriole superstar went 0 for 4 against Cone in his final game in October, 2001. Coming off his perfect game and a World Championship in 1999, the Yankees signed him to a one-year, $12,000,000 contract before the 2000 season. But a disastrous 2000 season -- a 4-14 record and 6.91 ERA -- sent Cone packing. He pitched for the rival Red Sox in 2001, going a somewhat redemptive 9-7 with a 4.31 ERA. Graduated from Rockhurst High School, a Jesuit school in Kansas City, class of 1981. Announced his retirement. Cone, who sat out the 2002 season, was 1-3 with a 6.50 ERA in five games this year. He finishes 194-126 with a 3.46 ERA and 2,668 K's. (30 May 2003) World Series rings with the Toronto Blue Jays (1992) and the New York Yankees (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) Made major league debut on 8 June 1986. Pitcher with the American League's Kansas City Royals (1986; 1993-1994), Toronto Blue Jays (1992[end]; 1995[start]), New York Yankees (1995[end]-2000), and Boston Red Sox (2001); and the National League's New York Mets (1987-1992[start]; 2003).

David Cone Detailed Biography -

David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. With a sharp fastball but a soft-spoken demeanor, Cone earned a number of devoted fans, dubbed "Coneheads", who seemed to follow him no matter which team he played for. Cone, a right-hander, was regarded as one of the top strikeout pitchers in the majors during the late 1980s and early 1990s and won the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 with the Kansas City Royals. David was drafted by the Royals in the 3rd round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on June 8, 1986. Prior to the 1987 season, however, he was traded with Chris Jelic to the New York Mets for Ed Hearn, Rick Anderson and Mauro Gazzo. The following season, David split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation and enjoyed marginal success, going 5-6. Cone's first exceptional year came in 1988 when he went 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA, leading the Mets to the postseason, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the next dozen years, Cone became accustomed to leading teams to the postseason and became known as a "big game" pitcher. It was this reputation which led to Cone's becoming a popular trade commodity during deadline deals as his pitching down the stretch was highly sought by contending teams. He was twice a part of midyear deals, being shipped from a losing team to a contending team in 1992 and 1995. Cone compiled an 8-3 postseason record over 21 postseason starts and was a part of five World Series championship teams (1992 with the Toronto Blue Jays and 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the New York Yankees). He had a career postseason ERA of 3.80. In addition to the 1988 campaign, Cone also enjoyed a 20-win season in 1998, setting a Major League record for the longest span between 20-win season. He led the National League in strikeouts in 1990 and 1991, but his 261 strikeouts in 1992, split between the two leagues, were a personal best. He won the American League Cy Young Award in the strike-shortened 1994 season, going 16-5 with a 2.94 ERA. Cone's performance faded dramatically in his later years. After pitching a perfect game on July 18, 1999, against the Montreal Expos, he seemed to suddenly lose effectiveness, and in 2000 he posted the worst record of his career, 4-14, while seeing his ERA balloon to 6.91, more than double his mark the previous year. The change in fortune was so severe that sports reporters jokingly asked if he'd sold his soul to the devil in order to pitch the perfect game. Cone retired after pitching for the Boston Red Sox in 2001, but attempted a comeback in the 2003 season. Pitching again for the New York Mets, the results were no better - he went 1-3 in 4 starts with a 6.50 ERA. He retired, again, in the off-season. The 2001 book A Pitcher's Story: Innings With David Cone by Roger Angell (ISBN 0446678465) is a revealing glimpse of Cone's career. Instead of a stock "as told to" sports autobiography, the book interweaves a biography of the pitcher with an inside look at his most disheartening season.