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Dennis Eckersley

Dennis Eckersley

Keynote Speaker: Baseball Hall of Famer and Sports Analyst; 24 year career in the MLB; Served as a coach with the Massachusetts Special Olympics

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Dennis Eckersley Biography

Dennis Lee Eckersley was born October 3, 1954 in Oakland, California and nicknamed "Eck," was a Major League Baseball player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.

He enjoyed success as a starter and overwhelming success as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career. He is also noted as the pitcher who gave up Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

Dennis Eckersley was drafted by the Cleveland Indians, out of Washington High School of Fremont in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft and made his Major League debut on April 12, 1975. Dennis pitched well throughout the year, compiling a 13-7 record and 2.60 ERA. His unstyled, long hair and live fastball made him an instant and identifiable fan favorite. Eckersley pitched reliably over three seasons with the Indians, including a no-hitter on May 30, 1977 against the California Angels.

He was traded on March 30, 1978 to the Boston Red Sox. Pitching for a contender boosted Eckersley's stats over the next several seasons. He won a career-high 20 games in 1978 and 17 games in 1979, both years compiling a 2.99 ERA.

During the remainder of his tenure with Boston, from 1980 to 1984, Eckersley pitched poorly. His fastball wasn't as intimidating as it once had been and his 43-48 record over this span reflected this.

Eckersley was traded on May 25, 1984 with Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Buckner. Eckersley signed with Chicago in the off-season as well. He enjoyed some success with the new team, as the Cubs won the divisional title in 1984. Eckersley's performance deteoriated after re-signing with the Cubs in 1985. In 1986, Eckersley posted a 6-11 record with a 4.57 ERA. After the season, he checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic to treat alcoholism. He returned to the Cubs for spring training in 1987.

Eckersley was traded again on April 3, 1987 to the Oakland Athletics where manager Tony La Russa intended to use him as a set-up man or long reliever. An injury to then-closer Jay Howell, however, opened the door for Eckersley to move into the closer's role, a role he wouldn't relinquish during his tenure with the Athletics. LaRussa and Eckersley revolutionized the strategy of relief pitching. Eckersley was the first prominent reliever to be used almost exclusively in the "protecting the 9th inning lead" role which is now commonplace, in part because of Eckersley's overwhelming success.

Eckersley was one of the most dominant closers in the game from 1987 to 1992, saving 236 games and never posting an ERA higher than 3.03 (and posting a low of 0.61). Eckersley's control, which had always been above average even when he was not otherwise pitching well, became his trademark; he walked only 3 batters in 57.7 innings in 1989, and only 4 batters in 73.3 innings in 1990. In that 1990 season, Eckersley became the only relief pitcher in baseball history to have more saves than baserunners allowed (48 SV, 41 H, 4 BB, 0 HBP).

He was the American League's Cy Young Award winner and MVP in 1992, a season in which he posted 51 saves. No pitcher since has won the two honors in the same season. Only two relievers had previously accomplished the double feat: Rollie Fingers in 1981, and Willie Hernandez in 1984.

Jim Konstanty won the 1950 NL MVP, the first reliever to do so, but this was before the Cy Young Award was instituted. (Starting pitchers Don Newcombe (1956), Sandy Koufax (1963), Bob Gibson (1968), Vida Blue (1971) and Roger Clemens (1986) also won both awards in the same year. Several other pitchers won MVP awards before the first Cy Young award. Presumably they all would have won that year's nonexistent Cy Young balloting, with the exception of Dazzy Vance and Walter Johnson in 1924, both of whom won league MVPs, but one of whom would have lost a Cy Young vote to the other (until 1967, there was only one Cy Young Award given for both leagues).

Only one reliever since Eckersley has been awarded the Cy Young: Éric Gagné won NL honors in 2003.

In 2002, Atlanta's John Smoltz matched Eckersley's feat of having had a 20-win season and a 50-save season.

Eckersley enjoyed marginal success from then until his retirement in 1998. Nevertheless, his 390 career saves ranks 3rd on the all-time list. He currently works as a studio analyst for the Boston Red Sox on NESN.

In 1999, he ranked Number 98 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

On January 6, 2004, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, with 83.2% of the votes.

On August 13, 2005, Eckersley had his uniform number 43 officially retired by the Oakland Athletics.

Eckersley wore number 43 for most of his career, except during his early MLB years with the Indians, when he wore

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Dennis Eckersley and other top speakers and celebrities.

Dennis Eckersley Videos

Dennis Eckersley joins the Cooperstown elite

How do I book Dennis Eckersley to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Dennis Eckersley for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Dennis Eckersley, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Dennis Eckersley or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Dennis Eckersley for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Dennis Eckersley, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $10,000 - $20,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Dennis Eckersley, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Dennis Eckersley speak about?

Dennis Eckersley is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Hall of Fame, Baseball, Athlete and Sports.

Who is the agent for Dennis Eckersley?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Dennis Eckersley for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Dennis Eckersley for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Dennis Eckersley or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Dennis Eckersley is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Hall of Fame, Baseball and Athlete. The estimated speaking fee range to book Dennis Eckersley for live events is $10,000 - $20,000. Please contact us for virtual event fees. Dennis Eckersley can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt and Nolan Ryan. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Dennis Eckersley for an upcoming event.

Dennis Eckersley Videos

Dennis Eckersley joins the Cooperstown elite
  • How do I book Dennis Eckersley to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Dennis Eckersley for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Dennis Eckersley, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Dennis Eckersley or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Dennis Eckersley for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Dennis Eckersley, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $10,000 - $20,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Dennis Eckersley, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Dennis Eckersley speak about?

    Dennis Eckersley is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Hall of Fame, Baseball, Athlete and Sports.
  • Who is the agent for Dennis Eckersley?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Dennis Eckersley for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Dennis Eckersley for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Dennis Eckersley or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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