Terry Pendleton

2.1. High School and College Baseball

Pendleton began his baseball journey in the Eastside Little League before playing second base at Channel Islands High School. He continued his collegiate baseball career at Oxnard College from 1979 to 1980. In 1979, he was part of the school's inaugural baseball team and helped lead the Oxnard College Condors to a state championship berth, earning a scholarship in the process. He then transferred to Fresno State for the 1981 and 1982 seasons. During the 1982 season, he was a key contributor to the team's fourth consecutive conference title, setting a school record with 98 hits. His collegiate achievements were recognized when he was named an All-American. In 2007, Fresno State honored Pendleton by retiring his jersey, alongside those of Tex Clevenger and Jimy Williams.

2.2. Minor League Development

Pendleton's professional career began after he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1982 amateur draft, signing with the team on June 12, 1982. He started his minor league career with the Johnson City Cardinals and the St. Petersburg Cardinals during the 1982 season. In 1983, Pendleton advanced to Class AA baseball with the Arkansas Travelers, where he was selected to the league's all-star team. His steady progress led to a promotion to Class AAA in 1984, joining the Louisville Redbirds. It was with the Redbirds that Pendleton transitioned from second base to third baseman, a position he would play for the remainder of his career, after just four games at his original position. The Cardinals organization was so impressed with his rapid development at third base in Louisville that they traded their incumbent starting third baseman, Ken Oberkfell, to the Atlanta Braves. Initially, Andy Van Slyke was temporarily placed at third base for the Cardinals while Pendleton gained further experience. However, after Van Slyke committed seven errors in 30 games, the Cardinals promoted Pendleton to the majors, where he immediately became the team's starting third baseman.

3.1. St. Louis Cardinals (1984-1990)

Pendleton made his Major League debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on July 18, 1984, in a game against the San Francisco Giants. Batting sixth in the lineup, he made an immediate impact by collecting three hits in five at-bats, contributing to an 8-4 victory for the Cardinals. In his 67 games during the 1984 season, Pendleton achieved a .324 batting average and stole 20 bases, finishing tied for seventh in the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award voting.

The 1985 season saw Pendleton establish himself as the team's starting third baseman. While his batting average dipped to .240, he still managed 17 stolen bases. On June 9, 1985, he famously hit an inside-the-park grand slam off Joe Sambito of the New York Mets, a play that resulted from a collision in the outfield. The Cardinals advanced to the 1985 World Series, where Pendleton recorded the team's only triple in their 3-0 Game 4 victory. Despite his individual effort, the Cardinals ultimately fell in seven games, a pattern of World Series loss he would unfortunately experience again.

In the 1986 season, Pendleton's offensive statistics remained modest, with a .239 batting average and only one home run, though he collected 24 stolen bases and 26 doubles. Despite the offensive concerns from management, manager Whitey Herzog emphasized Pendleton's critical value to the team through his base running and fielding, where he led the National League in both putouts and assists.

Pendleton significantly improved his performance in the 1987 season, elevating his batting average to a respectable .286. He was a crucial contributor to the Cardinals' pennant win, finishing second on the team in home runs, third in RBIs, and tied for third in stolen bases. His exceptional defensive play earned him his first Gold Glove, the first by a Cardinals third baseman since Ken Reitz in 1975, and he finished tied for 17th in MVP voting. However, a rib cage injury sidelined him for most of the 1987 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Despite this, his switch-hitting ability allowed him to serve as a designated hitter in three games played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, where he tallied three hits in seven at-bats. The Cardinals once again lost in seven games, marking Pendleton's second World Series defeat in three years, and the loss pattern was identical to the 1985 series: losing two away games, winning three at home, then losing two away games.

The 1988 season presented new challenges for Pendleton, as he struggled with stolen bases, recording only three for the entire season and never stealing more than ten in any subsequent year of his career. Injuries also plagued him, as he missed several weeks due to a right hamstring injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery in mid-September, cutting his season short. Despite these setbacks, he rebounded in the 1989 season, playing in all 162 games for the only time in his career. He finished ninth in the league with 162 hits and earned his second Gold Glove with an impressive .971 fielding percentage. However, his production declined significantly in the 1990 season, with a .230 batting average and a .277 on-base percentage. By the season's end, he was splitting time with rookie Todd Zeile, who appeared to be the future third baseman for the Cardinals. Pendleton subsequently became a free agent. It is notable that his 1985 Donruss baseball card contained an error, listing him as "Jeff Pendleton."

3.2. Atlanta Braves (1991-1994)

After being granted free agency on November 5, 1990, Terry Pendleton joined the Atlanta Braves, who were undergoing a significant rebuilding phase under new general manager John Schuerholz. Schuerholz began overhauling a last-place team by signing Sid Bream and then inking Pendleton to a four-year, 10.20 M USD contract on December 3, 1990. With a new team and a fresh start, Pendleton had a career-defining year during the 1991 season, leading the Braves from a sixth-place finish in the previous year to a division title and pennant.

Individually, 1991 was Pendleton's best season: he led the National League with a .319 batting average and 187 hits. He also achieved career highs with 22 home runs and eight triples, and led the league in total bases with 303. Despite his impressive statistics, he was not selected for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. However, his exceptional performance earned him the National League MVP Award, narrowly beating out Barry Bonds by just 15 points. He also received the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award due to his significant statistical improvements. Pendleton's performance in the 1991 World Series-his third career World Series appearance and a rematch against the Minnesota Twins-was also notable; he went 11-for-30, hit two home runs, and started all seven games at third base. In Game 7, his eighth-inning double should have scored a run, but Lonnie Smith failed to advance home, leading to a double play that kept the score at 0-0. The Braves eventually lost Game 7, marking Pendleton's third consecutive World Series loss in a Game 7, and his fourth overall World Series defeat. The loss to the Twins mirrored the exact pattern of his 1987 World Series defeat: losing two road games, winning three home games, and then losing two more road games.

Pendleton remained in peak form during the 1992 season. In 160 games, he batted .311, hit 21 home runs, and scored 94 runs. He recorded a career-high 105 RBIs, which ranked second in the National League and was the only time he surpassed 100 RBIs in his career. He also led the National League with 199 hits, a career-high total, and finished second in at-bats with 640. His outstanding performance earned him his only selection to the MLB All-Star Game. Pendleton also won his third Gold Glove at third base, the first for a Braves third baseman since Clete Boyer in 1969. The Braves made their second consecutive World Series appearance, but despite Pendleton's 6-for-25 showing, they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games, with all four losses being by a single run. This marked Pendleton's fourth World Series loss in as many attempts.

Pendleton continued to produce extra-base hits in the 1993 season, hitting 17 home runs and 33 doubles. However, signs of slowing down began to emerge; although he placed second in at-bats with 633, he led the National League in outs with 490. His batting average of .272 was notably lower than his previous two seasons. His luck did not improve in the 1994 season; he spent part of the season on the disabled list due to neck and back spasms. After batting only .252 for the season, Pendleton opted for free agency.

3.3. Later Career (1995-1998)

Terry Pendleton was granted free agency on October 24, 1994, and subsequently signed with the Florida Marlins on April 7, 1995. In his first year with the Marlins, he improved his batting average to .290 and hit 14 home runs in 133 games. He played 111 games for the Marlins in 1996, batting .251 with seven home runs. Ironically, the Braves, his former team, went on to win the 1995 World Series in the year following his departure.

In August 1996, during the 1996 season, Pendleton was traded back to the Braves. The Braves were dealing with several key injuries, including a shoulder separation that sidelined right-fielder David Justice for the season and a broken bone in shortstop Jeff Blauser's left hand. Acquiring Pendleton allowed Chipper Jones to shift to his natural shortstop position while Pendleton played third base. Pendleton was traded to the Braves on August 13, 1996, in exchange for minor league prospect Roosevelt Brown. He went on to play in the 1996 World Series, his fifth career appearance in the championship series. However, he was used in a limited role as the Braves lost in six games to the New York Yankees, leaving Pendleton 0-for-5 in his World Series championship attempts.

The Braves let Pendleton go after the 1996 season, and he signed with the Cincinnati Reds on January 27, 1997. His time with the Reds was short-lived, as he was released on July 24, 1997, after batting .248 with one home run and two stolen bases. While with the Reds, Pendleton had three stints on the disabled list. After his release, he spent the remainder of the season recovering and did not sign with another club. In January 1998, the Kansas City Royals sought veteran leadership, and on January 20, 1998, they signed Pendleton to provide a veteran presence and mentor younger players. He was primarily used in a limited role, backing up Dean Palmer and splitting time between the designated hitter position and third base in 79 games. After the 1998 season, his 15th professional season, Pendleton retired from playing to spend more time with his family.

4.1. Career Batting Statistics

Note: Numbers in bold indicate a league-leading statistic.

In his 15-season Major League career spanning 1893 games, Pendleton recorded a career batting average of .270 (1897 hits in 7032 at-bats) with 851 runs, 356 doubles, 39 triples, 140 home runs, 946 RBIs, 127 stolen bases, and 486 bases on balls, resulting in a .316 on-base percentage and a .391 slugging percentage. Defensively, he maintained a .957 fielding percentage at third base and led National League third basemen in both putouts and assists five times each. In 66 postseason games, including his five World Series appearances, he batted .252 (58 hits in 230 at-bats) with 26 runs, 12 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 23 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and 12 walks.

4.2. Awards and Honors

Terry Pendleton received several significant individual accolades throughout his Major League playing career:

• National League MVP: 1 time (1991)
• National League Batting Champion: 1 time (1991)
• Gold Glove Award (Third Baseman): 3 times (1987, 1989, 1992)
• Comeback Player of the Year Award: 1 time (1991)
• MLB All-Star: 1 time (1992)

His jersey numbers during his playing career included No. 9 (1984-1996, 1997), No. 5 (mid-1996), and No. 6 (1998).