{{short description|American baseball player (born 1973)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Blake Stein |image= |position=Pitcher |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1973|8|3}} |birth_place=McComb, Mississippi, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 10 |debutyear=1998 |debutteam=Oakland Athletics |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 8 |finalyear=2002 |finalteam=Kansas City Royals |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=21–28 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=5.41 |stat3label=Strikeouts |stat3value=369 |teams= *Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|1998}}–{{mlby|1999}}) *Kansas City Royals ({{mlby|1999}}–{{mlby|2002}}) }} '''William Blake Stein''' (born August 3, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals from {{mlby|1998}}-{{mlby|2002}}.
==Career== On June 2, 1994, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of the 1994 amateur draft. On July 31, {{mlby|1997}}, he was traded by the Cardinals with Eric Ludwick and T. J. Mathews to the Oakland Athletics for Mark McGwire. On July 31, {{mlby|1999}}, he was traded by the Athletics with Jeff D'Amico and Brad Rigby to the Kansas City Royals for Kevin Appier. On June 17, {{mlby|2001}}, Stein fanned eight straight Brewers for the Royals, and 11 in five 2/3 innings, but Milwaukee defeated Kansas City, 5-2. Only Nolan Ryan (twice), Ron Davis, and Roger Clemens had struck out eight in a row in the American League. Tigers pitcher Doug Fister would break this record on September 27, {{mlby|2012}}, striking out nine Royals, but receiving a no-decision in a 5-4 Detroit victory.
When starting for the Athletics against the Cleveland Indians on August 31, 1998, Stein was unable to get out any of the first eight Indian batters out - the inning started walk-hit batsman-walk-single-single-walk-single-single, giving the Indians a 6-0 lead.<ref name="Preston">{{cite web|last1=Preston|first1=J.G.|title=Hank Borowy, Blake Stein, Paul Wilson and the worst pitching performances in major league baseball history|url=https://prestonjg.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/hank-borowy-blake-stein-paul-wilson-and-the-worst-pitching-performances-in-major-league-baseball-history/|website=prestonjg.wordpress.com|date=15 February 2016 |accessdate=3 November 2016}}</ref> Stein was pulled from the game by manager Art Howe, and became the first starting pitcher in Major League history to fail to get out any of the first eight batters of the game.<ref name="Preston" />
After retiring from baseball, Stein attended Spring Hill College and graduated in 2005. After over a decade as its Assistant Principal, he is now the President of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School.
==See also== * List of Major League Baseball single-inning strikeout leaders
==References== <references />
==External links== {{Baseballstats |mlb=133121|espn=3835|br=s/steinbl01|fangraphs=632|brm=stein-002wil|retro=S/Psteib002}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stein, Blake}} Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Altoona Curve players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada Category:Akron Aeros players Category:Baseball players from Mississippi Category:Covington High School (Covington, Louisiana) alumni Category:Edmonton Trappers players Category:Harrisburg Senators players Category:Huntsville Stars players Category:Johnson City Cardinals players Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:People from McComb, Mississippi Category:Peoria Chiefs players Category:Spring Hill Badgers baseball players Category:St. Petersburg Cardinals players Category:Vancouver Canadians players Category:Wichita Wranglers players Category:Anchorage Glacier Pilots players Category:20th-century American sportsmen
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