1977 Topps Baseball #341 - Joe Kerrigan

• Joe Kerrigan was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1974. Kerrigan was a big guy -- he was 6'5" and weighed 205 lbs during his playing days. Joe had a less than stellar record as a starter in 1974 and was converted to a reliever. He put up good stats in the minors in 1975 and in 1976. 
• Joe was called up to the Expos in July 1976. He appeared in 38 games (all in relief) and was 3-6 with one save and had a 3.81 ERA.
• Kerrigan had his best year in 1977. He and Don Stanhouse alternated between the setup role and the closer's role. Joe led the Expos with 11 saves.
• After the 1977 season Joe was traded (with Gary Roenicke and Stanhouse) to the Baltimore Orioles for Rudy May, Randy Miller, and Bryn Smith.
• In 1978 Kerrigan appeared in 26 games (2 starts) for the Orioles. He was 3-1 with two saves and had an ERA of 4.77.
• Joe played for AAA Rochester in 1979. 
• Kerrigan started the 1980 season with the Orioles but made only one appearance before being sent back to Rochester. That appearance on April 13 (2.1 innings, 1 run allowed) was the last major league game of his career.
• After the 1980 season Joe was traded with a minor leaguer to the Cincinnati Reds for Mike Grace and John Hale. Kerrigan spent the 1981 season with AAA Indianapolis. After the 1981 season Joe was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for a minor leauger.
• In 1982 Joe pitched in AAA for the Phillies and Rangers organizations, but he had a 5.38 ERA and retired after the season.
• Kerrigan started a long coaching career in 1983 when he was named the bullpen coach for the Expos.  Joe was a pitching coach in the Expos system from 1987-1991 and became the pitching coach for the major league club in 1992.
• Joe went with Jimy Williams to the Boston Red Sox in 1997 and was the pitching coach from 1997-2001. When Williams was fired in 2001 Kerrigan finished the season as the Red Sox manager. The Red Sox went 17-26 during Kerrigan's tenure and he was replaced by Grady Little in 2002.
• Kerrigan later served as the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, the bullpen coach for the New York Yankees, and the pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2008-2010).
• 1977 Stats: 3-5, 11 saves, 3.22 ERA in 66 games
• 1977 Highlights:
• July 23 - Pitched 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run in Montreal's 6-4 win over the LA Dodgers. It was Kerrigan's 7th save of the season.
• Aug 22 - Pitched a scoreless 9th inning to save the game for starter Wayne Twitchell. The Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1.
• Other card blogs: 1979