Eric Wedge

Wedge played baseball in Wallen Little League and attended school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Northrop High School and played on the school's state champion baseball team in 1983 as a freshman. Wedge then attended Wichita State University and played catcher and center field for Shockers from 1987 to 1989, leading the school to a 68–16 record and the College World Series championship in 1989. He hit .380 for the Shockers that year, led the NCAA in walks and total bases and finished second in runs, RBI, and home runs. Wedge's performance earned him first-team All-America honors, and the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award. He was runner-up to Ben McDonald for the Rotary Smith Award for College Baseball Player of the Year. In 1987, Wedge played for the Lima Blues. He was the MVP of the first Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) All-Star Game. In 1988, Wedge played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, where he was named to the all-league team. In 2011, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame. ==Playing career==

The Boston Red Sox selected Wedge in the third round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft. While in the Red Sox major league system, he played for the Elmira Pioneers (1989), New Britain Red Sox (1989–1991), Winter Haven Red Sox (1991) and Pawtucket Red Sox (1991–1992, 1994–1995). On October 5, 1991, he made his major league debut in his only appearance of the season for Boston with a pinch hit single off Chris George of the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1992, he appeared in 27 games for Boston (20 as a designated hitter, five as a catcher and two as a pinch hitter), hitting .250 with five home runs and 11 RBI. He played for the Central Valley Rockies and Colorado Springs Sky Sox in 1993 and was a September call-up for Colorado that season, appearing in nine games (eight as a pinch hitter and one as a catcher) and hitting .182 with 1 RBI. He split catching duties with Scott Hatteberg for Pawtucket that season and made his final major-league appearances with Boston in July, going 0-for-6 in two games as a designated hitter. Wedge played his final two seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Detroit Tigers organization and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 1996 and 1997, respectively. ==Managerial career==

Cleveland Indians Minor leagues Wedge made his managerial debut in 1998 with the Columbus RedStixx of the South Atlantic League, leading the Cleveland single-A affiliate to an overall record of 59–81. In 1999, he was the manager of the Kinston Indians, Cleveland's Carolina League affiliate. His team took first place during the first half of the season with a 37–32 record and second place during the second half with a 42–26 record. In 2001, he continued his ascent through the Indians' managerial ranks, leading their Triple-A affiliate, Buffalo Bisons, to a 91–51 first-place finish in the International League's North Division and a berth in the postseason, where they lost to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons in the semi-finals. This time, they defeated Scranton in the semi-finals but were swept by the Durham Bulls in the finals. Wedge was honored with his third post-season award when The Sporting News named him Minor League Manager of the Year. Major leagues On October 29, 2002, Wedge was named the 39th manager of the Cleveland Indians. The team narrowly missed qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2001 when they were eliminated on the last day of the season. Wedge finished second to Ozzie Guillén in the AL Manager of the Year balloting. The 2006 season was a disappointing one for Wedge and the Indians. Entering the season, they were expected to compete for the division title, but got off to a poor start and were essentially out of the race by mid-season, trailing the division-leading Detroit Tigers at the All-Star break by games. They finished the season in fourth place with a 78–84 record, 18 games behind the Central division champion Minnesota Twins. Wedge and the Indians had more success in the 2007 season going 96–66 and winning the division title for the first time since 2001. Wedge received The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award and the AL Manager of the Year Award in 2007. The following year, the Indians would go 81–81, finishing third in the division. The club, which was just four wins shy from winning 100 games in 2007, fell to the other end of the spectrum in 2009, finishing three losses from the century mark at 65–97, fourth in the division. Seattle Mariners On October 18, 2010, Wedge was named the Seattle Mariners manager, signing a three-year contract. His teams finished in last place in the AL West in all three season. In 2011, the team finished 67–95, 29 games out of first place. The following year, he led the team to a 75–87 record. Wedge suffered a stroke in July 2013 and missed 28 games. On September 27, Wedge announced he would not return to the Mariners in 2014, declining an offered one-year contract extension. Toronto Blue Jays On February 6, 2016, Wedge was hired as a player development advisor by the Toronto Blue Jays. He interviewed for the vacant New York Yankees managerial position in November 2017. Wichita State Shockers On May 29, 2019, Wedge was named head baseball coach of the Wichita State Shockers. On December 8, 2022, the school announced he would not return as coach. He reached a settlement with the university in February 2023, paying him $675,000, half the amount remaining on his contract. Tulsa Drillers On January 23, 2025, Wedge was announced as manager of the Tulsa Drillers, the Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate in the Double-A Texas League. The team went 66–72 and lost in the playoffs in Wedge's first minor league managerial role since 2002. Major league managerial record Collegiate coaching record ==Broadcasting career==

Wedge joined Baseball Tonight on ESPN as a studio analyst for the 2014 and 2015 seasons alongside Ozzie Guillén and Dallas Braden. Wedge's analysis was featured in a segment called "Cutting The Wedge." ==Personal life==

In 2018, Wedge's hosted his 14th yearly baseball camp organized by World Baseball Academy at The ASH Centre in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In January 2007, he was inducted into the Indiana High School Baseball Hall of Fame, and in February 2007, he was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. In total, Wedge has been inducted to 14 halls of fame. Wedge and ex-wife have a daughter and a son. Wedge resides in Wichita, Kansas. ==References==