The
Baltimore Orioles selected Leiter in the fourth round of the January 1983
MLB draft. Leiter injured his shoulder in the 1985 season after the Orioles transitioned him from a
starting pitcher to a
relief pitcher, which he attributed to needing to pitch more frequently. He missed the 1986, 1987, and 1988 seasons with a
rotator cuff injury in his right shoulder. He had two operations performed by Orioles doctors Not wanting to end his baseball career, Leiter decided to have a third surgery, which was performed by
James Andrews in November 1987. He played in the
minor leagues for the
Fort Lauderdale Yankees and
Columbus Clippers in 1989. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees on July 24, 1990. He remained with the Yankees for two weeks before he was
optioned back to Columbus. and he finished the 1990 season with a 6.84
earned run average (ERA) in
innings pitched in eight games for the Yankees. On March 19, 1991, the Yankees traded Leiter to the
Detroit Tigers for
Torey Lovullo. He made the Tigers'
Opening Day roster. and a 4.18 ERA in 112 innings pitched in 1992. Leiter missed the second half of the 1993 season with a recurrence of his shoulder injury. He finished the season with a 6–6
win–loss record and a 4.73 ERA. He underwent a fourth arthroscopic surgery during the offseason. Days later, he signed as a free agent with the
California Angels. He had a 4.72 ERA in innings for the Angels. After the season, he won the
Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming the adversity of his son's death. Leiter signed as a free agent with the
San Francisco Giants before the 1995 season. In is first major league season as a full-time starting pitcher, Leiter had a 10–12 win–loss record and a 3.82 ERA. His seven
complete games were the second-most in the
National League. He and
Mark Carreon were the co-winners of the
Willie Mac Award, honoring his spirit and leadership, in 1995. Leiter was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Giants in 1996. Leiter had a 4–10 record with a 5.19 ERA in 23 games. He had a 4–2 record and a 4.39 ERA with Montreal. After the season, he became a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the
Philadelphia Phillies for $4.3 million, plus incentives. and traded him to the
Seattle Mariners for
Paul Spoljaric. Leiter missed the beginning of the regular season with shoulder troubles and went back on the
disabled list in May. He missed the remainder of the season. On March 26, the Mets traded Leiter to the
Colorado Rockies for
Brian Rose. Then on April 4, the Rockies traded Leiter,
Mike DeJean, and
Elvis Peña to the
Milwaukee Brewers for
Juan Acevedo,
Kane Davis, and
Jose Flores. He had a 3.75 ERA in 36 innings pitched for the Brewers. Leiter signed with the
Newark Bears of the
Atlantic League, an
independent baseball league, for the 2002 season. He pitched to a 3.78 ERA in innings pitched for the Bears. ==Personal life==