Dennis Cook

For the American statistician, see R. Dennis Cook.

Dennis Cook
Pitcher
Born: (1962-10-04) October 4, 1962 (age 62) La Marque, Texas, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 12, 1988, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
September 18, 2002, for the Anaheim Angels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	64–46
Earned run average	3.91
Strikeouts	739
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
San Francisco Giants (1988–1989) Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1990) Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1991) Cleveland Indians (1992–1993) Chicago White Sox (1994) Cleveland Indians (1995) Texas Rangers (1995–1996) Florida Marlins (1997) New York Mets (1998–2001) Philadelphia Phillies (2001) Anaheim Angels (2002)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (1997)

Dennis Bryan Cook (born October 4, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants (1988–1989), Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1990, 2001), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1991), Cleveland Indians (1992–1993, 1995), Chicago White Sox (1994), Texas Rangers (1995–1996), Florida Marlins (1997), New York Mets (1998–2001), and Anaheim Angels (2002). He made his big league debut on September 12, 1988, and played his final game on September 18, 2002.

Cook graduated from Dickinson High School in 1981. In college Cook was named to the All-Southwest Conference Team as an outfielder at the University of Texas in both 1984 and 1985.

Cook was a member of the 1997 World Champion Marlins, pitching in the World Series and was the winning pitcher in relief in Game 3.

Although not on the postseason roster, Cook was a member of the 2002 Angels team that won the World Series, defeating the Giants.

Although a pitcher, Cook was also a good hitter and he is number 2 on the list of Major League All-Time Best Hitting Pitchers between 1973 and 2003 (with 100 or more at-bats). His batting average was .264 (29-for-110) and he had two career home runs.

Throughout Cook's tenure with the Marlins and Mets, he and Atlanta Braves first base coach Pat Corrales had a long-running conflict over Corrales's allegations that Cook scuffed the seams of the baseball with his thumbnail. Corrales asked umpires to inspect the baseball during almost every game, sometimes multiple times per game, that Cook pitched against the Braves. This once led Cook to stand on the mound and scream at Corrales in the first base coach's box during a 1997 Braves–Marlins game.^[1][2][3]

On February 1, 2010, Cook was announced as the Team Sweden's new head coach along with Scott Scudder in the coaching staff.^[4]

In 2018, Cook became the pitching coach for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[5]

Cook was named manager of the Poland national baseball team in April 2024.^[6]

References

1. "Scrutiny of Cook Steams". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. South Florida Sun Sentinel. August 10, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
2. "Marlins Enjoying a Dutch Treat". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. South Florida Sun Sentinel. August 12, 1997. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
3. Waldstein, David (July 3, 1999). "Braves Claim Cook Cheats". New York Post. New York Post. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
4. "MLB-stjärnor i ny landslagsledning".
5. Kat Szmit (January 3, 2018). "Dennis Cook Bringing Pitching Prowess To Chatham". capecodchronicle.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
6. Clair, Michael. "Poland hires former MLBer Dennis Cook with hopes for future success," MLB.com, Thursday, April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Dennis Cook at SABR (Baseball BioProject)