LOCAL LEGENDS: Dan Wright Remembers His Incredible Journey to the Majors

Dan Wright remembers it both vividly and fondly. 

The date: July 27, 2001. The setting: historic Fenway Park.

Wright had been in Chattanooga as a member of the Class AA Birmingham Barons the day before, when the Chicago White Sox called and told the pitcher he’d been promoted to the major leagues.

Countless thoughts raced through the former Sullivan South High School star’s head the next day as he boarded a plane in Chattanooga to join his new Chicago teammates that night in Boston.

He arrived just five minutes before the first pitch was thrown, settled in and took in the sights and sounds of his first big league game.

But it wasn’t even the best part of his night.

Chicago starter Kip Wells was knocked out of the game early, prompting Wright to get up and get loose in the bullpen. And in the sixth inning, he found himself on the mound in one of baseball’s holiest cathedrals.

After jogging in from the bullpen and taking a few warmup pitches to help calm his nerves, Wright toed the rubber to face Boston’s Mike Lansing in his debut.

“My second pitch went over the Green Monster,” Wright said.

But Lansing’s homer was the only hit Wright gave up in his three innings of work of a 9-5 Chicago loss.

His debut was one of several highlights Wright accrued during his four-year career with the White Sox.

Wright went 20-26 with one save and a 5.65 ERA in 70 games before elbow and shoulder injuries eventually forced him to retire after the 2006 season.

While his time with the White Sox was short, Wright still fondly remembers that first game.

“It’s just an indescribable feeling,” Wright said. “It’s almost like your legs don’t work when you get out there, you have so many emotions.”

From South to the Southside
After moving from Arkansas to Kingsport, Tenn., before his junior year of high school, Wright faced the uncertainties of any kid at a new school. Would he fit in at South? Would he be able to contribute to the school’s athletic teams?

That turned out to be no problem. He was a standout quarterback for the Rebels’ football team, shined on the basketball court and, of course, was a baseball star. 

“I have a lot of good memories from South, and a lot of those came on the football field,” Wright said. “The guys I keep in touch with from that area mostly are the ones I played football with. I enjoyed it.”

Wright chose to continue his baseball career at the University of Arkansas and honed his skills against Southeastern Conference competition. Wright admits he struggled with the Razorbacks and had trouble finding the strike zone.

But his fastball, clocked in the high 90s, caught the attention of scouts, and the White Sox made him a second-round pick in the 1999 MLB Amateur Draft.

His first stop in the minor leagues was actually in the Tri-Cities: He pitched for the Bristol White Sox of the Appalachian League in the summer of 1999. He went 2-0 with one save and a 1.00 ERA in 10 games, jump-starting a quick rise through Chicago’s minor league system. The control problems he experienced in college were gone, and he soon had successful stints for farm teams in Burlington, Iowa, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala.

He reached the big leagues in 2001. He went 5-3 with a 5.70 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) that rookie season.

The next season was Wright’s best in the big leagues. He won 14 games for the White Sox and became one of the team’s most reliable starters.

He limited Texas to five hits in a 4-0 win on May 16. In a September game at Yankee Stadium in New York, he pitched seven strong innings against Roger Clemens in an 8-1 victory over the Yankees.

“The first half [of the 2002 season] was pretty slow, and then I got hot in the second half,” Wright said. “I won like eight of my last nine starts. Everything was in tune. I felt like I was locating with my best stuff. That [stretch of games] was by far the best of my career.”

But his success was short-lived. Wright was just 1-7 with a 6.15 ERA for Chicago the next season and was eventually shipped out to Class AAA Charlotte. That’s when the injuries started.

“I actually hurt by arm in ’03 and spent some time on the disabled list,” Wright said. “I should have gotten my elbow fixed at that point, but I tried pitching through an injury.”

It all collapsed the next year. Wright pitched in just six games before having Tommy John surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

“I tried to change my arm angle and ended up blowing out my shoulder,” Wright said. “I ended up having two surgeries. If I had just gotten my elbow fixed when it was hurt, I could probably still play.”

Wright missed the entire 2005 season and was eventually released by the White Sox. He tried to make a comeback with the Seattle Mariners, pitching in four games for the team’s
Class AAA affiliate in 2006. But the pain was too much, and Wright hung it up for good.

He still wonders about what might have happened if injuries hadn’t gotten in the way.

“Absolutely,” Wright said. “The only regret I have, is I should have swallowed my pride a bit and got my [elbow] fixed in 2003.”

Talent scout
Though Wright no longer pitches, he still spends most of his time around the game. He’s in his second season as a scout for the Seattle organization, looking for potential talent in
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Texas. The 30-year-old Wright suspects he’s already spent 110 nights on the road in search of the next prized prospect.

When not on the road, he’s at his Arkansas home spending time with his family. He’s also an avid outdoorsman.

While he’s moved on with his life, Wright still has those major league memories.

“I had some memorable experiences,” Wright said. “I liked going to all the old stadiums like Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field. Those were my three favorite road places just because of the history … They were all pretty good.”

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