LOCAL LEGENDS IN THE PROS: Kiser’s Big League Career Was In The Cards

BY TIM HAYES
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Garland Kiser’s career as a major league pitcher was brief.

It lasted less than a month and spanned seven games and 4 2/3 innings during the waning days of the 1991 season.

Yet, the former Sullivan Central High School star’s rise from the bush leagues to the big leagues was inspiring.

He was spurned by the organization that drafted him, only to reinvent himself with another club.

For those who knew him, that didn’t come as that big of a surprise.

Alvin Sells, Kiser’s baseball coach at Central, remembers the dedication his prized pupil showed to the sport.

“He was a hard worker,” Sells said. “He put a lot into baseball.”

That work ethic was one reason Kiser, who could not be contacted for an interview, persevered and made it to the major leagues.

And on Sept. 9, 1991 in front of a sparse crowd at old Cleveland Stadium, Kiser stepped on the mound in his No. 58 Indians jersey and realized a dream.

Central success

Jimmy Nave stepped into the batter’s box and awaited the pitch. The date was April 4, 1986 and the setting was Bristol’s DeVault Stadium.

Nave, one of Virginia High’s top hitters, strolled to the plate representing the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. There were two outs, two runners on and Sullivan Central was clinging to a 7-5 lead.

That’s when Sells took the ball from starting pitcher Alan Arnold and opted to go with Kiser. A classic battle ensued.

“I have a vivid memory of it,” Nave said. “It got to a 3-2 count, and he got me on a fastball. I’ve always remembered that. I was licking my chops, because I wanted to face him. But he struck me out.”

Nave was one of many opponents who couldn’t make contact against Kiser in the spring of 1986. The left-hander went 10-2 with a 1.78 ERA as a senior and attracted the attention of professional scouts.

“He was a good pitcher,” Sells said. “The biggest thing I remember was he was pretty consistent every time he took the mound. As a consistent pitcher, he was as good as you could ask for.”

The Philadelphia Phillies also thought a lot of the 17-year-old southpaw and selected him in the 24th round of the 1986 MLB Amateur Draft. That was the beginning of an interesting journey.

Minor leagues, major struggles
Kiser’s first taste of professional baseball proved to be memorable as he went 4-5 with a 5.48 ERA for advanced-rookie Bend, Ore., of the Northwest League. Not bad for a teenager getting his first look at pro hitters.

So, things were looking up in 1987 when he arrived at the Phillies’ spring training facility in Florida. His roommate during spring training was Abingdon native Trey McCall, a catcher in Philadelphia’s system.

“Garland was a very quiet guy,” McCall said. “But at the same time, you could tell he was from around here. He was very personable and very unpretentious. He was a hard worker and took what he was doing serious.”

McCall also got a chance to see Kiser in action.

“If I recollect right, Garland kind of had a sink to his pitch,” McCall said. “He threw a heavy ball, which most guys who have a good sinker do. He didn’t throw extremely hard, but he could put it where he wanted it.”

Kiser earned an appointment to Low-Class A Spartanburg (S.C.) of the South Atlantic League. From the start, things didn’t go well.

Shuffled between the starting rotation and the bullpen, Kiser went 0-5 with a 6.49 ERA and struggled to find the strike zone, something that had never been a problem for him in the past.

And during spring training the following year, Philadelphia released Kiser. He didn’t stay unemployed long, signing with the Cleveland Indians’ organization a week later.

The decision would have a lasting impact on his career. Assigned to the Gulf Coast League, the lowest rung in Cleveland’s minor league ladder, Kiser worked his way up.

All the way to Cleveland.

Big-league debut
With the Indians, Kiser found his niche as a reliever and produced at every stop along the way from Burlington of the rookie-level Appalachian League to Cantron/Akron of the Class AA Eastern League.

Things finally came together in 1991. He went a combined 8-4 with five saves between High-Class A Kinston and Cantron/Akron with an ERA under 2.00.

That prompted the Indians to give the 22-year-old his first shot in the big leagues.

He made his debut in front of just 1,695 fans at Cleveland’s decrepit Municipal Stadium, the fewest fans to see a game there since 1974.

Kiser got the final out of the top of the ninth inning on one pitch, getting Steve Lyons to line out to right fielder Jose Gonzalez during Cleveland’s 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

He would have several other impressive performances during the following days.

On Oct. 1, he tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against Milwaukee and fanned Billy Spiers for his first big-league strikeout. In what proved to be his final major league game on Oct. 6, 1991, Kiser struck out Don Mattingly for the final out of the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium.

Kiser’s final major league line: 0-0, 0 saves, 9.64 ERA.

He returned to Cleveland’s Class AA entry the next year and posted decent numbers, but he never got a crack at the big leagues again. Kiser hooked on with the Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Seattle organizations, but none of those clubs offered him a serious look at the big-league level.

Kiser, now 40, retired in 1994. His final minor league numbers — 39-28, 19 saves, 3.42 ERA in 261 games — were impressive. But there’s little doubt the biggest achievement came in 1991.

“It’s a testament to him,” McCall said. “To struggle with one team and then start over with another organization and get to the big leagues. It takes a lot of inward dedication.”

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