#78 Steve Arlin

“Stevie wants to be a Dentist”....Apparently to the extent it affected his baseball development..... Once focused on the mound showed flashes of brilliance in a Padre uniform but the team’s run support was often at issue....Could have sued his teammates for nonsupport......or in the Dentist jargon; malpractice....Developed in the collegiate ranks as a  Ohio State Buckeye star....Turned Philadelphia farmhand taken by Padres in expansion draft....minor leagues development was hindered by missing spring trainings taken over by his education pursuits....a situation that did not change until several seasons in his career....spent most of 1969 in the International League team in Columbus (the Pirate AAA club) by in large to complete his Dentistry education at OSU....Despite a poor season is called up late in Padres inaugural year....A case of a member of the 1968 AAA San Diego Padres playing for the 1969 MLB expansion squad....Arlin and infielder Roberto Pena shared this to experience the culture shock of going to a team 6 games above .500 to one that was 58 below....Stays in minor for majority of 1970......In 1971 Arlin is aided by spring training and lands into the starting rotation....End result was 9-19 W-L record but his 3.48 ERA was respectable....His specialty shutouts accounting of 4 of the team’s 9....part of the reason the third year Friars had one of the best pitching staffs in the league despite having the most losses....Arlin wins 10 in 1972 and possesses a 3.80 ERA but is tagged with two more losses than the year before....Led NL in losses two consecutive years....1973 Steve leads the Friars with 11 positive decisions and cuts down his losses to 14....but a ballooning 5.10 ERA spelled the end of his prime.....his 1974 start was a disaster, a single win compared to seven defeats....trade to Cleveland fared little better....Final season line 3 wins 12 losses....Returned Dentistry bypassing further organized baseball....Passes on in 2016.....Grandson of the first radio broadcaster in baseball history.