William Glenn Abbott (born February 16, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and former pitching coach for the Syracuse Mets. During an 11-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1973–76), Seattle Mariners (1977–81; 1983), and Detroit Tigers (1983–84). Abbott, along with Vida Blue, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers combined for the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history.
Early history
Abbott was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Abbott played baseball and basketball at North Little Rock High School and had planned to continue with both sports in college. But at 18 years of age, he was drafted out of high school and signed immediately.[1]
Professional career
Oakland Athletics
Abbott was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round of the 1969 MLB draft.
On September 28, 1975, Abbott pitched one inning of a no-hitter over the California Angels on the last day of the regular season, relieving Vida Blue, who threw the first five innings. Abbott retired Ike Hampton, Jerry Remy and Dave Chalk in order in the sixth inning before being replaced by Paul Lindblad and later Rollie Fingers. This was the first four-pitcher combined no-hitter in MLB history. He pitched four seasons with the Athletics going 13−16 with a 4.08 ERA in 73 games, 45 of them starts.[2][3]
Seattle Mariners
In November 1976, the Seattle Mariners drafted Abbott in the 1976 MLB expansion draft. He played for the Mariners longer than any other player from their original 1977 opening day roster. Abbott led all Mariners pitchers in wins in 1977 and 1980, winning 12 games in each of those seasons. Abbott said this about being chosen by the Mariners:
Wes Stock, my pitching coach in Oakland, had gone up there, and I was excited about going to a new ballclub, but I never dreamed the team would be so crummy. I went from an A's team that had won three straight World Series with still quite a few veterans on it, to a team of young guys who didn't know what they could do.[4]
Abbott finished his career with the Mariners going 44−62 with a 4.54 ERA in 155 games, 146 of them starts.
Detroit Tigers
On August 23, 1983, Abbott's contract was purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the Mariners for $100,000. In two seasons with the Tigers, Abbott was 2−2 with a 3.87 ERA in 20 games, 15 of them starts before his release on August 14, 1984.[2]
Coaching career
As listed below, Abbott has had a long career with many different stops as a minor league pitching coach, primarily in the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and San Diego Padres systems.
- 1985: Little Falls Mets
- 1986–1987: Jackson Mets
- 1990, 1993–1996: Huntsville Stars
- 1991–1992: Tacoma Tigers
- 1999: Midland RockHounds
- 2000–2002: Modesto A's
- 2003–2004: Oklahoma RedHawks
- 2005: Spokane Indians
- 2006: Mobile BayBears
- 2007, 2010: San Antonio Missions
- 2008–2009: Portland Beavers
- 2011: Savannah Sand Gnats
- 2012–2016: Binghamton Mets
- 2017: Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- 2018: Las Vegas 51s
- 2019: Syracuse Mets
- 2020: Kingsport Mets (season cancelled)[5][3][6]
Personal life
Abbott and his wife have three children and 10 grand children. He attended State College of Arkansas.[3][1]
References
- ^ a b Best, Jason. "Glenn Abbott". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ a b "Glenn Abbott Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c New York Mets 2020 Media Guide. New York Mets. 2020. p. 262.
- ^ Street, Jim (June 16, 2002). "Where've you gone, Glenn Abbott?". MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "Glenn Abbott - MLB, Minor League Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
- ^ Todd, Jeff (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
