Rick Helling

Ricky Allen Helling (born December 15, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher.

High school and college
Helling attended Lakota High School in Lakota, North Dakota for three years, before graduating from Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a three-time All-Conference honoree. In basketball, he led the state in scoring.

Helling accepted a scholarship to play college football at North Dakota but redshirted as a freshman and transferred to Kishwaukee College during his first semester in order to play college baseball. He performed well enough at Kishwaukee to earn a baseball scholarship to Stanford University. While at Stanford he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 1st round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft.

Writer Chuck Klosterman describes Rick Helling as his personal archenemy.

Baseball career
Helling was an early critic of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, warning the Players Union as early as 1998 that drugs were a problem in the sport; he served as a Union Executive Board Member from 1999 to 2007.

Helling was a member of two World Series Championship teams: the 1997 World Series Champion Florida Marlins  and the 2003 World Series Champion Florida Marlins. Despite being traded to the Texas Rangers earlier in the 1997 season, which meant he did not participate in the Marlins' World Series win that year, he was awarded a World Series ring by his former teammates because of his half-season contribution.

On August 13, 1996, Helling pitched a perfect game while with the Rangers' Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers against the Nashville Sounds. He struck out four batters in the nine-inning game.

In 1998 he won five straight games on the road; no Texas pitcher matched that accomplishment until Scott Feldman surpassed it in 2009. Helling had his best season in  going 20–7, tying for the American League lead in wins with David Cone and Roger Clemens. His 11 road victories in 1998 set a club record, later matched by Vicente Padilla (2008) and surpassed by Feldman (2009).

In 1999, Helling started 35 games for the Rangers, going 13-11 while leading the majors with 41 home runs allowed.

In , Helling broke a 30-year-old record by giving up 66 doubles. One year later, he broke his record by allowing 68 doubles.

In 2001, Helling led the majors in hits allowed (256), earned runs (124) and home runs allowed (38).

Helling signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks in 2002. In his lone season with Arizona, Helling went 10–12 in 30 starts. After the season, Helling signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

Helling spent half the season in Baltimore before being traded back to the Florida Marlins.

Helling did not pitch in 2004 due to injury. On June 20, , Helling struck out three batters on nine pitches—Curtis Granderson, Plácido Polanco and Iván Rodríguez—in the first inning of a 10–1 loss to the Detroit Tigers, thereby becoming the 38th pitcher in major league history to throw an immaculate inning.

On February 5, , he announced his retirement to spend more time with his family.

Post-baseball life
On March 17, 2009, he was hired as a special assistant to the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Donald Fehr.

He currently resides in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. He also coaches football at Minnetonka High School. Notable former players include K'Andre Miller of the New York Rangers in the NHL. K'Andre considers Helling as a mentor.

See also
 List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
 List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers

References

External links

Living people
1970 births
Major League Baseball pitchers
Kishwaukee Kougars baseball players
Florida Marlins players
Milwaukee Brewers players
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Texas Rangers players
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players at the 1991 Pan American Games
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
Olympic baseball players for the United States
Baseball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
American League wins champions
Charlotte Rangers players
Tulsa Drillers players
Tucson Sidewinders players
Rochester Red Wings players
Oklahoma City 89ers players
Nashville Sounds players
New Britain Rock Cats players
Oklahoma RedHawks players
People from Nelson County, North Dakota
People from Ramsey County, North Dakota
Baseball players from North Dakota
Pan American Games medalists in baseball
Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
Stanford Cardinal baseball players
North Dakota Fighting Hawks football players