Over 18-year Major League career,
has established himself as one of baseball's
most respected and consistent
players...excellent in all facets of game, is 1 of
6 members of game's prestigious 300 Home
Run/300 Stolen Base club...with 303 career HRs
and 320 SBs, joins Barry Bonds (734 HRs, 509 SBs), Willie Mays (660
HRs, 338 SBs), Andre Dawson (436 HRs, 314 SBs), Bobby Bonds
(332 HRs, 461 SBs) and Reggie Sanders (303 HRs, 304 SBs)...in fact,
5 of those 6 players have worn Giants uniform, with Dawson lone
exception...center fielder is also 2-time All-Star (1997 and 2000) and 5-
time Gold Glove winner (1995-96, 1999-2000 and 2004)...joins Hall of
Famer Mays as only 2 players in baseball history to compile at least 425
2Bs, 100 3Bs, 300 HRs and 300 SBs...is active triples leader with 124,
5th-most since onset of divisional play in 1969...is tied with 4 others for
89th place on all-time triples list...career .272 hitter ranks 4th among
active players with 2,531 hits, trailing only Craig Biggio (2,930), Bonds
(2,841) and Julio Franco (2,566)...at 41 years of age in 2006, matched
Mays' San Francisco-era record with 12 3Bs...also became 1st player
aged 40-or-older to hit more than 8 triples in season since 41-year-old
Honus Wagner had 17 3-baggers for 1915 Pittsburgh Pirates...2006
exploits added to his own triples lore, as with NL-high 10 3Bs in 2003 at
age 38, became oldest player in history to lead league in 3-baggers...is
1 of 11 players ever to log pair of 3-HR games in same season, doing
so in 1997...has reached 20-HR plateau 7 times, including quartet of
30-clout campaigns...durable player has played in all 162 games twice
(1992 and 2004), while logging 6 other 150-contest seasons...broke
into big leagues with Baltimore in 1989, and has played with Orioles
(1989-90), Astros (1991-94), Padres (1995-98), Diamondbacks (1999-
2004), Dodgers (2004), Dodgers (2005) and Giants (2006).
Graduated from Paducah (KY) Tilghman High School...graduated from Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale, earning degree in physiology...was accepted to chiropractic school
(Logan College in St. Louis) but opted to play pro ball...was drafted by Atlanta in 11th round of
June 1986 draft, but chose to remain at SIU, where he was 2-time All-Missouri Valley Conference
performer and 3rd-team All-American in 1986...member of 1986 Team USA squad that won bronze
medal during international competition in Netherlands...married (Amy Jantzen, Jan. 3, 1992)...3
sons (Austin, Oct. 8, 1993; Reed, Sept. 1, 1995; and Blake, Feb. 23, 1997)...2 daughters (Franchesca,
Sept. 10, 2001; and Sophia, Jan. 26, 2005).
Postseason:
Is no stranger to post season baseball, having advanced to playoffs 7 times with
Padres (1996 and '98), Diamondbacks (1999, 2001-02), Dodgers (2004) and Angels (2005)...key
contributor on San Diego's 1998 NL champions and 2001 Arizona club that won World Series, has
batted .248 with 21 RBI in 52 career post season games...is lifetime .317 (13-for-41) playoff hitter
with RISP, while going 10-for-27 (.370) with RISP and 2 out...batted .365 (19-for-52) and hit safely
in 11 of 14 starts during Diamondbacks' run to 2001 title, including .368 mark (7-for-19) with HR
and 2 RBI in 7-game World Series victory over Yankees.
A Giant in the Community:
Has been extremely active on every stop of big league
career...earned 1997 Chairman's Award with San Diego, as Padre who best exemplifies community
spirit of team owner John Moores and his family...he and his wife, Amy, began a program in which
they purchased 20 tickets for every game to enable underpriveleged children to attend games, and
continued program with Diamondbacks...toured Hungary in 1992 and Indonesia in 1995, conducting
youth baseball clinics and providing equipment to help form leagues...family also formed Steve
Finley Charitable Youth Fund in 1993, encouraging kids to stay in school, earn a degree and stay
drug free...is also contributor to "Teammates for Kids" Foundation formed by country music legend
Garth Brooks.
2005
Struggled in return to AL, hitting career-low .222 in 112 games...12 HRs and 54 RBI were lowest totals since 10 HR and 44 RBI in 1995 with SD (139 games)...After a .143 clip (1 HR, 5 RBI) in Aug., hit .277 (13/48) with 3 HRs and 6 RBI from Sept. 1-end of season...Connected for two-run HR in 4th inning, Sept. 26 at Oak., which proved to be game-winner...9 of 12 HRs hit on road, 5 of 12 HRs gave Angels lead...Hit 8 HR before ASB, just 4 HR after ASB...Batted .204 at home, .236 on road...Committed two errors, Aug. 27 at TB, marking first multi-error game of career...Missed 18 games (6/22-7/13) due to strained right shoulder...First DL stint since 1997...Posted walk-off, RBI single in 9th inning, April 7 vs. Texas...One of 18 active players at least 40 years old on Opening Day...Third different Opening Day CF for Angels in last three seasons...Only active player with 300 doubles, 200 HR and 100 triples.
2004
Played in 162 games between Arizona and Los Angeles, hitting .271 (170/628) with a careerhigh
36 home runs (previously 35 HR in 2000) and 94 RBI...His 36 home runs are most
ever by a center fielder older than 38 (previously 28 home runs by Willie Mays at age 39 in
1970)...With Arizona, hit .275 (111/404) with 23 home runs and 48 RBI in 104 games...In
58 games with Dodgers, batted .263 (59/224) with 13 home runs and 46 RBI...Acquired by
Dodgers, July 31, along with catcher Brent Mayne in exchange for catcher Koyie Hill, lefthanded
pitcher Bill Murphy and out fielder Reggie Abercrombie...Reached base via hit or walk
in his first 21 starts for LA...In his first 24 games, batted .360 (31-for-86) with eight doubles,
four home runs, 20 RBI, a .400 on-base percentage and .593 slugging percentage...From
Aug. 1 through end of season, had 46 RBI which were sixth-most in NL...Ranked tied for first in NL with 162 games played,
eighth in at-bats (628) and tied for ninth with 36 home runs...Hit .346 with nine homers and 19 RBI in May...Followed that by
hitting .333 with five homers and 11 RBI in June...Named NL Player of the Week for Sept. 6-12, batting .385 (10-for-26) with
four homers, eight runs scored and 10 RBI...Ranked fifth among center fielders with .992 fielding percentage...Homered April
9 vs. St. Louis, his 250th career home run...Went 3-for- 4 with three solo homers on April 28 vs. Chicago, tying his career high
in single-game home runs for fourth time...May 14 vs. Montreal, homered off Tomo Ohka to register 1,000th career RBI...Had
game-winning two-run single, Sept. 28 vs. Colorado, capping Dodgers' five-run, one-out rally in bottom of ninth inning...Sept.
9 vs. Arizona, slugged go-ahead solo homer in fifth inning and two-run homer in sixth inning, his fourth multi-homer game of
season...Hit game-winning, walk-off grand slam to cap a seven-run ninth inning on Oct. 2 vs. San Francisco's Wayne Franklin that
clinched National League Western Division championship for Dodgers...2004 Post-Season...Started all four games in centerfield
in NLDS vs. St. Louis (Cards won series, 3-1)...Finished series batting .125 (2/16) with one run double and two RBI.
2003
The 38-year-old center fielder finished tied with Rafael Furcal for the National League lead in triples with 10, becoming the oldest player in Major League history to lead his respective league in three-base hits, eclipsing by two months Jake Daubert, who led the NL in 1992 while playing for the Cincinnati Reds ... Steve struggled at the outset of the '03 season hitting .158 (6-for-38) through the first 11 games, then had a 3-hit affair on April 13 against the Brewers that launched a 6-game hitting streak, during which he batted .435 (10-for-23) ... he hit .186 (8-for-43) during a 14-game slide from April 19-May 3 dropping his average to .231, then rediscovered his stroke with a 3-game stretch (May 4-6), going 7-for-11 (.636) with 6 runs, a double, 2 triples, 2 homers and 5 RBI ... included was his 100th career triple on May 4 off the Braves' Roberto Hernandez ... on May 5 against the Phillies, he reached base in all 5 plate appearances with 2 home runs, a triple, a walk and a hit by pitch, the 21st multi-homer game of Finley's career, 18th of the 2-homer variety, and his 35th career game of at least 4 RBI ... he also tied a team mark with 4 runs scored, the ninth time in franchise history, first since Greg Colbrunn on September 18, 2002, at San Diego, the night of his cycle ... he hit safely in 6 of his last 8 games in May at a .444 clip (11-for-25) with 8 runs scored to boost his monthly average to .325 ... he had a trio of hits, including a 2-run homer and 3 RBI on May 30 at San Diego ... he was hitting .364 (4-for-11) through the first 4 games in June before departing the June 4 contest with a right hamstring strain ... the injury did not require time on the disabled list but did sideline him for 6 games ... though not completely healed, Steve was pressed into action in the sixth inning on June 14 in Minnesota when Danny Bautista and Junior Spivey both suffered disabling injuries ... Fins launched a 15-game hitting streak on June 19 in Houston ... included in the streak was a 4-hit effort on June 22 against Cincinnati, highlighted by a 3-run homer off of Ryan Dempster, his first 4-hit game since April 4, 2000, vs. Philadelphia ... he took Detroit southpaw Jamie Walker deep for a game-tying solo homer in the eighth frame on June 29, setting the stage for Arizona's 5-3 win in 10 innings and a sweep of the series in Motown ... he posted his second 4-hit game of the season on July 1 at Colorado, including a 2-run first inning homer off of Denny Stark, the first of 3 consecutive games with a roundtripper ... on July 2, he hit a solo homer off of southpaw Javier Lopez, becoming the second lefty in 59 AB's to homer off Lopez ... Steve celebrated Independence Day with 2 hits in Los Angeles, culminating his 15-game hitting streak in which he batted .452 (28-for-62) with 15 runs, 5 doubles, a triple, 5 homers and 15 RBI, the second longest in his career (21 games with San Diego in 1996) ... he hit safely in 13 straight home contests from May 26-July 10, batting .511 (23-for-45) with 13 runs and 14 RBIs, raising his home average from .333 to .390 ... he hit 3-run homers in back-to-back games on July 17-18 in San Diego ... he hit safely in 8 straight games from July 12-22 at a .414 clip (12-for-29) ... he struggled to a .194 average (6-for-31) over the final 8 games in July bringing to a close a 3-month stretch in which he'd hit .337 (84-for-249) in 71 games since May 1 ... he departed the August 5 contest with a contusion of his left shoulder, suffered in third inning collision with Junior Spivey ... he propelled the D-Backs to a 2-1 win over the Mets on August 9 with a walk-off homer off lefty John Franco, Finley's first game ending blast with Arizona and the 17th in team history ... he batted leadoff on September 4 in Kansas City, his first start in the top spot of the order since May 16, 2001, at Cincinnati ... he recorded back-to-back 4-hit affairs on September 6-7 in San Francisco ... his 3-run pinch homer gave Arizona a 5-3 victory over the Dodgers on September 10 ... it was his second career pinch-hit home run with the other one coming off of Pittsburgh's Rich Loiselle on September 9, 1996, while with San Diego ... he started and hit leadoff in 20 the team's last 22 games, batting .287 (25-for-87) with 17 runs, 7 doubles, a triple, a homer and 8 RBI ... Finley hit 7 homers off of southpaw hurlers bringing his total to 60 out of 249 career roundtrippers ... he appeared in his 2,000th career game on April 22 in Montreal and has played in 2,127 games overall, tenth among active players, while his 108 career triples at tops among active players ... he is the only active player with more than 300 doubles, 200 home runs and 100 triples, joining 17 others all-time (Earl Averill, Jim Bottomley, George Brett, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Goose Goslin, Willie Mays, Joe Medwick, Paul Molitor, Stan Musial, Vada Pinson, Babe Ruth, Al Simmons, Robin Yount and Rogers Hornsby), 15 of whom are in the Hall of Fame, with only Fins, Molitor and Pinson not currently enshrined.
How obtained:
Signed as a free agent, December 7, 1998.
2002
Steve enjoyed another consistent season in a Diamondback uniform, providing his typically outstanding second
half, and continuing his stellar defensive play in centerfield to earn the team Player-of-the-Year award from the
Arizona chapter of the BBWAA...he didn't hit for a high average in April, batting .232, but of his 16 hits, 7 left the
yard...twice within a 5-day stretch he was a component of back-to-back-to-back home runs, something the Diamondbacks had
only done once in their history prior to 2002...Fins hit the first of 3 straight off of Josh Beckett in the sixth inning
on April 28 at Florida, followed by Damian Miller and Mark Grace to turn a 4-2 deficit into an eventual 5-4 win...just 5
nights later on May 3 in Bank One Ballpark, Steve was the middle man between Danny Bautista and Miller for 3 in a row in
the first inning off of Montreal's Bruce Chen, as the D'Backs wound up 6-3 victors...Fins went into a 1-for-15 drought
that lowered his season average to .222, but that would be the last prolonged slump of the season as his average climbed
steadily the rest of the year and was capped by a furious finish at .287, his highest single-season average since 1996
with San Diego (.298)...he closed the campaign by going 9-for-19 (.474) with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers and 6 RBI in
the 4-game sweep of Colorado to win the division and secure home field in the Division Series...included was his second
2-homer, 5-RBI game of the year, going 3-for-5 in the division clincher on September 28, taking southpaws Kent Mercker
and Brian Fuentes deep...he hit 9 home runs against lefthanded pitchers, 7 more than the 2001 season...it was Steve's
20th career multi-homer game and the 10th time he's knocked in at least 5 runs in a game...the veteran outfielder was in
the middle of some key moments in Arizona's climb to a second straight division crown...a career .267 hitter prior to
the All-Star break entering 2002, Fins contributed a .284 mark (76-for-268) in 82 games prior to the break last
year...included in the first half was his first 2-homer, 5-RBI game of the season on June 12 in Yankee Stadium, as the
D'Backs were 9-5 winners for their first-ever victory in 6 tries in the Bronx...the second roundtripper of that affair
was the last one Fins would hit for a while, going 122 at bats before taking San Diego's Jake Peavy deep in Bank One
Ballpark on July 26...he supplied 3 hits and 4 RBI, featuring a 3-run homer off of Al Leiter on August 4 in New York in
the third game of Arizona's 4-game sweep in Shea Stadium...known throughout his career for home runs and RBI coming in
bunches, Finley hit one of those rolls from August 10-15, homering 4 times in 5 games and knocking in 10 runs as the
D'Backs were in the midst of a season-high 8-game winning streak...included was his 100th home run as a Diamondback, a
2-run blast off of Jimmy Haynes in Cincinnati on August 13...Fins went deep in each of the games in the Cincy series
with the Diamondbacks sweeping their last-ever visit to Cinergy Field...as the race heated up in the West, so did Steve
as Arizona had a 5-1 homestand from September 9-14 in which he batted .476 (10-for-21) over the first 5 games with 3
doubles, 2 homers and 6 RBI...included was a game-tying home run against San Diego on September 11, a solo shot in the
bottom of the eighth off of lefthander Kevin Walker, the 1,999th hit of Finley's career...he achieved the 2,000-hit
milestone by doubling in his next at bat on September 13 off of Milwaukee's Glendon Rusch...a 4-time Rawlings Gold Glove
winner, Finley committed only 2 errors on the season, including a stretch of 97 consecutive errorless games from May
18-September 19... Fins started all 3 games in the NLDS against St. Louis, going a combined 2-for-9...he was
hitless with a run scored and sac. fly in the series opener, then picked up a single in each of the last 2 games of the
short series.
2001
Steve managed to dig out from under an extremely slow start offensively to finish the year with a .275 mark, matching his career average entering 2001...he began play on June 7 with a .207 average, 2 homers and 16 RBI through 53 games, but a 3-hit effort against the Dodgers was the first step in an offensive revival that saw him hit .316 (97-for-307) with 12 homers and 57 RBI over the final 86 games of the year...he had a 3-for-41 start to the year accelerated by an 0-for-30 drought from April 5-18...Fins snapped out of his initial dry spell by hitting in 16 of his next 17 games at a .338 clip (23-for-68) , but then fell into another slide in which he was 13-for-79 (.165) over 23 games before the 3 hits on June 8...he dropped into one more drought just prior to the All-Star break, going 4-for-30 from June 24-July 5 and was taken out of the starting lineup for the 3 games prior to the break and 3 con- tests afterward...the final turnaround began on July 14 in Anaheim when he delivered a pinch hit single and scored the tying run in the eighth inning, then drove in an insurance tally with a double off of Troy Percival in the ninth to help stake the D'Backs to a 7-5 win...from that date, Fins batted .330 (70-for-212) over 63 games with 9 home runs, 32 runs scored and 40 RBI...his streaky nature was personified over a 4-game stretch in Arizona's final homestand of the year when he knocked in 12 runs...it began in a game he didn't start on September 26 against Milwaukee, entering as a pinch hitter in the sixth and delivering a run scoring single, then tacking on a grand slam in the eighth, Steve's eighth career slam and 200th career home runr...he followed the next night with a 4-RBI affair, then after going 1-for-2 with no RBI in a non-start against the Dodgers on September 28, he hit a 3- run homer the next afternoon off of LA's James Baldwin to help stake the D'Backs to an 8-1 win...Steve closed the year by hitting .344 (31-for-90) in his last 25 games with 12 runs, 7 doubles, a triple, 4 homers and 27 RBI...included in his late-season run was his first 2-homer game of the year on September 8 against San Diego, the 15th multi-homer game of his career, 12th of the 2-homer variety...he was intentionally walked on August 12 in Atlanta, snapping Gred Maddux's streak of 72.1 consecutive innings pitched without allowing a free pass... Fins' diversity was displayed on August 30 when he was summoned from centerfield to work an inning of relief in a blowout loss to the Giants at Bank One Ballpark...featuring a knuckleball, he walked a man and hit Jeff Kent, but escaped any damage on the scoreboard by recording an inning-ending double play.
2001 Postseason Highlights: Steve had a terrific post-season, hitting safely in 11 of 14 starts at a .365 clip (19-for-52)...Fins began by hit- ting .421 (8-for-19) in the Division Series against the Cardinals, starting with 3 hits in the game #1 win, featuring an RBI single that was all Curt Schilling needed in a 1-0 decision...Steve came up big again in the pivotal third game of the NLCS in Atlanta, going 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI in the 5-1 win, then sealed Arizona's first trip to the World Series by catching the final out of game #5 ending the 3-2 victory...as Arizona advanced to the World Series, Steve's production continued as he batted .368 (7-for-19) against New York, a complete reversal from his 1-for-12 experience the first time he faced the Yankees in the Fall Classic while with the Padres in 1998... he had 3 hits in game #5 at Yankee Stadium including a fifth inning solo homer off of Mike Mussina that gave Arizona a 1-0 lead, his first post-season home run in his 35th career post-season game (113th at bat)...it was also the first of 2 homers in the inning for the D'Backs with Rod Barajas also going deep, the 34th multi-homer inning in World Series history, 15th by a National League club...Fins also had a big impact in the seventh and deciding game of the Fall Classic, picking up a pair of hits and scoring the first run on Danny Bautista's double in sixth inning...Steve also made a terrific running catch in center to retire Shane Spencer to end the second inning.
2000
Was in the midst of spectacular season before injuries played a
role in the 2nd half...carried the club offensively for better than 3
months, collecting 27 homers and 75 RBI by July 21...red-hot
first half earned him a spot on the National League All-Star
team replacing Ken Griffey Jr....he was named to the squad on
July 9, the day before the break began, and responded by hitting
his 25th home run to aid Arizona's 4-2 win in Oakland...was
named the team co-Player-of-the-Year with Luis Gonzalez by the
Arizona chapter of the BBWAA.
Just 3 days before his All-Star recognition, the injury bug bit
when he made an 8th inning game-saving catch against the
wall in left-center in Houston's Enron Field on July 6,
aggravating his lower back, an injury that has haunted him in
recent years...he missed only one game after the collision with
the wall, but the aggravated area required a pair of injections as
the season progressed...though he still had typical "Steve
Finley" hot stretches, he wound up hitting just 8 home runs and
driving in 21 in his last 57 games of the year.
Hit his career-high 35th and final home run of the year on
September 9 in Florida, a 2-run shot off of A.J. Burnett in a 4-1
Arizona win.
Suffered a costly hit by pitch on his left hand on September 12
when hit by LA's Onan Masaoka...finished year just 4-for-39
(.103) after the plunking and missed the final 2 games of the
year.
Tied a career-high with 4 hits in the season opener on April 4 in
Bank One Ballpark vs. Philly, kicking off a 10-game hitting streak
in which he batted .364 (16-for-44) with 5 homers and 9
RBI...final game in the streak featured a pair of 2-run homers off
of San Diego's Sterling Hitchcock on April 13, staking the
D'Backs to a 5-4 win in Qualcomm Stadium.
Hit 9 homers in April to tie the club record for home runs in a
month set the previous September, and then hit 9 more in May.
Drove in his 50th run of the year in Arizona's 49th game (vs.
Milwaukee on May 27) tying the team record for fastest to 50
(Matt Williams also drove in 50 in his first 49 games in 1999).
Started the only triple play in franchise history vs. St. Louis on
May 31 when he caught Mark McGwire's fly ball and threw home
to catch Placido Polanco attempting to score from 3rd...catcher
Damian Miller then fired to 3rd base, where shortstop Tony
Womack caught Edgar Renteria trying to advance from 2nd.
Made all the highlight reels with his catch in Shea Stadium on
August 27, taking a home run away from Robin Ventura in the
5th inning.
Reached base by hit, walk or hit by pitch in 29 consecutive
games from May 5 through June 5...at the end of the streak, he
had reached base in 53 of his 56 starts since Opening Day.
Made 2nd career All-Star appearance as a defensive
replacement in leftfield, then knocked in N.L.'s final run with RBI
single in 9th.
Hit 11 home runs against southpaws, 1 more than during the
1999 season.
Made the most of an 0-for-4 game vs. Montreal on August 7,
reaching twice on missed 3rd strikes and scoring once in a 5-2
win.
Homered in consecutive games on August 18 and 19, reaching
the 30-homer mark for the 2nd consecutive year and 3rd time in
his career.
1999
Steve's reputation as a streak hitter and terrific defensive
outfielder held true in his initial year as a Diamondback,
establishing career bests in homers and RBI, while earning his
third career Rawlings Gold Glove, first since winning
consecutive awards in 1995 & 1996...all of this was
accomplished while suffering from a back ailment that twice
required pain-killing injections during the season...Steve
eclipsed the 100-RBI mark on Sept. 28 vs. Colorado, joining
teammates Matt Williams, Jay Bell and Luis Gonzalez in the
century club, as Arizona became 1 of 7 National League clubs
in history with 4 100-RBI men...Fins also scored 100 runs, the
fourth time in his last 5 years he has stepped on the plate at
least 100 times...his year started slowly at the plate, hitting just
.231 through May 19, but then one of his patented streaks
commenced and Fins went on his first official tear of the
year...from May 20-June 5, he batted .452 (28-for-62) over a
15-game stretch, with 17 runs, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers
and 29 RBI, totaling 58 bases for a .935 slugging pct., raising
his season average 63 points to .294...included was a 5-game
stretch against New York, Montreal and Texas in which he went
16-for-23 (.696) with 4 doubles, a triple, 5 homers and 18 RBI,
totaling 37 bases for a slugging pct. of 1.609, earning N.L.
Player-of-the-Week honors...the stretch began with a 4-for-5
game on May 30 in Shea Stadium, featuring a double, 2 homers
and 5 RBI, but he trumped that 2 days later with another 4-hit
effort, hitting 2 more home runs, while setting a club record with
6 RBI...he would later tie the RBI mark with another 6-pack on
September 8 in Milwaukee, the result of a club record 3-homer
game, the third of his career...Fins entered last year with 7
career multi-homer efforts, but he doubled that with 7 more
during the '99 season, tying Barry Bonds for second in the
league to Mark McGwire, who logged 9 multi-HR games for the
Redbirds...the 3-homer effort in County Stadium occurred in the
middle of another of Steve's hot streaks, batting .444 (12-for-27)
on a 6-game tour through Atlanta and Milwaukee from Sept. 3-9,
including 4 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, 10 runs and 11
RBI...that streak jump-started a 22-game period in September
in which Fins batted. 330 (29-for-88) with 24 runs scored, 6
doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 21 RBI and 66 total bases, a .750
slugging pct....he hit the seventh grand slam of his career on
May 10 at home vs. Montreal's Javier Vazquez...he was 1 of 2
D'Backs to make a splash in right-center at Bank One Ballpark,
taking a Mark Gardner delivery into the pool on August 4, Steve's
second homer of the game...with the leather, Fins committed
only 2 errors, ironically the first occurring on April 24 in the
familiar surroundings of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego,
where he patrolled centerfield for 4 years...he then set a
Diamondback record with 109 consecutive errorless games,
snapping the streak with a miscue at home on August 30 vs.
the Mets...Steve collected the 1,500th hit of his career on June
13 in Anaheim off of Omar Olivares...he logged 4 hits on 4
occasions in 1999, giving him 24 career contests with at least 4
knocks...of Fins' 34 home runs, 10 were off of lefthanded
pitching, 8 more than he had vs. southpaws during the entire
1998 season...the first 5 home runs he hit last year were solo
blasts, but 20 of his last 29 came with men aboard...Steve was
not discriminating between home or road, hitting 17 home runs
in Bank One Ballpark and 17 away from the Valley.
1998
The durable outfielder led the Padres with 159 games, his 4th
major league season with at least that many games
played...though the average tailed off to .249, he hammered 60
extra-base hits, or 39% of his overall hit total...to put his
extra-base hits in perspective, Arizona's leader in that
department during the inaugural year was Devon White with
55...Steve's 40 doubles were tied for 10th in the N.L., while
ranking 2nd on the club with 92 runs, though it was the first time
in 4 seasons that he did not eclipse the 100-run mark...had a
pair of 4-hit games, the first included a club record-tying 3
doubles and personal best matching 5 RBI, leading the Padres
to a 17-8 thrashing of the Rangers in Arlington on June 7...also
had 4 hits on August 24 in 7-2 triumph at Milwaukee...he had a
season-high 11-game hitting streak from July 11-23, hitting
.350 (14-for-40)...he hit his 5th career first inning leadoff homer,
taking the Giants' Shawn Estes deep to open the scoring on
Sept. 9 in San Diego...it was his 2nd with the Padres, after
hitting 3 with Houston...a charter member of the "if you can't beat
him, sign him" club, Steve traumatized the D'Backs with a .333
mark (14-for-42) which included a crushing blow in April...he
ended a game that Arizona appeared to have in hand on April
10, delivering a 9th inning, 2-out, grand slam off of Felix
Rodriguez, lifting the Pads to a 6-4 win...it was the 6th slam of
Finley's career, his 4th with San Diego...in just 4 seasons with
the Padres, he ranked 5th in club history with 244 extra-base
hits, 6th in runs scored (423) and tied with Carmelo Martinez for
7th in homers (82)...Steve hit 47 home runs in his first 7
seasons as a big leaguer, but has managed 72 blasts in his
last 3.
1997
Led the Padres in homers (28), triples (5) and runs (101),
ranking 8th in the N.L. in scoring...also ranked in the top 3 on
the club in RBI, extra-base hits, hits, doubles and stolen bases,
earning his first trip to the All-Star Game...added his name to
the record book by becoming the 6th National Leaguer and 11th
player in big league history to homer 3 times in a game twice in
the same season...first 3-bomb game was on May 19 at
Cincinnati, hitting a pair of shots off of Pete Schourek, then
taking Stan Belinda deep, all solo homers...he duplicated the
effort on June 23 at San Francisco, clubbing bases empty shots
off of Mark Gardner and Rich Rodriguez, then hitting a 2-run
home run in the 9th off of Joe Roa...he also singled in the game
to set a club record with 13 total bases, 1 more base than Nate
Colbert's club record 3-homer game on August 1, 1972...the
2nd 3-homer game led to his 2nd career N.L.
Player-of-the-Week honor, finishing the week of June 23-29 with
a .520 mark (13-for-25) with 6 homers and 9 RBI, adding a
2-homer and 3-RBI affair on June 28 in Los Angeles...for good
measure, Finley had another 2-homer tilt on July 3 vs.
Seattle...he slugged career home run #100 on August 23 at
Shea Stadium off of Dave Mlicki.
1996
Had a career year, setting personal bests in virtually every
category, while rewriting the San Diego record book... set career
bests in average, runs, hits, doubles, homers, extra-base hits,
total bases (348), RBI, slugging pct. (.531) and at bats, and
finished 10th in the N.L. MVP balloting...in the process, he
established Padres' records in runs, doubles, extra-base hits
and total bases...he was also 22 for 30 in stolen bases,
becoming just the 4th Padre in history to hit 20 homers and
steal 20 bases...he also had a career-high 21-game hitting
streak from June 20-July 14, hitting .419 (29-for-93)...of his 30
home runs, 18 either tied the score (4) or put the Padres ahead
(14)...he had a streak of 3 homers in as many at bats on June
29-30 in San Francisco, hitting a 3-run blast off Mark Leiter and
a 2-run shot off of Rod Beck on the 29th, then hit a solo homer
off of William VanLandingham the following day...Finley had a
career-high 5-hit game on May 23 at Philly...he hit the 3rd grand
slam of his career on June 1 at Philly off of southpaw Dave
Leiper...notched career hit #1,000 on June 5, a double off St.
Louis' southpaw Donovan Osborne...enjoyed a milestone
evening on Sept. 10 vs. the Pirates, joining the 20/20 club with
his 20th steal, then setting the club record for doubles in a
season, and ending the contest with a 2-out, 0-2, 2-run homer
to give the Friars a 6-5 win...he batted .308 with 9 home runs in
September to ensure San Diego's first trip to the post-season
since 1984...defensively, he earned his 2nd consecutive
Rawlings Gold Glove...he struggled offensively in the Division
Series vs. the Cards, going just 1-for-12...he wrapped up 1996
by earning MVP honors on an 8-game Major League Baseball
All-Star tour through Japan, hitting .400 (8-for-20) in the 7
games he played, with 4 doubles and 9 RBI.
1995
His first year in San Diego, he was the only National League
player to achieve 100 runs, 10 homers and 35 stolen bases
(Minnesota's Chuck Knoblauch was the only A.L. player)...Finley
earned his first of a pair of Rawlings Gold Glove Awards...was
used in the leadoff spot in 73 games and hit a major league
best .338 (103-for-305) in that slot, with 62 runs, 15 doubles, 6
triples, 6 homers, 28 RBI and 25 steals...stole a career-high 4
bases on August 12 vs. St. Louis... was in the delivery room on
Sept. 1 when son Reed was born, then headed to the ballpark
and played in the 8th & 9th innings of San Diego's 6-3 win over
the Phillies.
1994
Steve appeared in 94 games of an injury and strike-shortened
season, missing nearly a month after being hit by a pitch on
June 8 in Montreal, breaking the 3rd metacarpal bone in his
right hand...he was placed on the D.L. on June 13 and did not
return until July 3...hit his 2nd career grand slam on July 17 at
Pittsburgh off of Paul Wagner, then tied a Houston club record
on July 23 with 4 runs scored, also vs. the Pirates...Finley was
part of the 11-player trade with San Diego on December 28.
1993
He was slowed by an early-season ailment and injury, limiting
his full-time action until mid-May...was slowed in spring training
by Bell's Palsy, a viral infection of a nerve in the upper neck,
resulting in numbness that prevented him from closing his left
eye...he then played the first 16 games of the year before getting
plunked by a John Candelaria pitch on April 24 in Pittsburgh...it
was first believed to be a bruise, but further examination
revealed a hairline fracture, which forced him on the D.L. from
April 27-May 14...upon returning, he did not collect his first triple
of the year until the 41st game and still led the N.L. with 13.
1992
Steve and teammates Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell were the
only 3 N.L. players to participate in all 162 games...he finished
in the league's top 10 in hits, triples, stolen bases and sacrifice
bunts...he set then career highs in hits, doubles, triples, RBI,
walks and stolen bases...he had a 4-RBI game on May 26 at
Montreal, and a pair of 4-hit affairs (July 7 at Pittsburgh and
August 5 at Los Angeles)...finished strong, hitting .306
(81-for-265) after the All-Star break.
1991
Finley's first year as a National Leaguer, he was acquired by the
Astros on January 10 with pitchers Pete Harnisch and Curt
Schilling in exchange for Glenn Davis...Steve tied for 6th in the
N.L. with 170 hits, while ranking 3rd in the loop in triples (10)
and games played (159), and 4th in at bats (596)...his 13
outfield assists tied Barry Bonds and Paul O'Neill for 3rd in the
league...he matched a personal best with a pair of 4-hit games,
May 29 and August 15, both at Dodger Stadium.
1990
Led the Orioles with 22 stolen bases, while ranking 2nd on the
club with 119 hits...had a trio of 4-hit games, May 22 vs.
Minnesota and twice vs. the Angels (August 11 and Sept. 7).
1989
Made his major league debut for Baltimore on opening day vs.
Boston...on first career big league fielding chance, Steve made
a diving catch while crashing into the wall in right-center,
suffering a right shoulder sprain that necessitated a trip to the
disabled list...was activated on April 22 and picked up first big
league hit that night, a single off of Minnesota's Fred Toliver...hit
first major league home run on April 25 off California's Willie
Fraser...blasted first grand slam on June 5 at Yankee Stadium
off of lefthander Chuck Cary...tied an Oriole club record on Sept.
7 with 3 steals in game #1 of twinbill at Texas.
1988
In his 2nd pro season, Steve was named International League
Rookie-of the-Year, leading the I.L. in batting (.314) and hits
(143) to help Rochester to the title...it was a quick climb,
opening the year at Hagerstown (A), appearing in 8 games,
then participated in 10 games at Charlotte (AA), before heading
to Rochester.
