February 16, 1989
Orel Hershiser becomes the first player to sign a contract calling for a$3 million annual salary. He signs a three-year, $7.9 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hershiser was coming off an incredible 1988 season where he won the Cy Young Award going 23-8 with an ERA of 2.26. He tossed 15 complete games that year including 8 shutouts en route to taking the Dodgers to the World Series.
He would go on to pitch 12 more seasons in the Major Leagues including four more after the end of this three-year contract.
Hershiser would finish his career with 204 wins and a lifetime 3.48 ERA.
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Eric Bynum is Managing Editor here at Baseball de World and an ESL teacher in South Korea. He has played and/or written about baseball for the past 30 years and is an avid Atlanta Braves fan. Eric also writes for Braves Baseball World and for Call to the Pen.
