Eric Gunderson

Eric Andrew Gunderson (born March 29, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played in the majors from – and –.

Gunderson graduated from Aloha High School near Portland, Oregon in 1984, then played college baseball for Portland State Vikings. He had a 24–14 record with 214 strikeouts in three college seasons. Upon reaching the majors, he said he had not been a good athlete in high school or college.

The San Francisco Giants selected Gunderson in the second round of the 1987 MLB draft. He was a minor league all-star in 1987 and 1988. He started the 1990 season in the majors, then was demoted to the minors on April 27, returning as a September call-up and earning his first MLB win. Gunderson was suspended for five games at the end of the month for his role in a bench-clearing brawl against the California Angels, when Luis Polonia charged the mound after an inside pitch from Gunderson. Seattle released Gunderson in April 1993, and he did not pitch in the majors that year. then was put on waivers in August. The Mariners claimed him, though he was claimed by the Boston Red Sox six days later. He also pitched for Boston in 1996. He was almost part of a trade to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens in February 1999, though Toronto opted to send Clemens to the New York Yankees. Gunderson signed with Toronto after the season, pitching in his final MLB season in 2000. Toronto traded him back to San Francisco in July though he never returned to the majors.

Personal life Gunderson and his wife married in December 1990.