Randy Tomlin

Randy Leon Tomlin (born June 14, 1966) is a former left-handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990–94). He stands 5'11" and weighs 170 pounds.

College career Tomlin had played as a pitcher and outfielder in high school, but he focused on pitching upon joining the Liberty Flames in 1986. Three of those shutouts came in 1986, a year in which Tomlin also pitched all 11 innings of a 4–3 victory over Slippery Rock University. He pitched 273 innings for the Flames, striking out 211 hitters. After Tomlin's junior year, he was drafted by the Pirates in the 18th round (460th overall) of the 1988 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. In 2016, he was inducted into the Liberty Sports Hall of Fame.

Minor leagues After being drafted, Tomlin began his professional career in 1988 with the Watertown Pirates of the Single-A (short season) New York-Penn League. In 15 starts, he had a 7–5 record, a 2.18 earned run average (ERA), 87 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 75 hits allowed in innings pitched.

Tomlin spent most of 1989 with the Salem Buccaneers of the Single-A Carolina League, where he had a 12–6 record, a 3.25 ERA, 99 strikeouts, 43 walks, and 131 hits allowed in innings pitched. Tomlin also made five starts for the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Eastern League that year; though his record was just 2–2, his ERA was 0.84. He made his major league debut in the first game of a doubleheader on August 6, allowing just five hits and one run in a complete game, 10–1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. On September 6, he held the New York Mets to three hits in a complete game, 7–1 victory. In 12 starts with Pittsburgh, he had a 4–4 record, a 2.55 ERA, 42 strikeouts, 12 walks, and 62 hits allowed in innings pitched. The Pirates won the National League (NL) East Division and faced the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Championship Series (NLCS), but Tomlin made no appearances in the series as Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh four games to two.

1991 The 1991 campaign was Tomlin's first full season as a starter in the major leagues. For his performance, Tomlin was named the NL Player of the Week for the week of July 15–21. At that point, Tomlin had an 8–4 record with a 2.35 ERA, but he went winless for the rest of the season, posting a 4.31 ERA. In 31 games (27 starts), Tomlin had an 8–7 record, 104 strikeouts, 54 walks, and 170 hits allowed in 175 innings. Jay LeBlanc of The Washington Times wrote that Tomlin is "best remembered for his clutch performance in Game 4 of the 1991 NLCS."

1992 Tomlin won his first four starts of the 1992 season; Sports Illustrated wrote in May that he and the other Pittsburgh starting pitchers "(were) racking up W's like unlucky Scrabble competitors." After losing three decisions in a row, he then won his next six decisions, including five starts in a row from June 2 through June 22. During the streak, Tomlin threw 26 consecutive scoreless innings, which included a complete-game shutout of the Mets on June 7. His ERA was 3.03 at that point, and it would be 3.69 for the rest of the year, but Tomlin would win just four more games. NL East Champions again, the Pirates faced the Braves in the NLCS for the second year in a row. In Game 2, Tomlin pitched scoreless innings of relief, though the Pirates were already losing 8–0 and would lose 13–5. He relieved Doug Drabek in Game 4 with the game tied 3-3, runners on first and third, and one out in the fifth inning. After an error allowed a run to score, Tomlin induced Ron Gant to hit into an inning-ending double play, but would allow two runs in the next inning as Pittsburgh went on to lose 6–4. The Pirates lost the series in seven games. He did not pitch in June, as he was on the disabled list with an elbow injury. On July 21, Tomlin held the Astros to four hits and one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory. However, he would win just one more game all season. In 18 starts, he had a 4–8 record, a 4.85 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 15 walks, and 109 hits allowed in innings pitched. On April 23, Tomlin held the Braves to one runs over five innings and struck out six; though he did not get a decision, the Pirates won 6–1. After his start on May 10, he was moved to the bullpen in favor of prospect Jon Lieber. On May 20, Tomlin entered a game against the Montreal Expos with nobody out in the eighth inning, runners on first and second, and the Pirates leading 3–2. He gave up back-to-back hits to Larry Walker and Moisés Alou and left with Pittsburgh trailing 5–3, which would be the final score. After that, Tomlin was sent to Buffalo, where he posted a 2–2 record and a 5.30 ERA in 11 starts. In 10 games (four starts) for Pittsburgh, Tomlin had an 0–3 record, a 3.92 ERA, 17 strikeouts, 10 walks, and 23 hits in innings pitched. After the season, the Pirates chose not to re-sign him, making him a free agent. He failed to make the team and pitched for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League, losing two games and posting an 8.31 ERA in five games (two starts).

Career statistics, pitching style During his major league career, Tomlin had a 30–31 record in 94 career starts with 297 strikeouts. He posted a 3.43 ERA, allowing 590 hits and walking 133 in innings.

Tomlin was not a power pitcher, relying on full use of the strike zone to get batters out. In a 2008 interview with The Washington Times, he described his pitching style: "I mainly tried to get ground balls. I threw a fastball that moved a lot and I had a big curveball and a sweeper - more of a slider - and a change-up. I mixed my pitches. I didn't throw overly hard; when I tried to throw hard my ball straightened out, so I had to throw strikes and change speeds. That's the name of the game - throwing the ball over the plate and changing speeds - that's how you get guys out ... if you're not blessed with being able to throw 95." Then, he served as a minor league pitching coach in the Washington Nationals system, first for the Single-A Potomac Nationals (2007–08) and then for Double-A Harrisburg (2009–11). After the 2011 season, he became the head coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia, a position that enabled him to spend more time with his family. In March 2024, Tomlin was named coach of the Charlottesville Tom Sox, a member of the collegiate summer baseball Valley League.

Personal life While Tomlin was pitching for Watertown, he met Janet Belch, whom he would marry in 1990. They have three children: son Coy, daughter Ellison, and son Quade. In 2020, Quade was signed by the Nationals as an undrafted free agent. Though raised attending a Presbyterian church, Tomlin became a born-again Christian while attending Liberty University.