David Wells

Nicknamed "Boomer" for his portly physique (6-3, listed at 240 pounds but thought to be more) and off-field interests such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Wells was a journeyman starter for the first eight seasons of his career. He debuted for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987 as a reliever and did not secure a job as a full-time starter until he was 30 years old, despite pitching well most of the time.

He emerged as a top-flight pitcher in 1995, when he was 32. After starting the year at 10-3 for the last-place Detroit Tigers, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds shortly after making his first All-Star Game appearance. He finished that season with a 16-8 record and a 3.04 ERA.

In 1997, he signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees, his favorite team because of a lifelong interest in baseball legend Babe Ruth, taking the jersey number 33 in deference to Ruth's long retired number 3. After posting a 16-10 mark in 1997, Wells pitched brilliantly in the Yankees' record-setting 1998 season. He rung up an 18-4 record, finished fifth in the league in ERA (3.49) and was third in voting for the Cy Young Award.

On May 17, 1998, Wells became the 15th pitcher in major league history to pitch a perfect game when he blanked the Minnesota Twins, 4-0.

After the season, he was traded back to the Blue Jays for Roger Clemens, but continued to win north of the border, with records of 17-10 and 20-8 over the next two years.

After an injury-plagued 2001 season with the Chicago White Sox, he returned to the Yankees. Despite having lost some velocity from his fastball, he retained his excellent curveball and his control, and posted an outstanding 19-7 record in 2002.

At the end of the 2002 season, Wells owned a career record of 185-121, including a 122-68 mark since 1995. His career ERA of 4.05 looks unimpressive, but it is well above average for the big-hitting era in which he's had his best seasons.