Chris Spurling (Spurling variant)
Chris Spurling (born 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers from 2003 to 2007.
Sourcing: strong 5 reference
Variant spelling: this person bears the related surname Spurling, not Spurlin.
Christopher Michael Spurling (born June 28, 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.[1][2]
Early career
Spurling was born in Dayton, Ohio. He attended Northridge High School and Sinclair Community College, and Baseball-Reference also lists Miami University of Ohio among his schools.[1][2] The New York Yankees drafted him in the 41st round of the 1997 amateur draft, and he signed in May 1998.[2] On August 7, 2000, the Yankees traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Luis Sojo.[2] Pitching for the Double-A Altoona Curve in 2002, he recorded 20 saves with a 2.19 ERA.[3] The Atlanta Braves took him from Pittsburgh in the December 2002 Rule 5 draft and traded him to the Detroit Tigers for minor leaguer Matt Coenen on March 25, 2003.[2]
Major leagues
Spurling made his major league debut for Detroit on April 2, 2003, against the Minnesota Twins.[2] He pitched in 66 games as a rookie, going 1–3 with a 4.68 ERA and 3 saves. He did not pitch in the majors in 2004, then appeared in 56 games for the Tigers in 2005 with a 3.44 ERA.[2] After Todd Jones returned as Detroit's closer in April 2006, Spurling was sent to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.[1] The Milwaukee Brewers claimed him off waivers on September 8, 2006.[2] He went 2–1 with a 4.68 ERA in 49 games for Milwaukee in 2007 and played his last major league game on September 29, 2007, against the San Diego Padres.[2] The Brewers released him during spring training in 2008.[1]
Over parts of four major league seasons he pitched in 187 games, all in relief, with a 6–8 record, a 4.32 ERA, 3 saves and 99 strikeouts in 219 innings.[2]
Independent baseball
Spurling later pitched in the independent Atlantic League, for the Newark Bears in 2009 and the Long Island Ducks in 2010.[3]
Other Spurlings in baseball records
Besides Chris Spurling, Baseball-Reference's register lists two other players with the Spurling surname, Jordan Spurling and Sterling Spurling. It also lists eleven players surnamed Spurlin, none of whom reached the major leagues.[4] See Spurlins in baseball records.
In basketball, Basketball-Reference has a page for Greg Spurling, a 6 ft 11 in center born in Knoxville, Tennessee, who played at Furman University and Carson-Newman College. The Phoenix Suns chose him in the fifth round (101st overall) of the 1986 NBA draft. The page shows only college statistics for him, from Furman's 1982–83 season.[5]
See also
- Notable Spurlins · People strong
An index of notable people surnamed Spurlin, with related Spurling-surname figures listed separately as variants. - Spurlins in baseball records · Culture strong
A roundup of the eleven baseball players surnamed Spurlin in Baseball-Reference's register of minor league, independent and college players, from two 1935 minor league first basemen to recent NCAA players. None reached the major leagues. - Greg Spurling (Spurling variant) · People strong
Greg Spurling is a former American college basketball center from Knoxville, Tennessee. The Phoenix Suns drafted him in the fifth round in 1986, and he later signed with the Suns and the Chicago Bulls, but he was waived each time and never played in an NBA game. - Spurling athletes in Britain and Australia (variant spelling) · People strong
Sportsmen and sports figures with the related surname Spurling outside the United States. They include the England rugby international Aubrey Spurling (1856–1945), the Footscray footballers Bill Spurling (1907–1972) and Bob Spurling, the Australian lightweight rower Stephen Spurling and his mother, the Tasmanian rowing administrator Marj Spurling, and the English rugby hooker Scott Spurling. - Spurlins in sports · Culture strong
An overview of people surnamed Spurlin in sports: college and minor league baseball, college football, wrestling, softball and basketball coaching, with links to each article and a note of the professional leagues and databases searched.
References
- ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Chris Spurling — Wikipedia Reference
- ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Chris Spurling Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More — Baseball-Reference.com — Major league page: biography, debut and last game, statistics, Retrosheet transactions Reference
- ↑ ↑ Chris Spurling Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics — Baseball-Reference.com — Register page with minor league and independent seasons Reference
- ↑ Register Players Starting with "Sp" — Baseball-Reference.com Reference
- ↑ Greg Spurling Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more — Basketball-Reference.com — Player page: position, size, birthplace, colleges, draft Reference
Last reviewed 2026-09-24.