Major League Baseball Player. For eight seasons (1980 to 1986 and 1988), he was a left-handed pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners. Born Rodney Grant Scurry, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Procter Hug High School in Nevada during the 1974 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut on April 17, 1980 and pitched in 20 games that season. At the time of Scurry's debut, there was an epidemic of recreational usage of cocaine by many Major League players. Unfortunately for Scurry, he became another statistic in that detrimental category. In spite of what at this point has become an addiction for him, he produced a standout season in 1982, in which he yielded a remarkable 1.74 ERA and a career-high 14 saves, in 76 games. However, by the mid 1980s, his addiction had a firm grasp on him and his what was once potentially prominent career was slipping away. After two years with the Yankees, he was acquired by the San Francisco Giants but failed to make their Major League ball club in 1987. His last Major League stint was with the Seattle Mariners in 1988, however at this point he was no longer the effective reliever he once was. In 332 career regular season games, he compiled a 19 win, 32 loss record, with a lifetime 3.24 ERA, in 460.2 innings pitched. He was let go by Seattle after his arrest for attempting to purchase crack cocaine. This incident put an end to his baseball career. Scurry continued to struggle with his dependency during the remaining four years of his life. After sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance call, Scurry (who was under the influence of cocaine) suffered a heart attack when an attempt was made to place him in custody. He remained unresponsive in the hospital and died several days later.