Ricky Neal Horton (born July 30, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball player who pitched from 1984 to 1990. He was known as Ricky during his playing career, but now goes by Rick. He currently provides color commentary and play-by-play for television broadcasts of the St. Louis Cardinals on Fox Sports Midwest and fills on KMOX radio broadcasts.
Horton was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. Horton attended and played college baseball at the University of Virginia. During the 1980 season, the left-handed pitcher led the Cavaliers in innings pitched (66.2), earned run average (2.70) and strikeouts (70).
Playing career
Horton was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur draft. Horton’s first major league hit came on May 21, 1984, off Nolan Ryan.
In 1984, Horton won a career high 9 games as a rookie for the Cardinals. While with the Cardinals, he appeared in the 1985 World Series and 1987 World Series. He also pitched in the 1988 World Series as a member of the Dodgers and got a World Series ring.
Post-playing career
In 1991, Horton was a minor league pitching coach in the Cleveland Indians farm system. In 1993, he became the director of the St. Louis Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In 1997, Horton began filling in on Cardinals television broadcasts on FSN Midwest and radio broadcasts on the Cardinals Radio Network. In 2003, he joined the three-man FS Midwest television broadcast team, working roughly 100 games per year as well as post-game analysis.
Horton briefly appeared in the film Field of Dreams, shown pitching for the White Sox in a scene where Ray Kinsella’s young daughter is watching baseball on television.