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Jamie Moyer (born November 17, 1962) is an American professional left handed baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. At the time of his last game to date (in June 2010), he was the oldest player in the major leagues and had the most wins, losses, and strikeouts of any active Major League pitcher. He has been likened to Phil Niekro.[1][2][3]
Moyer has pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies. He made the All-Star team in 2003, while with the Mariners. Moyer has won numerous awards for philanthropy and community service, including the 2003 Roberto Clemente Award, the 2003 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, the 2003 Hutch Award and the 2004 Branch Rickey Award. Moyer is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.
Contents [hide]
1 Amateur career
1.1 High school
1.2 College
2 Professional career
2.1 1986–1996
2.2 Seattle Mariners
2.2.1 1996–1998
2.2.2 1999–2000
2.2.3 2001–2003
2.2.4 2004–2005
2.3 Philadelphia Phillies
2.3.1 2006
2.3.2 2007
2.3.3 2008
2.3.4 2009
2.3.5 2010–2011
3 Personal life
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Amateur career
High school
Moyer attended Souderton Area High School in Souderton, Pennsylvania, where he played baseball, basketball, and golf.
College
Moyer pitched at Saint Joseph's University where in 1984 he set the school's single-season records in wins, with 16, ERA, with 1.99, and strikeouts, with 90.[4] In 1997 he became the only Saint Joseph's baseball player to have his jersey number, number 10, retired,[4] and was one of three inductees into the first class of the St. Joseph's Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 1984 amateur draft, and completed his college degree from Indiana University in 1996.
Professional career
1986–1996
Moyer was selected a New York – Penn League All-Star in 1984. He made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs on June 16, 1986, against Steve Carlton and the Philadelphia Phillies, and got his first win. Later that year, on August 16, he threw his first shutout against the Montreal Expos. He was also the starting pitcher for the Cubs on the day that Greg Maddux made his major league debut.
In 1987, Moyer ranked tenth in the National League in strikeouts with 147, while winning 12 games. Following his then-best season in 1988, he was traded to the Texas Rangers as part of the 9-player Rafael Palmeiro for Mitch Williams trade.[2]
Moyer was on the disabled list with a sore left shoulder for much of a disappointing 1989 season. 1990 saw Moyer spend time in the bullpen [shoot, you found it] before regaining a spot in the starting rotation.
Moyer was released as a free agent after the 1990 season and was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals. He made seven starts for the Cardinals in 1991 before being sent to the minor leagues on May 24, and was released on October 14.
In 1992, Moyer went to spring training with the Chicago Cubs, but was released and spent the rest of the season in the minor league system of the Detroit Tigers. On December 18, 1992, Moyer signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
Moyer began the 1993 campaign in the Oriole minor leagues, before being called up on May 30. He tied his career-high total in wins with 12 and a new career-low ERA of 3.43. The strike-shortened 1994 season was disappointing for him, but he was third on the staff in innings pitched. In 1995, Moyer again found himself in the Baltimore bullpen, but worked his way back into the starting rotation. He was released following the 1995 campaign, but his contract was picked up by the Boston Red Sox on December 22. Moyer started the 1996 season in the Boston bullpen, but made seven starts for the Red Sox by year's end.
Seattle Mariners
1996–1998
Moyer was the Mariner franchise's all-time leader in starts, wins and IP. He went 145-87 with an ERA of 3.97 over eleven seasons with the M's.
In the middle of the 1996 season, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners on July 30, where he would start 11 games and go 6–2. His record of 13–3 would lead the majors in winning percentage at .813.
In 1997, Moyer was fifth in the American League with 17 wins. His 17–5 record gave him the second highest winning percentage (.773) in the league. Moyer would make his first postseason start against his former club Baltimore, but was forced out with a strained elbow in the fifth inning.
In 1998, Moyer went 15–9 with a 3.53 ERA. He was third in innings pitched with 234.1. He registered his 100th career win against the Cleveland Indians on August 27, as well as his 1000th career strikeout with a sixth inning strikeout of David Bell. He was named Seattle's Pitcher of the Year by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.
1999–2000
He walked two or fewer batters in 29 of his 32 starts. He ranked fourth in the American League averaging just 1.9 walks per nine innings. Moyer was also third among the league in innings pitched and seventh winning percentage. He matched career-best seven game winning streak that stretched from May 11 to July 7. He started the Inaugural Game at Safeco Field on July 15 against the San Diego Padres, throwing a called strike to San Diego's Quilvio Veras for the first pitch getting a no-decision in Seattle's 3–2 loss after leaving with a 2–1 lead after eight innings.[5] He defeated Baltimore for the ninth straight time on July 31; did not lose to the Orioles, in the 1990s. Moyer's only loss at Safeco came on August 5 against the New York Yankees. He recorded three complete games in the final month of the season, tossing back-to-back complete games on September 14 and 19. His 2.30 ERA after the All-Star break was the second-lowest among AL starters, behind only Pedro Martinez with his 2.01 ERA. He pitched 4 complete games for the second-straight season, tying his career best.
In 1999, Moyer went 14–8 with a 3.87 ERA and was voted to The Sporting News AL All-Star team. He again won the Seattle Pitcher of the Year award.
2000 saw Moyer rebound from an early shoulder injury to tally 13 wins, giving him at least 13 in each of his past five seasons. He made his first Opening Day start for Seattle, but lost to the Boston Red Sox 2–0 on April 4. His shoulder problems led his ERA to balloon to 5.49. A knee injury[6] suffered on the last pitch of a simulated game caused him to miss Seattle's trip to the American League Championship Series against the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees.
Moyer lost five consecutive starts from August 4-24. He allowed a career-high and a club-record 11 earned runs in a 19–3 loss on August 9 against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed 11 runs, 6 earned, in a 14–4 loss on August 14 against the Detroit Tigers, joining the Houston Astros' Jose Lima as the first two pitchers since 1950 to allow ten or more runs in consecutive starts. Moyer allowed a career-high seven walks in a no-decision on August 29 against the Yankees. The Mariners' 7–2 win on September 9 against the Minnesota Twins snapped a six-game losing streak. Moyer lasted just one-and-two-thirds innings in his final start, getting a no-decision September 28 against the Texas Rangers. Moyer suffered a hairline fracture of left kneecap while pitching a simulated game on October 7.
2001–2003
In 2001 Moyer won 20 games, ranked tied for second in the American League, and his 3.43 ERA was sixth in the AL. He earned his 150th career win against the Texas Rangers on September 24. He became only the second Mariner in history to win 20 games on October 5, former teammate Randy Johnson being the other. Moyer went 3–0 with a 1.89 ERA in the postseason. He won Games 2 and 5 for the Mariners against the Cleveland Indians and also carried Game 3 against the New York Yankees before Seattle lost in Game 5.
In 2002, Moyer went 13–8 with a then career low 3.32 ERA. Although he pitched 20 more innings and had a lower ERA than in 2001, he won seven fewer games.
Moyer was fourth in the AL in innings with 230.2. He was tied for second in the league with 34 starts, fifth in opponents' batting average, holding opposing hitters to a .230 clip, and ninth in ERA with 3.32. He tossed a team-high 24 consecutive scoreless innings from June 16 to July 6. He averaged just two walks per nine innings pitched, tied for sixth-best in the AL. The Mariners were 20–14 in his starts. His four complete games tied his career high, also done in 1998 and 1999. He threw his seventh career complete game shutout, first of the season, on June 10 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 10–0 win. Moyer's start on June 16 against San Diego began a streak of 24 consecutive shutout innings over four starts. He finished June 3–1 with a Major League best 1.01 ERA in five starts. He collected his 1,500th career strikeout August 24 against the Cleveland Indians.
In 2003, Moyer won a career high 21 games, lost 7, and had a career low 3.27 ERA. He tied for second in the American League for wins and was sixth in ERA. His .750 winning percentage placed him fourth in the league and his 21 wins are a club record. He became the only Seattle pitcher to win 20 games more than once. Moyer was voted to his first All-Star Game in 2003. He was named for the third time the Seattle Pitcher of the Year. Moyer was also the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the big leaguer whose success on the field is mirrored by his impact in community service, The Hutch Award, presented annually by the world-renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to an MLB player displaying "honor, courage and dedication to baseball, both on and off the field," and The Lou Gehrig Award, presented annually to the MLB player who both on and off the field best exemplifies the character of Lou Gehrig.
2004–2005
In 2004, Moyer went 7–13 and posted his first losing record since 1994. While the year started well for him, going 5–0 with a 1.59 ERA from May 20 – June 18, Moyer ended 2004 on a 10-game losing streak. He threw the slowest fastball of all AL starters, averaging 81.6 mph.[7] One positive for Moyer was he was awarded the Branch Rickey Award for his exceptional community service following the season.
During the 2005 season Moyer passed Randy Johnson to become the winningest pitcher for the Mariners on May 30. On July 8, 2005, Moyer became the 25th southpaw to win 200 games in Major League Baseball. He finished with a 13–7 record and for the second year in a row he threw the slowest fastball of all major league starters, averaging 81.7 mph.[8]
On June 18, 2006, he became the 33rd man to start 500 major league games. In his 11 seasons with the Mariners, Moyer had a record of 145–87 with a 3.97 ERA in 324 games (323 starts) and is the franchise leader in wins, starts and innings pitched.
Moyer is also one of the all-time leaders in 1–0 complete game losses. Moyer has lost eight games having surrendered only one run over nine innings. Before being traded in August of 2006, he was the oldest active American League player.
Philadelphia Phillies
2006
Philanthropic Phillie: Moyer Foundation serves children under distress in Philadelphia and Seattle.
On August 19, 2006, Moyer was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league pitchers Andrew Barb and Andrew Baldwin. In his first start with the Phillies, Moyer set a franchise record as the oldest pitcher to record a win. In eight starts with the Phillies in 2006, Moyer went 5–2 with a 4.03 ERA. After the season, Moyer signed a two-year extension worth $10.5 million with the Phillies on October 23.[9]
2007
On April 13, 2007, at age 44 Moyer combined with Tom Glavine to become the oldest matchup of lefty starters (85 years, 163 days) in major league history. He struck out six batters in the game which included his 2000th batter. Later that month, on April 29 Moyer pitched a two-hitter through 71⁄3 innings as he recorded a win against the Florida Marlins. On May 9, at age 44, Moyer broke that same record when he combined with Randy Johnson to become the oldest match up of lefty starters (88 years, 48 days) in major league history. Moyer won the game, with Johnson receiving a no decision.
In the finale to the 2007 season, Tom Glavine and Moyer faced off respectively in separate games to determine the National League Eastern Division Champions, as the division lead was tied at 88 wins. Moyer defeated the Washington Nationals, pitching 51⁄3 innings and surrendering no runs, and three hits, while Glavine was crushed by the Marlins at Shea Stadium, surrendering seven runs in the first inning, hitting a batter with the bases loaded and recording only a single out before being pulled.[10]
He threw the slowest fastball of all NL starters in 2007, averaging 81.1 miles per hour (130.5 km/h).[11]
2008
In 2008, at age 45, Moyer became the oldest active player in Major League baseball. On April 30, Moyer hit a single off Padres pitcher Chris Young into left center field to become the oldest Phillie ever to get a hit.[12][13]
On May 26, Moyer won his 235th career game, giving him at least one victory over each Major League team. The victory came in a 20–5 win over the Colorado Rockies. Moyer pitched seven innings, struck out seven batters, and gave up four runs. He followed that in his next start against the Florida Marlins by earning his sixth victory of the season, pitching seven innings and giving up five runs.
On September 11, Moyer won his 14th game of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers, which began the Phillies a seven-game win streak. On September 27, Moyer took the mound for the Phillies against the Nationals, in a game where the Phillies could clinch the National League East title with a win. Moyer pitched six innings and gave up only one run and the Phillies won the game 4–3. Moyer earned his 16th win of the year, the second oldest pitcher to accomplish this feat, finishing with a 3.71 ERA. He also threw the slowest fastball of all NL starters in 2008, averaging 81.2 miles per hour.[14] He threw cutters 29.5% of the time, the highest rate in the NL.[14]
On October 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2008 National League Division Series, Moyer became the second oldest pitcher to ever start a post-season game at the age of 45 years 321 days, and the oldest since 1929 when Jack Quinn started for the Philadelphia Athletics at 46 years 103 days.
On October 12, Moyer became the oldest pitcher at 45 years 329 days to pitch in a National League Championship Series game, starting in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he struggled during the game and surrendered six runs in 11⁄3 innings—his shortest start in over eight years—and went on to lose the game.
On October 25, Moyer made his first World Series start against the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching 61⁄3 innings, giving up three runs, and receiving a no-decision. More impressive was that he pitched with a severe stomach virus.[15] He won his first World Series ring when the Phillies defeated the Rays on October 29, winning his first ring in his 23rd Major League Season. In his speech at the World Series celebration at Citizens Bank Park on October 31, he related to the fans that he grew up as a Phillies fan and played hooky from Souderton Area High School to attend the Phillies' championship parade in 1980. On December 15, 2008 Moyer signed a two year, $16 million contract with the Phillies, keeping him with the club through the conclusion of the 2010 season.[16]
2009
Moyer posted a 3–5 record with a 7.42 ERA,[17] but earned his 250th career win on May 31 against the Washington Nationals in a 4–2 win, becoming the 44th pitcher and the 11th lefty to do this.[18] By the All-Star break, Moyer had improved his record to 8–6 and had lowered his ERA to 5.99. On July 16, Moyer won his 255th career game, pitching a one-hitter through seven scoreless innings and passing Jack Morris for 41st on the all-time wins list. Despite leading the rotation with ten wins, Moyer sported a 5.47 ERA when the Phillies decided to move him to the bullpen, making room in their rotation for Pedro Martínez.[19] Regarding the move, manager Charlie Manuel said,
"Jamie was a total professional and team player when we let him know of the decision to move him to the bullpen. He has been, and will continue to be, a very important part of this team."[19]
In Moyer's bullpen debut on August 18, he relieved Martínez in the fourth inning after a rain delay, pitching six scoreless innings to earn his 11th win of the season. A similar situation occurred on August 28, as Moyer again relieved Martinez in the third inning after a rain delay. He pitched four and one third innings in relief, giving up one earned run and picked up his 12th win of the season.
Moyer tore three muscles in his groin and lower abdomen while pitching against the Houston Astros on September 29. He missed the rest of the regular season, and was not on the Phillies' postseason roster.[20]
2010–2011
When asked about retiring after the expiration of his Phillies contract at the end of 2010, Moyer said, "You know, I'm going to leave that as an open-ended question because I don't know how to answer that. It could be (my last season). It potentially could be. But so could have last year. So could have two years ago, so could have five years ago."[21]
After the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. in early 2010, Moyer, along with Omar Vizquel, were the last two active players in MLB who played in the 1980s. On April 10, at age 47, Moyer became the sixth oldest pitcher to appear in a game and the eighth major league pitcher to start a game in four different decades. Moyer pitched six innings and earned his 259th career victory.[22] On May 7, Moyer became the oldest player in Major League Baseball history (47 years, 170 days) to pitch a shutout, blanking the Braves on two hits, striking out five batters and walking none.[23] Moyer also became the only MLB pitcher to throw a shutout in four different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).
On June 5, Moyer became the third MLB pitcher to win 100 games after turning 40 years old, defeating the San Diego Padres, 6–2, using just 98 pitches to accomplish the feat. It was also his second complete game of the season. On June 16, Moyer became the oldest pitcher to ever defeat the New York Yankees. Moyer beat the Yankees at 47 years, 210 days. The previous oldest pitcher to beat them was Phil Niekro at 47 years, 122 days, according to the Griffin Sports Bureau. On June 27, he became the all-time major league leader in home runs allowed (506), passing Robin Roberts. On July 20, Moyer left a start against the St. Louis Cardinals due to an elbow strain after pitching only one inning.[24] The injury proved to be a sprain in his ulnar collateral ligament and a strain of his flexor pronator, which resulted in Moyer missing the remainder of the 2010 season.[25]
