Mark Alan Mulder...Attended Thornwood High School (South Holland, IL) and Michigan State University...Was the A's first round selection (second overall) in the 1998 amateur draft...First overall pick was Pat Burrell by Phillies...Originally signed by Athletics scout Rich Sparks...Led the American League in 2001 with 21 wins and four shutouts while finishing second in Cy Young voting to Roger Clemens...Selected to American League All-Star team in 2003 and 2004 with Oakland...Tossed the first pitch at the new Busch Stadium on April 10, 2006...Also hit his first career home run in that game to help his cause in the Cardinals' 6-4 win over Milwaukee...Since 2001, his 10 shutouts are tied for third-most among left-handers...His 94 wins from 2001-2006 ranked third among lefties behind Randy Johnson (101) and Barry Zito (95)...Streak of five straight 15-win seasons from 2001-05 was the longest active streak in the Majors at the time...Suffered a left shoulder injury during Cardinals' 2006 championship season...Underwent surgery on September 12 to repair a partial thickness tear of the rotator cuff...Missed majority of 2007 season recovering from the surgery...An examination of his repaired shoulder showed only partial healing of rotator cuff and had arthroscopic surgery performed on September 24, 2007 by Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta...Officially announced retirement from baseball in February of 2010...Following his retirement from baseball, he has worked as an analyst for ESPN and competed on The Golf Channel Amateur Tour.
2007
Spent the majority of the season on the disabled list recovering from shoulder surgery performed 9/12/06.
Missed 135 games while recovering. Made three rehab starts at High-A Palm Beach and one at Triple-A Memphis.
Went 0-2 with a 1.93 ERA in his three starts at Palm Beach, allowing two earned runs (six total) in 9.1 IP.
In his final rehab start at Memphis on 8/31 allowed two runs in 5.0 IP to Nashville. Gave up five hits (one homer), two walks
and had four K's while throwing 65 pitches.
His start on 9/5 vs. PIT was his 200th career and first since 8/29/06 vs. FLA. Took the loss in an 8-2 defeat, throwing 59
pitches through 4.0 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk.
Lost 7-2 on 9/11 at CIN. Pitched 4.0 innings and allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits. Allowed 2 HRs to A. Dunn.
In his final game of the year, 9/16 vs. CHI, suffered his 3rd loss in a 4-2 Cubs win. Gave up all four runs in 3.0 IP.
Examination of his repaired left shoulder showed complete healing of the labrum, but only partial healing of the rotator cuff and
arthroscopy surgery was performed on 9/24 by team physician, Dr. George Paletta.
2006
Spent a combined 85 days on the disabled list with left shoulder impingement that led to shoulder surgery...Made three rehab starts during initial 54-day stay on the D.L. (6/22-8/23), one at Quad Cities (A) and two with Memphis (AAA)...After two unsuccessful starts (8/23 & 8/29) was returned to the D.L. 8/31...He underwent left shoulder surgery on 9/12,
performed by Dr. David Altcheck and Dr. George Paletta, to repair a partial thickness tear of the rotator cuff...Time on the DL ended his streak of five consecutive 15-win seasons...Cardinals posted wins in 10 of his 17 games started...Went 4-2, 4.03 ERA in eight starts at home compared to 2-5 with a 10.93 ERA in nine road starts...Had the honor of pitching the first game in the new Busch Stadium...Allowed two runs on seven hits in 8.0 IP. Was the first
Cards pitcher since Bob Tewksbury in 1993 to pitch eight innings in a home opener...Suffered a loss for the first time in his career when pitching with a four run lead in his 5/28 start at SD, a 10-8 Cards loss...Has allowed 112 of his 137 (82 pct.) career home runs to righthanders...In his final start of the season, on 8/29 vs. FLA, allowed five earned runs off six hits and three walks in just 1.2 IP in the 9-1
Cardinals loss...Gave up nine runs in 3.0 IP in his first start off the DL on 8/23 at NY. Cards rallied, but still lost, 10-8...Snapped his 3-game losing streak with a 6-5 win at PIT 6/15...allowed four runs in 5.0 IP, including a pair of solo HR's, but
fanned a season-high 6 batters...He posted a 9.74 ERA (20.1 IP/22 ER) during losing streak with 6 HR's allowed...Lasted just 3.0 IP on 6/9 at MIL & went without a decision in Cards' 10-6 win...Saw his losing streak stretch to three games in an 8-5 loss to the Cubs on 6/3, as he allowed 8 runs on 12 hits in his 6.2 IP...Had an RBI-single in the loss...Pitched a then season-low 4.1 innings and allowed eight runs on 10 hits in a 10-8 loss at SD on 5/28. Allowed three HRs,
most since 7/3/05 vs. COL, including back-to-back HRs for second time this season...Snapped three-game win streak in 9-2 loss at SF on 5/22...Tossed 8.1 shutout innings in a 1-0 win vs. NY on 5/17, allowing four hits...Helped himself with a pair of hits, his 4th career
multi-hit game and second of the season...Won back-to-back starts for first time in '06 with a 5-3 win over ARI on 5/12 in which he K'd a season-high six batters in 6.0 IP...Netted his 100th career win 5/6 at FLA, as Cards held on for 7-6 win over the Marlins & D. Willis...Helped his own cause in
team's 5-run 5th inning with RBI double...Suffered his first defeat of the year 5/1, losing 6-1 at CIN...Received his 3rd no-decision on 4/26 in Cardinal's 4-3 win, as Pujols delivered GWRBI in bottom of the 9th...Mark worked 7.2
IP, allowing two runs, but was denied his 100th career win when the Pirates tied the game with 2-out HR in the 9th...Posted a 9-3 win over CHI on 4/21...allowed three runs (Barrett 3-run HR in 4th) on just 5 hits in his 8.0 IP...Took ND in dramatic 9-8 win over CIN on 4/16 when there were five lead changes, including Pujols' walk-off HR...Belted his first career HR to help his cause in the home opener on 4/10 vs. MIL (off Capellan)...he also walked and doubled...Did not get a decision in his first start of the season 4/5 at PHI (4-3 win)...He allowed three runs, two in his last IP on a HR.
2005
Continued his consistent performance on the mound in his first season as a Cardinal...Reached the 15-win level for the fifth consecutive year...No one has a current streak this long among active pitchers, as Greg
Maddux' string of 17 straight seasons with 15-plus wins ended in 2005...Allowed two runs or less in 12 of his last 15 starts and 18 of 32 overall...Worked 6.0 IP or more in 22 of his 32 starts...Was 1-2 in five starts in September with a 3.19 ERA. Take away his start on 9/24 at MIL, when he allowed seven runs in the
shortest start of his career (1.2 IP), and his ERA was 1.54...Was 9-4, 3.19 ERA (121.1 IP / 43 ER) in his last 19 starts after posting a three-game losing streak from 5/31-6/11...Went 3-0 with 2.29 ERA in six July starts, lowering his season ERA from 4.54 to 3.92...Fifteen of his 32 games started resulted in one-run decisions for the Cardinals...Mulder sported a night ERA of 2.26 which ranked 2nd in the league (14-3, 21 starts) vs. 2-5 mark with 6.86 ERA in his 11 day-time starts...Tied for first in N.L. with 32 GDP's induced (Ramirez, ATL) and ranked third in ground ball/fly ball ratio (2.74, 403/147)...Allowed 19 HRs in 205.0 IP, with 12 coming in eight starts (46.1 IP) from 5/25-7/3. Mark had allowed back-to-back HR's three
times in his career until doing so in back-to-back starts 5/31-6/5...Allowed first HR's to LHB's (two) 6/22 start vs. CIN (Dunn-2)...His 2.77 ERA (91.0 IP/28 ER) after the All-Star break was best on the staff and in the top 15 among N.L. starters...Lost 3-straight decisions from 5/31 to 6/11, but Redbirds provided just five runs (1.7 runs/game) in those three losses...Had his 7-game winning streak (N.L. 7th longest) snapped in 2-1 loss 5/31 at COL, losing for the first time since 4/13...He
allowed 18 earned runs over the course of the win streak (56.2 IP) for a 2.86 ERA...Snapped a five-game losing streak that dated to '04 with his first STL win 4/18 at PIT...Snapped an eight-game winning streak during day games on 4/13 vs. CIN...The streak dated back to 8/3/03 (36 ER / 107.1 IP,
3.02 ERA) with his last day loss coming at MIN on 7/19/03...Took a ND in his first start as a Cardinal, 4/8 vs. PHI in home opener. Gave up five runs (four earned) in 6.0 IP and left the
game trailing 5-1. Cards came back for 6-5 win...Blanked the Astros for 10 innings on 4/23 in a 1-0 shutout victory vs. Roger Clemens...Became the first Cardinals pitcher since John Tudor in 1985 to pitch an extra-inning shutout and his 10 IP were the most by a Cardinals pitcher since Jose DeLeon
worked 11.0 IP on 8/30/89 vs. CIN...Was named NL Player of the Week for week ending April 24...Was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, allowing just one unearned run on
seven hits in his two starts (18.0 IP)...Picked up his fourth-straight victory on 5/4 at CIN, 7-3. Did not allow the Reds a run and only three hits in 7.0 IP...Picked up his
first hit of the season, an infield single...Matched a career high with 12 strikeouts in a 4-2 win vs. LA on 5/9 and snapped his scoreless innings streak at 13.0...Retired 12 of first 13 batters before allowing two runs in the 5th and a solo HR in the 7th on 5/25 vs. PIT, an 11-5 win...Coors Field's third-lowest scoring game saddled him with 2-1 loss on 5/31. He allowed back-to-back HR's in the 4th for only
runs allowed in 7.0 IP...Had two scoreless IP 7/3 vs. COL followed by 7.0 shutout innings vs. SFon 7/8 and went 4.0 shutout innings on 7/15 before
allowing a run...Earned his 10th win 7/8 at SF with 7.0 scoreless IP and allowed just four hits and one walk in the start. Threw just 73 pitches
to his 27 batters faced...Started the first game back from the All-Star break 7/15 vs. HOU and did not get a decision in the eventual 4-3, 13-inning win...Left the game with a 2-1 lead after pitching 8.0 innings and allowing one run in a three-hit 5th...Celebrated his 28th birthday with an 11-3 win over ATL on 8/5, surrendering just one run on seven hits in matchup with
Braves' ace John Smoltz...Notched second shutout of season and 10th career, allowing five hits in a 5-0 win on 8/17 vs. ARI...Missed his scheduled start on 8/27 at WSH due to a stiff neck. Pushed start back a day, but still could not go...Returned to the mound 9/2 at HOU and showed no ill effects as he tossed 8.0 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on
two hits. Departed with a 3-2 lead but took no-decision in 6-5, 13-inning loss...Netted Cards a division-clinching win on 9/17 at CHI with 5-1 win over the Cubs...Had his first sac bunt of the year with
successful RBI-squeeze in the 2nd...Suffered through the shortest start of his career, lasting 1.2 innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits in 8-7 loss at MIL on
9/24...All seven runs came in the 2nd inning, including two HRs...Earned the win in Game 2 of the Division Series vs. SD with 6.2 IP and one earned run allowed...was able
to continue pitching after being hit in the bicep by a line drive in the first inning...helped his cause at the plate with a walk and a sac
bunt in the game...went 7.0 IP in Game 2 of the League Championship Series vs. HOU but got the loss (4-1) despite allowing just two runs (one earned)...was the pitcher of record in the final Game 6, a 5-1 loss...went 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his three starts.
2004
Was 12-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 18 starts at the All-Star Break and 5-6 with a 6.13 ERA (64 er in 94.0 ip) in 15 starts after the break...Tied for the A.L. lead in complete games (5), ranked third in winning percentage (.680), fourth in innings pitched (225.2), tied for fourth in shutouts (1), fifth in wins and tied for eighth in games started...Allowed career highs in hits (223), runs (119), earned runs (111), home runs (25), walks (83), hit batters (12) and wild pitches (10)...Ranked sixth in the A.L. in most walks, tied for sixth in hit batsmen, tied for eighth in wild pitches and 10th in earned runs...Led the A's in wins, complete games and innings pitched. It was the third time he had led the club in complete games, the second time in wins and the first time in innings pitched...Went 8-2 with a 5.06 ERA and .269 opponents batting average over his11 starts from 6/29-8/24. Finished the year going 0-4 with an 8.31 ERA (32 ER in 34.2 IP) and .365 (54-for-148) opponents batting average over his final seven starts from 8/29 until the end of the season...Allowed just nine home runs in 131.2 innings before the break (0.62 per nine innings) and 16 in 94.0 innings after the break (1.53 per nine innings)...His 4.43 ERA and .264 opponents batting average were his highest since posting a 5.44 ERA and .308 opponents batting average in his rookie campaign of 2000...Opponents grounded into 37 double plays which set an Oakland record and was the most in the majors...Had a career high nine pickoffs, which tied for second in the A.L., and he tied for the lead among A.L. pitchers with 51 assists... Averaged 14.6 pitches per inning which tied for eighth fewest in the A.L....Ranked tied for ninth in the A.L. in run support with an average of 6.54 runs per nine innings, however, the A's scored just 12 runs in his eight losses (2.59 per nine innings) and 30 in his eight no decisions (4.88 per nine innings)...Was 7-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 13 starts during the day and 10-8 with a 5.37 ERA in 20 starts at night...had the eighth best day ERA in the A.L...Went 9-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 18 starts in Oakland and is 43-14 with a 3.36 ERA (190 er in 509.0 ip) in 72 career starts in Oakland...Was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game over his first 15 starts going 9-2 with a 2.76 ERA and .224 opponents batting average in 15 starts from 4/1-6/24...Earned starting pitcher honors for the American League in the All-Star Game. Was the winning pitcher in the A.L.'s 9-4 win (2.0 ip, 2 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 so)...Was 17-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 33 starts overall, his fourth consecutive season with at least 10 wins. Was 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four interleague starts...His opponents batting average was .263 (178 for 677) against righthanders and .269 (45 for 167) against lefthanders. Allowed 22 of his 25 home runs against righties...has allowed 79 of his 99 career home runs against righthanders...Had eight no decisions after tallying six no decisions combined in the previous two seasons...left with the lead in four of his no decisions this year only to have the bullpen blow the save all four times...Tossed seven or more innings in 20 of his 33 starting assignments and in 81 of his 150 (54.0%) career starts...is 57-11 with a 2.25 ERA (159 er in 635.0 ip) in his career when tossing seven or more innings...Tossed eight or more innings 10 times, allowed three runs or fewer 17 times and walked two batters or fewer 20 times...Committed an error on 4/17 at Anaheim, snapping a 64-game, 104-chance errorless streak dating back to his last error on 8/28/01...Put together a career high 11-game winning streak over a 13-start stretch from 5/9-7/18...it was the second longest winning streak in Oakland history and the second longest in the A.L. in 2004...Tossed three straight complete games from 5/9-5/21, the second time he has done that in his career (also 4/24-5/6/03)...Finished May 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts and then went 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA in six starts in June...Was named A.L. Pitcher of the Month in June, the third time he had received the award (July, 2001 and June, 2002)...Allowed his first career grand slam on 8/13 against KC (Abraham Nuñez)...Became the first 17 game winner in the majors on 8/24 against BAL but would not win again the remainder of the season...Had three straight no decisions from 8/29-9/10, marking just the second time in his career he has gone more than two consecutive starts without a decision (4/23-5/10/00)...Went 0-3 with an 8.10 ERA in five starts in September, going winless in a month for the first time in his career...Finished the season by losing each of his last four starts from 9/15-10/1 (20 er in 15.2 ip, 11.49 ERA), matching the longest losing streak of his career (third time), his only losing streak of the season...Tossed fewer than five innings in each of the last three of those starts, the first time in his career he had done so, including a career low tying 2.0 innings in his final start on 10/1 against Anaheim (also 8/26/00 at New York).
2003
One of four A's All-Stars, Mulder was a leading contender for the Cy Young Award before a stress fracture in his right femur ended his season in August...left his start on August 19 at Boston after just three innings and an MRI on August 21 revealed the stress fracture...finished the year 15-9 with a 3.13 ERA...despite making just 26 starts, he tied with Toronto's Roy Halladay and Chicago's Bartolo Colon for the major league lead with nine complete games which was the most by an A's pitcher since Dave Stewart had 11 in 1990...only four major league teams, not including the A's, had more complete games...finished in a tie for the American League lead in shutouts (2), was second in pickoffs (7) and fourth in ERA...his ERA was the lowest of his career and the complete games were a career high as he had just eight complete games in 91 career starts entering the season...his pickoff total matched his career high from last year...finished second on the A's in wins, led the club in complete games for the second time in the last three years and tied for the lead in shutouts...now has seven career shutouts which is tied for eighth on the Oakland career list...has a career winning percentage of .653 (64-34) which is third best in Oakland history to teammates Tim Hudson and Barry Zito...his 15 wins were second most ever in Athletics history by a pitcher with 26 games pitched or fewer to Eddie Plank who went 19-6 in 26 games, 25 starts, in 1906...has 55 wins, seven shutouts and 17 complete games over the last three seasons...the wins are the most in baseball over that span, the shutouts are tied with Randy Johnson for the most and the complete games are second to Bartolo Colon (18)...is 47-18 with a 3.21 ERA (183 er in 513.0 ip) over his last 73 starts dating back to July 6, 2001...averaged just 14.0 pitches per nine innings this year which ranked second lowest in the AL (Halladay, TOR 13.6)...had three starts under two hours, all against Chicago (1:54 on April 30, 1:49 on May 6 and 1:53 on August 8)...13 of his starts were 2B= hours or less and the average time of game for his starts was 2:33 (3966 minutes in 26 starts)...walked just 40 batters in 186.2 innings for an average of 1.93 per nine innings which was fifth lowest in the AL...that led to a .300 opponents on-base percentage which was ninth lowest in the league...allowed just 15 home runs for an average of 0.75 per nine innings which was fourth lowest in the A.L. and his .386 slugging percentage was ninth lowest...allowed a .259 opponents batting average...was 10-2 with a 2.18 ERA (25 er in 103.0 ip) and .214 (79 for 369) opponents batting average in 13 starts in Oakland compared to 5-7 with a 4.30 ERA (40 er in 83.2 ip) and .309 (101 for 327) opponents batting average in 13 starts on the road...ranked second in the A.L. in home ERA and tied for fourth in home wins...is now 34-10 with a 2.95 ERA (126 ERA in 384.1 ip) and .229 (327 for 1428) opponents batting average in 54 career starts in Oakland and 30-24 with a 4.58 ERA (200 er in 393.0 ip) and .287 (440 for 1535) opponents batting average in 63 starts on the road...his .773 home winning percentage is the best among active pitchers with 25 or more wins...went 9-3 with a 2.26 ERA (23 er in 91.2 ip) in 12 starting assignments following an A's loss...had run support of 4.68 per game which was ninth lowest in the AL...the A's scored 17 runs in his nine losses (61.0 ip, 2.51 per nine innings), 77 runs in his 15 wins (116.2 ip, 5.94 per nine innings) and three runs in his two no decisions (9.0 ip, 3.00 per nine innings)...is 52-4 in 62 career starts when he receives run support of four or more...was just 6-3 despite a 1.37 ERA (12 er in 79.0 ip) in his complete games...did not commit an error in 26 games (45 total chances) and now has a 62-game errorless streak dating back to his last error on August 28, 2001...allowed a .182 (2 for 11) average with the bases loaded...combined to go 8-2 with a 2.36 ERA (22 er in 84.0 ip) in 11 starts over the first two months of the season and then went 7-7 with a 3.77 ERA (43 er in 102.2 ip) over his final 15 starts...began and ended his season with a no decision and had 24 consecutive decisions in between...the A's were 16-10 in his starting assignments and are 74-43 (.632) in his 117 career starts...tossed seven or more innings 19 times, including nine consecutive starts from April 14 to May 29, the longest such streak of his career...allowed two runs or fewer 15 times, walked two batters or fewer 23 times and did not allow a home run 14 times...his first win of the season on April 9 at Texas was the 50th of his career...had a season best five-game winning streak from April 19 to May 11 where he compiled a 1.07 ERA and allowed a .145 opponents batting average over a five-start stretch...that included three consecutive complete games from April 24 to May 6, the first such Oakland streak since Bobby Witt threw three straight shutouts in 1994 (June 23 vs. Kansas City, June 28 vs. California and July 3 at Boston)...made his 100th career start on May 16 at Cleveland and tossed a complete game in the A's 3-2 loss...was 4-1 with an A.L. leading 1.54 ERA and three complete games in five starts in May...had his Coliseum winning streak snapped at 10 games on July 4 against Anaheim, equaling the fifth longest home winning streak in Oakland history...had 12 wins at the All-Star Break, the most by an A's pitcher at the break since Bob Welch had 13 in 1990...the South Holland, Illinois native pitched in his first All-Star Game on July 15 at Chicago (2.0 ip, 5 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 so), appearing in the sixth and seventh innings...the run came on an Andruw Jones home run in the seventh inning...struck out 11 batters in consecutive starts on July 24 at Seattle and July 29 against Cleveland to become the first Oakland pitcher to post back-to-back games of 10 or more strikeouts since Todd Stottlemyre in 1995 (12 on September 20 vs. California and 10 on September 26 at Texas)...those were the fourth and fifth 10-strikeout games of his career...went 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA in five starts in July and had the sixth lowest July ERA in the AL...was named A.L. Pitcher of the Week on August 4 after going 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in two starts against Cleveland on July 29 and New York on August 3...it was the second time he won the award (August 6, 2001)...took the loss in consecutive starts on August 8 at Chicago and August 13 at Boston, just his second two-game losing streak of the season...made his final start on August 19 at Boston and was placed on the disabled list retroactive to August 20...it was his second career stint on the D.L. (April 12 to May 10, 2002; strained left forearm), but he also missed the final three weeks of his rookie season in 2000 with a herniated disc in his back...won both of his starts against Kansas City and his only start against Tampa Bay...is now 6-0 with a 2.16 ERA (12 er in 50.0 ip) in seven career starts against the Royals and 6-0 with a 2.30 ERA (11 er in 43.0 ip) in six career starts against the Devil Rays.
2002
Followed up his 21-win campaign of 2001 with a 19-7 record despite spending 29 days on the disabled list from April 12 to May 10...the 19 wins tied for fourth in the American League and his 40 wins over the last two seasons tie teammate Barry Zito for the most in the A.L. and third most in the majors (Johnson 45, Schilling 45)...also ranked tied for fifth in the A.L. in winning percentage (.731), seventh in opponents batting average (.232), eighth in strikeouts (159), tied for ninth in shutouts (1) and 10th in ERA (3.47)...now has a career record of 49-25 for a .662 winning percentage which is third best in Oakland history behind teammates Zito and Hudson...had a team leading 11 hit batters which tied for seventh most in the AL...also led the A.L. in opponents on-base percentage leading of an inning (.221), was third in pickoffs (7), tied for sixth in opponents slugging percentage (.366), eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (6.90) and ninth in strikeout to walk ratio (2.89) and opponents on-base percentage (.290)...established career bests in strikeouts, winning percentage and opponents batting average and his seven losses were the lowest of his three major league seasons...made just 30 starts to set an Oakland record for most wins by a pitcher with 30 or fewer games pitched...the previous record of 15 was set by Chuck Dobson in 30 games in 1971...started the season 2-4 with a 6.96 ERA and .284 opponents batting average over his first six starts but then went 17-3 with a 2.83 ERA (55 er in 175.0 ip) and .221 (144 for 652) opponents batting average over his final 24 starts beginning on May 28...is now 32-9 with a 3.25 ERA (118 for 326.1 ip) over his last 47 starts dating back to his one-hit shutout of Arizona on July 6, 2001...was 12-4 with a 3.66 ERA (44 er in 108.1 ip) in 17 starts on the road and 7-3 with a 3.27 ERA (36 er in 99.0 ip) in 13 starts in Oakland...tied for second in the A.L. in road wins, the most road wins by an A's pitcher since Bob Welch had 13 in 1990...is now 24-8 with a 3.23 ERA (101 er in 281.1 ip) in 41 career starts in Oakland and 25-17 with a 4.66 ERA (160 er in 309.1 ip) in 50 career starts on the road...was 9-5 with a 3.99 ERA and .259 opponents batting average in 14 starts before the All-Star Break and then went 10-2 with a 3.08 ERA and .209 opponents batting average in 16 starts after the All-Star Break...tied for third in the A.L. in wins after the break and the batting average was sixth lowest...opponents batting average broke down to .244 (42 for 172) against left handers and .228 (140 for 614) against right handers...averaged jumped to .257 (39 for 152) with runners in scoring position and he has now allowed a .284 (133 for 468) opponents average with RISP in his career...opponents were just 3 for 16 (.188) with the bases loaded in 2002...allowed 9 of his 21 home runs to the seven, eight and nine hitters in the order...allowed seven home runs in his first 16 starts (104.2 ip) and 14 home runs in his last 14 starts (102.2 ip)...allowed just one run in the first inning of his first 16 starts but then allowed 12 runs in the first inning of his last 14 starts...tossed six or more innings in 25 of his 30 starts, including each of his last 22...walked two batters or fewer 21 times, allowed three runs or fewer 19 times and did not allow a home run 18 times...the A's were 20-10 in his starting assignments and are 58-33 (.637) in his 91 career starts...made his first career opening day start on April 1 against Texas to become the 10th different pitcher in the last 10 years to start an opener for the A's...is the fourth left hander to start an opener for Oakland (Blue 1971, Holtzman 1972, Blue 1975, Young 1987)...picked up the win to become the first A's starter to win an opener since Welch on April 5, 1993 against Detroit...also won his second start but then had a career high tying four-game losing streak from April 11 to May 23 (9.50 ERA)...was removed from the game of April 11 at Texas after four innings with a strain in his left forearm and was on the disabled list from April 12 to May 10 with the injury...it was his first career stint on the D.L. although he missed the final two weeks of the 2000 season with a herniated disc in his back...lost each of his first three starts following his return from the DL...then put together a career high tying seven-game winning streak over a seven start stretch from May 28 to June 28 (2.39 ERA)...was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA (43.0 ip, 40 h, 14 r, 12 er, 13 bb, 31 so) in six starts in June to earn American League Pitcher of the Month honors...the six wins were the most in one month by an A's pitcher since August of 1990 when Bob Welch also won six...led the A.L. in wins in June and tied for fifth in ERA...it is the second time he has won A.L. Pitcher of the Month honors (July, 2001)...tossed his only shutout of the season and the fifth of his career on June 12 against Milwaukee, a nine-hitter in the A's 8-0 win...was 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA in five interleague starts and is now 10-3 with a 3.30 ERA (35 er in 95.1 ip) in 14 career interleague starts...struck out a career high 12 on July 3 against Minnesota, the most strikeouts by an A's pitcher since April 26, 1997 when Steve Karsay fanned 12 against Kansas City...took the loss in that game, a 2-1 loss, snapping his winning streak...it was his first of three strikeout games in 2002...added 10 strikeouts against the Twins on September 7 at the Metrodome and then fanned 12 again on September 17 against Anaheim...his no decision on July 21 against Texas was his first since August 18, 2001, a streak of 24 consecutive starts without a no decision...finished July with a 2.72 ERA and .180 opponents batting average in six starts but was just 3-2...now has a career ERA of 2.80 (39 er in 125.1 ip) in July to go with a .227 opponents batting average, both his best figures for any month...however he is just 8-7 in the month, his lowest winning percentage for any month...then went 4-1 despite a 4.15 ERA in five starts in August...defeated Chicago on August 17 to start a season ending six-game winning streak...was 6-0 with a 2.66 ERA (20 er in 67.2 ip) and .205 (50 for 244) opponents batting average over his final nine starts...tossed nine shutout innings on September 17 against Anaheim but had a no decision as the A's lost 1-0 in 10 innings...was 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA in six September starts and is now 9-1 with a 2.93 ERA (32 er in 98.1 ip) in 14 career starts in September...made two post-season start against Minnesota in the ALDS...was the winning pitcher in the A's 9-1 win in Game 2 (6.0 ip, 5 h, 1 r, 1 er, 2 bb, 3 so) and took the loss in the fifth and deciding game, a 5-4 A's loss (7.0 ip, 9 h, 2 r, 2 er, 1 bb, 9 so).
Career:
1998-was the A's first round selection in the June draft but did not sign until October 7...was the number two pick in the nation behind Pat Burrell, who was selected by Philadelphia...assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League after signing and made five appearances, four starts...was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA and allowed a .274 opponents batting average...walked just three and struck out 14 in 16.0 innings.
1999-made his professional debut at Triple-A Vancouver and made 22 starts with the Canadians...posted a 6-7 record despite a 4.06 ERA which ranked 10th best in the Pacific Coast League...allowed a .300 (152 for 506) opponents batting average but walked just 31 while striking out 81 in 128.2 innings...picked up his first professional victory in the first game of a doubleheader on May 3 against Tacoma...tossed a complete game six-hitter in the Canadians 3-1 win in the seven inning game...did not walk a batter and struck out six...was 4-5 with a 3.66 ERA in 17 starts when he left Vancouver to join Team USA in the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba...made two starts and went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA to help the United States qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia...the USA team finished second to Cuba...returned to Vancouver on August 8...went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (5 er in 32.2 ip) in four post season starts as the Canadians won the Pacific Coast League Championship and the Triple-A World Series...was the winning pitcher in the championship game of the World Series as he tossed a complete game seven-hitter in Vancouver's 16-2 win over Charlotte on September 25.
2000-made his Major League debut with Oakland and ended up making 27 starts before a herniated disc in his back ended his season early in mid-September...his 27 starts were the fifth most ever by an Oakland rookie and the most among American League rookie pitchers in 2000...also led A.L. rookies in innings (154.0) and was second in wins (9) and strikeouts (88)...finished with 10 losses, the most by an A's rookie since 1983 when Chris Codiroli went 12-12 and Tim Conroy was 7-10...allowed a .308 opponents batting average, including .368 against left handers...allowed a .342 average with runners in scoring position which ranked third highest in the American League...selected from Triple-A Sacramento on April 18 after making just two starts with the River Cats...made his major league debut that night in Cleveland (6.0 ip, 5 h, 4 r, 4 er, 3 bb, 6 so)...was the winning pitcher in the A's 8-5 win to become the seventh pitcher in Oakland history to start and win in his debut...the first since Steve Karsay on August 17, 1993...allowed a pair of two-run home runs in six innings, Manny Ramirez in the first and Travis Fryman in the fifth...had a three-game winning streak over a five start stretch from June 2 to 25 (5.84 ERA), his longest of the season...then lost each of his next four starts from June 30 to July 18 (7.66 ERA) for his longest losing streak of the season...allowed a season high 15 hits on July 5 at Texas...allowed a season high 10 runs for the second time on August 10 at New York and was the losing pitcher in the A's 12-6 loss...also allowed 10 runs on July 18 at Colorado...tossed a season low 2.0 innings on August 26 against New York...A's were 15-12 in his starting assignments...fared better at home as he was 6-3 with a 3.94 ERA, eight home runs and a .266 opponents batting average in 13 starts in Oakland...compared to 3-7 with a 6.86 ERA, 14 home runs and a .345 opponents batting average in 14 road starts...allowed a .275 batting average with no outs, .324 with one out and .328 with two outs...15 of the 22 home runs he allowed were solo shots.
2001-became the eighth 20-game winner in Oakland history (16th time) as he led the American League and tied for third in the majors with 21 wins...was one of seven 20-game winners in the majors and was named to The Sporting News American League All-Star team as the left handed pitcher...also finished second to the Yankees Roger Clemens in the A.L. Cy Young balloting...became the third Oakland left hander to win 20...led the majors with four shutouts, the most by an A's pitcher since 1990 when Dave Stewart also had four...tied for second in the American League in complete games (6), tied for third in games started (34), tied for fifth in innings pitched (229.1) and was seventh in ERA (3.45) and winning percentage (.724)...went 13-2 with a 2.87 ERA (38 er in 119.0 ip) over his final 17 starts after starting the season 8-6 with a 4.08 ERA over his first 17 starts...went 11-2 with a 2.69 ERA, .223 opponents batting average and four home runs allowed in 15 starts in Oakland compared to 10-6 with a 4.12 ERA, .271 opponents batting average and 12 home runs allowed in 19 starts on the road...led the A.L. in home ERA and tied for the lead in home wins...went 8-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 11 starts during the day and 13-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 starts at night...allowed a .349 opponents slugging percentage which was third lowest in the A.L. and a .294 opponents on-base percentage which was sixth lowest...yielded just 16 home runs in 229.1 innings, an average of 0.63 per nine innings which tied for second lowest in the A.L....had 11 starts without a walk and issued just 51 free passes for the season for an average of 2.00 per nine innings which was seventh lowest in the AL...struck out 153 for a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.00 which was fourth best...also ranked first in the AL in double plays induced (26), tied for fifth in pickoffs (6) and ninth in run support per nine innings (5.81)...tossed at least seven innings in 18 of his 34 starts and allowed three runs or fewer 24 times...went 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA and .220 opponents batting average in six starts in May...the five-game winning streak was one of three winning streaks of five or more games for him in 2001...began the winning streak with his first career complete game and shutout in his 33rd major league start, a three-hitter in the A's 6-0 win over Toronto on May 2...recorded his first major league hit on June 15 at San Francisco with a third inning single off Shawn Estes...began his career high seven-game winning streak and started the A's pitching staff's second half surge with a one-hit shutout in Phoenix on July 6 against the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks...had a perfect game until Bautista singled to lead off the eighth inning, the only base runner in the game...did not go to ball three on any batter...then tossed a six-hit shutout against Los Angeles on July 12...became the first A's pitcher to toss consecutive shutouts since Bobby Witt tossed three straight on June 23, June 28 and July 3, 1994...was the first A's pitcher to toss back-to-back complete games since Kenny Rogers in 1998 (September 5-10)...had his scoreless streak snapped at an A's season high 22.0 innings on July 17 against Colorado...finished July 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA in six starts and was named American League Pitcher of the Month...led the A.L. in ERA and tied for second in wins...went 19.1 innings and 81 batters without a walk from August 2 to 18...was named A.L. Player of the Week for the week of August 6-12 with wins over Boston and New York...had his career high seven-game winning streak snapped on August 23 but then won each of his next five starts from August 28 to September 23 (2.68 ERA)...had a 35.2 inning, 149 batter homerless streak from August 18 to September 18...won his 20th game on September 23 against Seattle to clinch the American League Wild Card...went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two ALDS starts against New York...picked up the win in the A's 5-3 victory in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium (6.2 ip, 7 h, 1 r, 1 er, 5 so), allowing just a Knoblauch RBI single in the fifth, but then lost the fifth and deciding game in New York (4.1 ip, 7 h, 4 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 2 so)...defeated all 12 American League teams that he faced at least once (did not face Detroit)...also defeated all four National League West teams that he faced, going 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA (7 er in 38.2 ip), .182 opponents batting average and two shutouts in five interleague starts.
2001
Became the eighth 20-game winner in Oakland history (16th time) as he led the American League and tied for third in the majors with 21 wins...was one of seven 20-game winners in the majors and was named to The Sporting News American League All-Star team as the left handed pitcher...also finished second to the Yankees Roger Clemens in the A.L. Cy Young balloting...his 21 wins tied for seventh most in Oakland history and were the most wins by an A's pitcher since 1990 when Bob Welch won 27 and Dave Stewart won 22...is the third Oakland left hander to win 20, joining Vida Blue (three times) and Ken Holtzman (once)...the wins were the most by an A.L. left hander since Andy Pettitte won 21 for New York in 1996...led the majors with four shutouts, the most by an A's pitcher since 1990 when Dave Stewart also had four...tied for second in the American League in complete games (6), tied for third in games started (34), tied for fifth in innings pitched (229.1) and was seventh in ERA (3.45) and winning percentage (.724)...the winning percentage was the ninth best single-season total in Oakland history and he now has a career record of 30-18 for a .625 winning percentage which ranks fourth best in Oakland history...went 13-2 with a 2.87 ERA (38 er in 119.0 ip) over his final 17 starts after starting the season 8-6 with a 4.08 ERA (50 er in 110.1 ip) over his first 17 starts...went 11-2 with a 2.69 ERA (32 er in 107.0 ip), .223 (89 for 399) opponents batting average and four home runs allowed in 15 starts in Oakland compared to 10-6 with a 4.12 ERA (56 er in 122.1 ip), .271 (125 for 461) opponents batting average and 12 home runs allowed in 19 starts on the road...led the A.L. in home ERA and tied with Mike Mussina and Jamie Moyer for the lead in home wins...is now 17-5 with a 3.21 ERA (65 er in 182.1 ip) and .241 (167 for 692) opponents batting average in 28 career starts in Oakland compared to 13-13 with a 5.19 ERA (116 er in 201.0 ip) and .302 (238 for 789) opponents average in 33 starts on the road...went 8-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 11 starts during the day and 13-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 starts at night...allowed a .349 opponents slugging percentage which was third lowest in the A.L. and a .294 opponents on-base percentage which was sixth lowest...yielded just 16 home runs in 229.1 innings, an average of 0.63 per nine innings which tied for second lowest in the A.L....had 11 starts without a walk and issued just 51 free passes for the season for an average of 2.00 per nine innings which was seventh lowest in the A.L....struck out 153 for a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.00 which was fourth best...also ranked first in the AL in double plays induced (26), tied for fifth in pickoffs (6) and ninth in run support per nine innings (5.81)...tossed at least seven innings in 18 of his 34 starts and allowed three runs or fewer 24 times...began the season by going 2-2 with a 4.40 ERA in five starts in April...then went 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA and .220 opponents batting average in six starts in May...tied Pedro Martinez for the A.L. lead in wins in the month, ranked sixth in ERA and was seventh in opponents batting average...the five-game winning streak was one of three winning streaks of five or more games for him in 2001...began the winning streak with his first career complete game and shutout in his 33rd major league start, a three-hitter in the A's 6-0 win over Toronto on May 2...had the winning streak snapped on June 5 at Anaheim to begin a six start stretch through July 1 where he went 1-4 with a 5.75 ERA...recorded his first major league hit on June 15 at San Francisco with a third inning single off Shawn Estes...began his career high seven-game winning streak and started the A's pitching staff's second half surge with a one-hit shutout in Phoenix on July 6 against the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks...had a perfect game until Bautista singled to lead off the eighth inning, the only base runner in the game...did not go to ball three on any batter and struck out a career high nine...retired all nine hitters the first time through the order six times in 2001...also took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on May 19 against Chicago before Ordonez hit a two-out home run...allowed a .204 (59 for 289) opponents batting average the first time through the order...followed his one-hit shutout of Arizona with a six-hit shutout against Los Angeles on July 12...became the first A's pitcher to toss consecutive shutouts since Bobby Witt tossed three straight on June 23, June 28 and July 3, 1994...was the first A's pitcher to toss back-to-back complete games since Kenny Rogers in 1998 (September 5-10)...had his scoreless streak snapped at an A's season high 22.0 innings on July 17 against Colorado when Pierre had a RBI triple with one out in the fifth...tossed his third shutout in July on the 27th against Kansas City and finished the month 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA in six starts...was named American League Pitcher of the Month for the first time in his career in July, leading the A.L. in ERA and tying for second in wins...also went 4-1 in August but posted a 4.50 ERA in six starts...did not walk a batter in consecutive starts on August 7 against Boston and August 12 against New York and went 19.1 innings and 81 batters without a walk from August 2 to 18...tossed his fifth complete game of the season on the 12th against New York, a seven-hitter in the A's 4-2 win...was named A.L. Player of the Week for the week of August 6-12 with wins over Boston and New York...had his career high seven-game winning streak snapped on August 23 but then won each of his next five starts from August 28 to September 23 (2.68 ERA)...had a 35.2 inning, 149 batter homerless streak from August 18 to September 18...won his 20th game on September 23 against Seattle to clinch the American League Wild Card...his final victory came in his last start of the season on October 4 against Anaheim when he tossed seven shutout innings of one-hit baseball...then went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two ALDS starts against New York...picked up the win in the A's 5-3 victory in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium (6.2 ip, 7 h, 1 r, 1 er, 5 so), allowing just a Knoblauch RBI single in the fifth, but then lost the fifth and deciding game in New York (4.1 ip, 7 h, 4 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 2 so)...went 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts against Tampa Bay, his most wins against any team...defeated all 12 American League teams that he faced at least once (did not face Detroit)...also defeated all four National League West teams that he faced, going 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA (7 er in 38.2 ip), .182 opponents batting average and two shutouts in five interleague starts.
2000
Made his Major League debut with Oakland and ended
up making 27 starts before a herniated disc in his back ended his
season early in mid-September...his 27 starts were the fifth most
ever by an Oakland rookie and the most among American League
rookie pitchers in 2000...also led A.L. rookies in innings (154.0)
and was second in wins (9) and strikeouts (88)...finished with 10
losses, the most by an A's rookie since 1983 when Chris Codiroli
went 12-12 and Tim Conroy was 7-10...allowed a .342 average
with runners in scoring position which ranked third highest in the
American League...selected from Triple-A Sacramento on 4/18
after making just two starts with the River Cats...made his major
league debut that night in CLE (6.0 ip, 5 h, 4 r, 4 er, 3 bb, 6 so)
and was the winning pitcher in the A's 8-5 win to become the
seventh pitcher in Oakland history to start and win in his debut...
...had a four game losing streak from 6/30-7/18...allowed a career
high 15 hits on 7/5 at TEX...allowed a career high 10 runs for the
second time on 8/10 at NY...also allowed 10 runs on 7/18 at
COL...A's went 15-12 in his starting assignments...fared better at
home as he was 6-3 with a 3.94 ERA and a .266 opponents
batting average in 13 starts in Oakland compared to 3-7 with a
6.86 ERA and a .345 opponents average in 14 road starts...15
of the 22 home runs he allowed were solo shots.
1999
Made his professional debut at Triple-A Vancouver and made 22 starts with the Canadians ... Posted a 6-7 record despite a 4.06 ERA which ranked 10th best in the Pacific Coast League ... Allowed a .300 (152 for 506) opponents batting average but walked just 31 while striking out 81 in 128.2 innings ... Allowed just two runs in his first three starts (18.0 ip, 1.00 ERA) but did not have any decisions as Vancouver scored a total of five runs in those starts ... First decision was a loss on April 27 against Iowa when he allowed five runs in 6.0 innings ... Picked up his first professional victory in the first game of a doubleheader on May 3 against Tacoma ... Tossed a complete game six-hitter in the Canadians 3-1 win in the seven inning game ... Did not walk a batter and struck out six ... Won consecutive starts on May 15 against Edmonton and May 20 at Calgary ... Struck out a season high seven on May 30 at Tacoma and ended up with a no decision despite tossing seven shutout innings in a 5-4 Canadians win ... Was 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA over his first 10 starts through the end of May ... Then went 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA in five June starts ... Was 4-5 with a 3.66 ERA in 17 starts when he left Vancouver to join Team USA in the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba ... Made two starts and went 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA to help the United States qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia ... The USA team finished second to Cuba ... Returned to Vancouver on August 8 and went 2-2 with a 5.34 ERA over his final five regular season starts ... Then went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (5 er in 32.2 ip) in four post season starts as the Canadians won the Pacific Coast League Championship and the Triple-A World Series ... Was the winning pitcher in the Championship game of the World Series as he tossed a complete game seven-hitter in Vancouver's 16-2 win over Charlotte on September 25.
