Taijuan Emmanuel Walker (pronounced TIE-wahn)...Has two sons, Zayden and Zoren...2010 graduate of Yucaipa High School (Calif.)...Ranked 34th nationally in the final 2010 Perfect Game class rankings...Has worked with Arizona Helping Hands to help fund essential needs for foster children...Hosted his first Tai’s Tacos event at Citizens Bank Park in 2023 to benefit Turning Points for Children, a foster care program in the Philadelphia area...Hobbies: Hunting and fishing...Signed by: John Ramey.
2024
Opened the season on the 15-day IL with right shoulder soreness...Made three rehab appearances between Clearwater (A) and Lehigh Valley (AAA) before being reinstated from the IL on 4/28...Earned wins in his first three starts of the season, including his season debut on 4/28 at SD...Reached 10 years of ML service time on 4/26...Notched a season-high seven strikeouts in his start on 5/5 vs SF...Placed on the IL on 6/22 with right index finger inflammation; made two rehab appearances with Reading (AA) before being activated on 8/13...Moved into the bullpen on 8/29 and made four appearances in relief...Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on 9/19 at NYM.
2023
Prior to the season, pitched for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic; made one start (4.0 IP, H, 8 SO)...In his first season with the Phillies, set career highs in games (31), starts (31), wins (15) and IP (172.2)...His 15 wins were T-6th-most in the majors and fourth-most in the National League...The Phillies went 21-10 (.667) in his 31 starts...Became the first Phillies pitcher to earn 15 wins in a season since Aaron Nola had 17 in 2018 and became the first Phillies pitcher with at least 15 wins in his first season with the club since Roy Halladay in 2010 (21)...Was the first ML pitcher to earn 12 wins when he did so on 7/31 at MIA...Earned 9 wins in 11 starts from 6/6-8/6; became the first Phillies pitcher to earn nine wins in an 11-game span since Roy Halladay did so from 9/10/10-5/5/11...Earned double-digit wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career (had 12 in 2022)...Went 5-0 at home to start the season and became the first pitcher to begin their Phillies career without a loss in their first eight home starts since Zack Wheeler (2020-21)...His seven-game winning streak from 6/6-7/15 was the best of his career and he became the ninth Phillie in the modern era to win seven straight starts in a single season...In June, went 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA (6 ER, 36.0 IP) that ranked fifth among all MLB pitchers during the month...Reached 1,000.0 IP and 900 career strikeouts on 7/20 vs MIL...Had a career-high 14.0-inning scoreless streak from 6/6-16...His six pickoffs were tied for the third-most in MLB...Allowed one or no runs in a career-high five straight starts from 6/6-29 and posted a 5-0 record with a 0.84 ERA (3 ER, 32.0 IP) over that span...Logged 11 quality starts, giving him his third consecutive season with 10 or more...Was named a Gold Glove finalist for the first time in his career; did not commit an error in 33 total chances...His five defensive runs saved were tied for the third-most among ML pitchers
2022
Tied career highs in starts (29) and ERA (3.49) and set a new career high with 12 wins for NYM...Went 7-2, 2.55 ERA (26 ER, 91.2 IP) in 16 first-half starts...Had eight straight quality starts, 6/24-7/26, the longest such streak of his career...Was 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA (12 ER, 51.0 IP) during his streak of quality starts...Had a 13.0-inning scoreless streak, 7/4-16, tying his career long...Surrendered only 0.86 HR/9.0 IP (15 HR, 157.1 IP)...His five pickoffs were second in MLB to Robbie Ray’s six.
2021
Underwent a debridement procedure on his right knee on January 14, 2022...The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Lee at the Orthopedic Surgery Center of Arizona...Made his first career All-Star team...Started 29 games and pitched in 30 games, twice as many as his 15 games pitched from 2018-20 combined...Tossed 159.0 innings in those 30 games, the second-most of his career and the second-most on the Mets...Had a 2.17 ERA (13 earned runs/54.0 innings) through his first 10 starts as a Met...That is tied for the second-lowest ERA in franchise history through 10 starts with the team...His performance declined in the second half after his All-Star level performance in the first half...He went 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA (51 earned runs/64.1 innings) in 13 second-half starts, allowing 20 home runs in that stretch...Was 7-3 with a 2.50 ERA before the All-Star break.
2020
Acquired by the Blue Jays from the Mariners on Aug. 27...From that point through the end of the season, ranked second in the majors (min. 25.0 innings) with a 1.37 ERA...Among AL pitchers with at least 50.0 innings pitched, ranked tied for seventh in ERA (2.70), 11th in opponents’ average (.214) and 12th in hits per nine innings (7.26)...Went 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA (four earned runs/26.1 innings) in six starts with Toronto...Was 2-2 with a 4.00 ERA (12 earned runs/27.0 innings) in five starts with Seattle...Retired all nine batters faced while striking out four in his last start, a tuneup for the playoffs on Sept. 25 vs. Baltimore...Made his Blue Jays debut on Aug. 29 vs. Baltimore...Earned the win with 6.0 scoreless innings in what was the 100th start of his career...Became the 2nd player in Blue Jays history to wear 00, joining Cliff Johnson (1983-1986).
2019
Made only 1 appearance with the Diamondbacks, getting the start on Sept. 29 vs. SD and tossing 1.0 scoreless inning with 1 hit and 1 strikeout...Missed the majority of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, performed by Dr. David Altchek on April 25, 2018...suffered the original injury (torn right ulnar collateral ligament) on April 14, 2018.
2018
Made just 3 starts with the Diamondbacks before suffering a torn right ulnar collateral ligament on April 14 at Los Angeles-NL...underwent Tommy John surgery on April 25 in New York (performed by Dr. David Altchek).
2017
Had a career-best 3.49 ERA while his .247 opponent average matched his career low (also: 2016)...his 146 strikeouts were the second-most of his career (157 in 2015) as were his 157.1 innings (169.2 in 2015)...In 15 starts vs. NL West (team was 10-5), he went 8-3 with a 2.94 ERA, a .230 opponent average and 86 strikeouts...With runners in scoring position, held opponents to a .199 average with 35 strikeouts, the third-best mark in the NL and tied for fifth in the Majors with Ervin Santana behind Andrew Cashner (.170), Gio Gonzalez (.175), Charlie Morton (.190) and Johnny Cueto (.193). POSTSEASON: Made the start in NLDS Game 1 @ Dodgers (4 ER in 1.0 IP).
2016
Went 8-11 with a 4.22 ERA (63 ER in 134.1 IP) in 25 starts for the Mariners...Posted a 2.70 ERA (15 ER in 50.0 IP) in his fi rst 9 starts...On the disabled list from July 6-Aug. 6 with right foot tendinitis...Recorded 2 outings of at least 8.0 scoreless innings with 3 or fewer hits and 10+ strikeouts (June 8 vs. Indians and Sept. 13 @ Angels)…joined Clayton Kershaw and Jaime Garcia as the only pitchers to do so in 2016...Threw his first career shutout on Sept. 13 @ Angels, striking out 11 with 0 walks…retired the first 17 batters before Kaleb Cowart reached on an error with 2 outs in the sixth inning…allowed his first hit to Kole Calhoun leading off the seventh...Was 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA (4 ER in 10.2 IP) in 2 starts with Triple-A Tacoma...Acquired by the D-backs on Nov. 23, with INF Ketel Marte, for INF Jean Segura, OF Mitch Haniger and LHP Zac Curtis...Underwent surgery on his right ankle on Oct. 17 to remove a bone fragment and spurs (performed by Dr. Nicholas Siebert in Seattle).
2015
The Totals - Was 11-8 with a 4.56 ERA (86 ER, 169.2 IP) with 157 strikeouts in 29 starts. ... Team Ranks - On the Mariners staff ranked 2nd in wins (11), starts (29), innings (169.2) and strikeouts (157). ... Sit 'Em Down - Struck out 8.33 batters per 9.0 innings, 11th-best in American League…his 157 strikeouts ranked 17th in the American League. ... Strong Finish - Was 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA (51 ER, 126.2 IP) with 118 strikeouts in his final 20 starts…was 1-5 with a 7.33 ERA (35 ER, 43.0 IP) with 39 strikeouts in his first 9 starts. ... Winning Ways - Seattle won 15 of his last 20 starts after going 2-7 in his first 9 starts. ... Double Digits - Became 4th Mariners starter to win 10 games before his age 23 season and first since Felix Hernandez won 14 as a 21-year-old in 2007…others to win 10 games before 23: Felix (12 wins in 2006 at age 20; 14 wins in 2007 at age 21), Dave Fleming (17 wins in 1992 at age 22) and Freddy Garcia (17 wins in 1999 at age 22). ... That'll Do - Shut down for the season to limit his inning count after his start on Sept. 14th. ... New Territory - Pitched 169.2 innings, the most innings in any of his professional seasons…previous career-high (MLB + MiLB) was 156.1 with Seattle (15.0), AAA Tacoma (57.1) and AA Jackson (84.0) in 2013...tossed a combined 120.1 IP in 2014. ... Road Warrior - Was 6-0 with a 2.47 ERA (18 ER, 65.2 IP) with 57 strikeouts in his final 10 road starts…was 1-4 with 9.79 ERA (29 ER, 26.2 IP) with 19 strikeouts in his first 6 starts. ... One-Hitter - Recorded a 1-hitter July 31 at Minnesota (9.0,1,1,1,1,11,HR)…recorded the 12th 1-hitter (11th of the 9-inning variety) and the 15th start allowing 1 or 0 hits in Mariners history…3rd-youngest pitcher to toss a 1-hitter in club history…matched career-best with 11 strikeouts (6/20/15 vs. HOU)…lone hit and run allowed came off solo home run by Sano with 2 outs in 4th inning…only 2 other batters reached: walk to Mauer in 1st and Hunter reached on error in 7th. ... Age Is Nothing But A Number - His 1-hitter came at 22 years, 352 days old, becoming the 3rd-youngest pitcher to toss a 1-hitter in club history: Felix Hernandez-21.003, Gil Meche-21.279…according to the Elias Sports Bureau since 1969, only 4 other pitchers have thrown a CG with no more than 1 hit with 10+ strikeouts before turning 23: Dennis Eckersley (no-hitter) in 1977, Dwight Gooden in 1984, Kerry Wood (20-strikeout game) in 1998, and Shelby Miller in 2013.
2014
Went 2-3, 2.61ERA (11 ER, 38.0 IP) in 8 G/5 GS in three stints with the Mariners... Threw first career complete game in a 1-0 loss Sept. 24 atToronto (8.0,4,1,1,1,6)... Posted a 2.83 ERA (9 ER, 28.2 IP) with 16 walks and 27 strikeouts in 5 starts... Made 3 relief appearances, posting a 1.93 ERA(2 ER, 9.1 IP)…allowed 1 run in 6.0innings of relief Sept. 1 at Oakland... On the 15-day disabled list March 29 (retro to 3/21)-June 10 with a right shoulder impingement…included rehab starts with A High Desert (0-0, 2.08, 1 GS), AAJackson (1-0, 0.00, 1 GS) and Triple-A Tacoma... Went 6-4, 4.81 ERA (39 ER, 73.0 IP) in 14 starts for Triple-A Tacoma…averaged 9.12 K/9.0 IP (74 K, 73.0 IP)... Allowed 3 hits and struck out 10 in 5.0 scoreless innings for Jackson April 9 in a rehab start... Named the PCL Pitcher of the Week (June 23-29)…postedfirst career shutout June 24 vs. Oklahoma City (9.0,4,0,0,1,8)... Prior to the season rated as the No. 6 (MLB.com), No. 8 (Baseball Prospectus) and No. 11 (Baseball America) prospect in baseball... Made 2 starts with the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League (0-0, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 SO)..
2013
Went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA (6 ER, 15.0 IP) in 3 starts with the Mariners. 5th-youngest starting pitcher to make MLB debut in club history (21 years, 17 days). Made Major League debut Aug. 30 at Houston (5.0,2,1,0,1,2), recording the win…is the youngest Mariners starting pitcher to win MLB debut (21.017). Named Mariners Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Split the minor league season between AA Jackson and AAA Tacoma, combining to go 9-10 with a 2.93 ERA (46 ER, 141.1 IP). Averaged 10.19 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (160 strikeouts) over 25 starts in the minors…T7th among minor league pitchers with 160 strikeouts. Led all Mariners farmhands in strikeouts and finished T2nd in wins. Pitched in the MLB All-Star Futures Game (1.0,0,0,0,1,0) and was selected as a Southern League All-Star this season (did not pitch due to promotion to AAA). Promoted to Tacoma from Jackson and made his Triple-A debut on June 25 vs. Fresno. Named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 19-25. Was the youngest player in the PCL and 2nd-youngest in Triple-A. Listed by MLB.com as the No. 2 right-handed pitching prospect.
2012
Spent entire season with AA Jackson...named a Southern League All-Star and pitched
in the All-Star Futures Game (1.0,0,0,0,0,1)...went 7-10 with a 4.69 ERA (66 ER, 126.2 IP)
overall...struck out 118 batters in 126.2 IP (8.38 K/9.0 IP)...made two starts in the playoffs
going 0-1 with a 0.71 ERA (1 ER, 12.2 IP) with 13 strikeouts...in first 9 starts (April-May)
combined to go 4-1, 2.39 ERA (11 ER, 42.1 IP)...pitched most of the season as a 19-
year old, one of the youngest players in Double-A...No. 2 Southern League prospect by
Baseball America...listed as the Mariners No. 1 prospect by Baseball Prospectus and
No. 2 by Baseball America...enters the season as the No. 2 ranked right-handed pitching
prospect by MLB.com.
2011
Named Mariners Pitcher of the Year and Clinton's Most Valuable Pitcher ... limited opponents to a .202 (69x341) average, including a .187 (34x182) vs. right-handed batters ... was 0-2 with a 9.95 ERA over his first 2 starts of the season, but went 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA (24 ER, 90.1 IP) over last 16 starts...logged team-best 16.1-consecutive scoreless innings from May 26-June 12, spanning 4 starts ... recorded 7 quality starts, including
tossing first-career complete game victory July 13 vs. Great Lakes (9.0,2,2,2,1,7,HR) ...
struck out a season-high 11 batters three times and finished with 113 strikeouts in 96.2 innings ... allowed no ER in 6 of his 18 starts ... ranked amongst MWL leaders in lowest opponent average (3rd at .202), highest K/9.0 IP ratio for starters (4th at 10.52), fewest baserunners/9.0 IP for starters (5th at 10.33), strikeouts (6th with 113) and WHIP (8th at 1.12) following final start on Aug. 10 vs. Cedar Rapids ... ranked 19th in the Minors averaging 10.42 K/9.0 IP (113 K, 96.2 IP)...named the top Midwest League prospect in 2011 by Baseball America ... participated in the 2011 Mariners Instructional League ... ranked by MLB.com as the No. 18 prospect in baseball and No. 8 right-handed pitcher ... listed by Baseball America as the Mariners No. 2 prospect.
2010
Began pro career with Peoria in the Arizona League, appearing in 4 games in relief ... recorded a win if first professional appearance July 10 at Royals (2.0,0,0,0,0,3) ... participated in Mariners Instructional League.
