Brad Hennessey
San Francisco Giants — No. 41 | |
Closer | |
Born: February 7, 1980 | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Major League Baseball debut | |
August 7, 2004 for the San Francisco Giants | |
Selected MLB statistics (through August 6, 2007) |
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Wins-Losses | 14-19 |
Saves | 10 |
Earned Run Average | 4.33 |
Strikeouts | 163 |
Teams | |
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Brad Martin Hennessey (born on February 7, 1980 in Toledo, Ohio) is the closer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was drafted in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Youngstown State University.
After posting a 2.38 ERA in nine Northwest League starts, Hennessey was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his back. He had it removed in February of 2002, but it grew back later that season, putting him out for the rest of the season. After battling inconsistency in 2003 while building up arm strength, Hennessey found himself in the Major Leagues in 2004, making his first start against Greg Maddux, who was looking for his 300th win. Although Hennessey lost the game and Maddux got his 300th win, the Giants were impressed with Hennessey's poise, and he made six more starts, finishing with a 2-2 record and 4.98 ERA. He found himself in the big leagues again in May of 2005, and ended up making 21 starts, tallying a 5-8 record and 4.64 ERA, in a campaign where he occasionally pitched very well but suffered from inconsistency. In one start against the Milwaukee Brewers, Hennessey pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball. He ended up winning the game 3-0. The three runs came off of a home run by Hennessey himself on a 2-0 count from Brewers pitcher Victor Santos. It was his first home run since he was a sophomore shortstop at .
In 2006, Hennessey competed for the team's fifth starting job with Kevin Correia and free agent Jamey Wright, but struggled and began the season for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies. Hennessey was called up to the Giants in April due to an injury to Noah Lowry and bullpen ineffectiveness. Since Lowry's return to the starting rotation, Hennessey has been a reliable reliever and has posted an ERA under 3.00.
In 2007, Hennessey was named the closer by manager Bruce Bochy after incompetent closer Armando Benitez was traded to the Florida Marlins.
Career Stats
- 2004/SFG: 2-2, 4.98 ERA
- 2005/SFG: 5-8 4.64 ERA
- 2006/SFG: 5-6 4.26 ERA
- 2007/SFG: IN PROGRESS
TOTALS: 12-17, 4.48 ERA
External link
- Brad Hennessey at ESPN.com
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference