Jason Schmidt
Los Angeles Dodgers — No. 29 | |
Starting Pitcher | |
Born: January 29, 1973 | |
Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
Major League Baseball debut | |
April 28, 1995 for the Atlanta Braves | |
Selected MLB statistics (through June 18, 2007) |
|
Win-Loss | 128-94 |
Earned Run Average | 3.94 |
Strikeouts | 1750 |
Teams | |
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Jason David Schmidt (born January 29, 1973 in Lewiston, Idaho) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. On December 6, 2006 he, signed with the LA Dodgers,and received a three-year, $47 million contract. [1] Before signing with the Dodgers, he played for the San Francisco Giants (2001-2006), Pittsburgh Pirates (1996-2001) and Atlanta Braves (1995-1996). He was drafted by that team in the eight round, 206th total, of the 1991 draft.
Contents |
Career
Schmidt helped the Braves win the World Series in 1995 even though he only pitched in nine games the entire season. The Braves were also National League champions in 1996, but Jason was traded to the Pirates before his former club played and lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees.
As a member of the Pirates, Schmidt won 10, 11, and 13 games in 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. However, he was on a losing team each season in Pittsburgh. Most notable about his stay with the Pirates was that he was the last player on the team to wear number 42, as all of Major League Baseball retired it for Jackie Robinson in 1997. Schmidt then switched to number 22 for the remainder of his stay with the team, and has worn number 29 after leaving the Pirates.
He was then acquired by the Giants in 2001 where he saw more success. Between his two stints in Pittsburgh and San Francisco during the 2001 season, Schmidt compiled 13 wins. He won 13 again in 2002 when the Giants made a World Series appearance, but lost to the Anaheim Angels. In 2003, he won 17 games, but his team lost once again in the playoffs, this time to the Florida Marlins. Jason was an All-Star this year as well as the league leader with a 2.34 earned run average.
On May 18, 2004, Jason Schmidt pitched a one-hitter against the Chicago Cubs and Matt Clement [2]. The Giants won the game, 1-0. This performance was overshadowed by Randy Johnson's perfect game the same day. Schmidt would go on to win 18 games in 2004 and be voted the TSN Pitcher of the Year in the National League.
On June 6, 2006, Schmidt struck out 16 batters against the Florida Marlins, which ties the all-time Giants Franchise record for most strikeouts in a single game, originally set by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants on October 3, 1904, against the St. Louis Cardinals. On top of that, he now holds the record for most strikeouts by a San Francisco Giant, previously held by Gaylord Perry, who threw 15 strikeouts on July 22, 1966 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Schmidt pitched a complete game in the process. In a memorable ninth inning, when a wild pitch moved base runners onto second and third with no outs, and the Giants with a 2-1 lead, Schmidt proceeded to strike out the heart of the Marlins' lineup in order; cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera, Josh Willingham, and then Jeremy Hermida.
Schmidt, though, has struggled with a right shoulder problem during the 2007 season, the first of his three year $47 million deal. After only three starts he missed 45 games with the injury before being reactivated from the DL on June 5th. He started three games after his return from the DL, the last two he got shelled. On June 18th he was returned to the DL and underwent exploratory surgery to find the cause of his ineffectiveness. The damage to his shoulder was more severe than expected and he is now scheduled to miss the rest of the 2007 season due to injury. The Dodgers hope Schmidt is fully recovered in time for Spring Training in 2008.
See also
References
- ^ Fox Sports. Dodgers reach agreement with Schmidt. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
- ^ Box Score of Schmidt's One-Hitter http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=240518116
External links
- ^ Fox Sports. Dodgers reach agreement with Schmidt. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
- ^ Box Score of Schmidt's One-Hitter http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=240518116
Preceded by Randy Johnson |
National League ERA Champion 2003 |
Succeeded by Jake Peavy |