J. J. Putz
| J. J. Putz | |||
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Putz with the Arizona Diamondbacks
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| Relief pitcher | |||
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Born: February 22, 1977 Trenton, Michigan |
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| MLB debut | |||
| August 11, 2003, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 19, 2014, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 37–33 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.08 | ||
| Strikeouts | 599 | ||
| Saves | 189 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Joseph Jason "J. J." Putz (/ˈpʊts/; born February 22, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Born in Trenton, Michigan, Putz led Trenton High School to the 1994 Division 2 state championship. He graduated in 1995 and won the Mr. Baseball award for the state of Michigan.
Putz attended the University of Michigan, and was drafted by the Mariners in the 6th round in 1999. He made his Major League debut with the Mariners on August 11, 2003. In 2006, he became the closer for the Mariners.
All through the minors, Putz had been able to throw an excellent fastball that topped out at 97 miles per hour, but had been only marginally successful because his only other pitch was a below average slider. His first few years in the majors were not terrible, but they were also nothing special. In spring training before the 2006 season, Eddie Guardado, who had been the Mariners' closer since 2004, taught him to throw a splitter. After mastering the new secondary pitch, Putz abandoned his slider and became a much improved pitcher.
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