Jesse Litsch
| Jesse Litsch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Litsch with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011
|
|||
| Pitcher / Pitching coach | |||
|
Born: March 9, 1985 Pinellas Park, Florida |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 15, 2007, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 2011, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 27–27 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.16 | ||
| Strikeouts | 239 | ||
| Teams | |||
Jesse Allen Litsch (born March 9, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. After working as a batboy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was drafted in the 24th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and played from 2007 to 2011, when his career was cut short by injuries. In March 2016, Litsch became the pitching coach for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
On May 15, 2007, Litsch made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays, filling in for the injured Roy Halladay. Over 8 2⁄3 innings (the most innings pitched by any Blue Jay in his debut), Litsch allowed only 4 hits, with 2 walks and 1 run while recording 21 of his 26 outs via groundouts. Litsch became the first Blue Jays pitcher to win his debut since Gustavo Chacín beat the New York Yankees on September 20, 2004. As a result of his performance, Litsch made three more starts with the Jays. He was demoted back to Double-A after posting a 0–3 record with a 19.62 ERA in those three starts.
After an injury to A. J. Burnett, the Blue Jays recalled Litsch and he started against Boston on July 15, 2007. He yielded one run on 9 hits over 6 2⁄3 innings with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk, defeating Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox 2–1.
He came home to Tampa Bay on July 31, going 6 2⁄3 innings, giving up 7 hits while walking 1 and striking out 2, with no earned runs. Litsch finished his first year in the majors 7–9 with a 3.89 ERA and 50 K/36 BB over 20 starts.
On May 24, 2008, the same day that Litsch pitched his first complete game and shutout, he also surpassed Jimmy Key's former franchise record by pitching 38 consecutive innings without walking a batter (Key's former mark was 34 1⁄3). In 2008, he threw cutters 43.4% of the time, the highest rate in the majors. Litsch would finish the 2008 season with a record of 13–9, a 3.58 ERA, and 99 strikeouts.
...
Wikipedia