Jeurys Familia | |||
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Familia with the New York Mets in 2016
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New York Mets – No. 27 | |||
Pitcher | |||
Born: Yaguate, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic |
October 10, 1989 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 4, 2012, for the New York Mets | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Win–loss record | 7–11 | ||
Earned run average | 2.46 | ||
Strikeouts | 261 | ||
Saves | 100 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Jeurys Familia Mojica (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxeuɾis faˈmilja]; born October 10, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Familia was signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. He made his MLB debut in 2012. During the 2015 season, Familia was named the team's closer. He was named a MLB All-Star in 2016.
Familia's father worked for the Dominican military and part-time at a gas station despite being hindered by a leg injury suffered in a childhood accident. Familia's mother worked in a small boutique. On their combined wages, the parents raised five children.
Growing up in the Boca Chica section of Santo Domingo, Familia's favorite sport to play was basketball. He was especially fond of Allen Iverson and was also a fan of Kobe Bryant. He did not begin playing baseball until he was older and his friends had largely abandoned basketball in its favor. He did not have access to baseball equipment for most of his childhood.
Familia is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg); he bats and throws right-handed. Familia was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent on July 13, 2007 for $100,000.
Familia pitched for the Gulf Coast Mets in 2008, compiling a 2–2 record with a 2.79 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched. In 2009 he pitched for the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats, going 10–6 with a 2.69 ERA in 134 innings pitched. In 2010, Familia was promoted to the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League. He went 6–9 with a 5.58 ERA through 121 innings and struck out 10.2 batters per nine innings in a full season with St. Lucie. Also in 2010, Familia was selected to represent the Mets at the All-Star Futures Game where he pitched for the World Team.