Joey Devine | |||
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Joey Devine pitches for the Oakland Athletics
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Relief pitcher | |||
Born: Junction City, Kansas |
September 19, 1983 |||
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MLB debut | |||
August 20, 2005, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
July 24, 2011, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Win–loss record | 8–3 | ||
Earned run average | 2.75 | ||
Strikeouts | 89 | ||
WHIP | 1.25 | ||
Teams | |||
Medal record | ||
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Men's baseball | ||
Representing United States | ||
World University Championship | ||
2004 Tainan | Team |
Joseph Neal "Joey" Devine (born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics.
Devine was the Braves' first selection (27th overall) in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft out of North Carolina State University, where he had set the Wolfpack record for saves with 24. After being drafted, Devine spent only two months in the minor leagues, pitching with the Single-A Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Double-A Mississippi Braves, before being called up to the major leagues on August 20.
Devine encountered early struggles once being called up to the major leagues, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to allow a grand slam in each of his first two games. Braves manager Bobby Cox showed faith in Devine, however, by including him on the postseason roster despite his pitching only five innings with the big-league club during the regular season. In the 18th inning of Game 4 of the 2005 National League Division Series, Devine gave up a walk-off home run to Houston Astros rookie Chris Burke to end the Braves' season.
In 2006, Atlanta planned to have Devine start the season at Triple-A Richmond as the closer, but injuries to Horacio Ramírez and Blaine Boyer forced the Braves to call him up along with fellow reliever Ken Ray. Devine struggled once again, however, pitching a total of one inning in two games against the San Francisco Giants and giving up seven runs on five hits, five walks, and two wild pitches. Devine was optioned back to Richmond afterwards, with Peter Moylan serving as his replacement in Atlanta's bullpen. Devine was called up again in September and continued to pitch in Atlanta until the end of the regular season. Baseball America rated Devine as the Braves' ninth-best prospect entering 2007. Devine spent the majority of the 2007 season at Mississippi, though he was called up by Atlanta several times. On September 22, Devine earned his first major league victory against the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished the 2007 season 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA.