Kevin Austin Millwood (born December 24, 1974, in
) is a
Major League Baseball
right-handed starting pitcher for the
Texas Rangers.
Baseball career
Millwood
was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in
the 11th round of the Major
League Baseball Draft from Bessemer City High School
in . After a couple of years in the
minors, Millwood made his debut with
the
Atlanta Braves on July 14, . A
year later, he
won 17 games. Millwood
formed a part of the Braves' star pitching rotation, which also
consisted of
Greg Maddux,
John Smoltz and
Tom
Glavine, which at that time was regarded by many as the best in
the
National League.
The campaign was one of Millwood's best. He posted career-highs in
wins (18, also achieved in ),
ERA
(2.68),
strikeouts (205) and
WHIP (0.996). He finished
third in the National League
Cy Young
voting (losing to the
Arizona
Diamondbacks'
Randy Johnson) and
26th on the National League
MVP ballot.
He was selected an
All-Star in
1999, his only
appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
Before the season, Millwood was traded by the Braves to the
Philadelphia Phillies for
catcher Johnny
Estrada, probably in order to cut their payroll in the midst of
economic difficulties. He went 14-12 with his new team, including
throwing a
no-hitter against the
San Francisco Giants on
April 27.
This was one of only two no-no's ever thrown
at the now-demolished Veterans Stadium
— the other was thrown by Terry Mulholland — coming in the Phillies'
final season at the stadium. To date, it remains the last
no-hitter thrown by a Phillie. He also led the majors in
stolen bases allowed, with 41.
In , Millwood signed a one-year contract as a
free agent with the
Cleveland Indians. He came back from
injury well, leading the
American
League in ERA (2.86). However, he managed a record of only
9-11, having horrible run support. During 2005 he again led the
majors in
stolen bases allowed, with 33.
He was tied for 6th in the balloting for the Cy Young Award. On
December 26, 2005, the Texas Rangers
signed Millwood to a five-year, $60 million deal.
In 2006 he and
Vincente Padilla won
15 games; a total not matched by a Rangers pitcher until
Scott Feldman in 2009.
In 2008, when batters did hit the ball against him, it was with
uncommon success, as his .358 batting-average-against on balls in
play was the highest in the major leagues.
[50618] 26% of all balls put in play against
him were line drives, the highest percentage in the majors.
[50619]
Through the end of the season, Millwood had compiled a career
143-111 record with 1,707 strikeouts and a 4.02 ERA in 2,115.2
innings. He had a 3-3 career
playoff record, with an ERA of 3.92.
See also
References
- Wilson, Jeff, "Road-warrior Feldman paces Rangers
again," The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9/4/09, accessed
9/4/09
External links
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