Casey Fossum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Casey Fossum |
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Fossum with the Hanshin Tigers
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 6, 1978 Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: July 29, 2001, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| NPB: April 15, 2010, for the Hanshin Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: April 26, 2009, for the New York Mets | |||
| NPB: July 4, 2010, for the Hanshin Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 40–53 | ||
| Earned run average | 5.45 | ||
| Strikeouts | 607 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 2–5 | ||
| Earned run average | 5.72 | ||
| Strikeouts | 48 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Casey Paul Fossum (born January 6, 1978) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), including the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He also played for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. Casey is a left-handed pitcher and batter.
Contents
Early Life and College Baseball
Casey Fossum was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He grew up in Waco, Texas, where he went to Midway High School. In high school, he was a fantastic baseball player. He was named the Central Texas Player of the Year twice. He also made the first team all-state in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, he was even named a second-team All-American by Baseball America. He had an amazing 210 strikeouts in just 105 innings!
After high school, Casey went to Texas A&M University. He continued to shine there, earning the title of Freshman All-American. He still holds the school record for the most strikeouts in a single season and in a career. He helped his team, the Aggies, reach the 1999 College World Series. In 1998 and 1999, he earned All-Big 12 honors. In 1999, he had a 12–7 record and a 3.64 earned run average (ERA). That year, he set a school record with 162 strikeouts.
Major League Baseball Career
Boston Red Sox (2001–2003)
The Boston Red Sox picked Casey Fossum in the 1999 baseball draft. He was the 48th player chosen overall. He started his professional baseball journey in 2001 with the Red Sox.
During his three years with Boston, Casey played in 75 games. He pitched as both a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. He earned 14 wins and two saves for the team. In 2003, he had surgery on his pitching shoulder. After his surgery, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. This trade was a big one because it brought star pitcher Curt Schilling to the Red Sox.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2004)
In 2004, Casey joined the Arizona Diamondbacks. This was a new experience for him because he was used only as a starting pitcher. He missed the first few weeks of the season while recovering from his surgery. Still, he finished third on the team in starts (27), innings pitched (142), and strikeouts (117).
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005–2007)
Before the 2005 season, Casey was traded again. This time, he went to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2006, he had a record of 6 wins and 6 losses, with an ERA of 5.33 in 25 starts. He played for the Devil Rays until August 2007.
Detroit Tigers (2008)
In 2008, Casey signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers. He joined their active roster in June of that year.
New York Mets (2009)
Casey signed with the New York Mets in January 2009. He pitched in three games for the Mets before moving on.
Other Teams (2009–2015)
After playing for the Mets, Casey signed minor league contracts with a few other teams. These included the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs in 2009. He also signed with the New York Mets again in 2011 and the Baltimore Orioles in 2012.
After taking three years off from baseball, Casey returned in 2015. He signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers, a team in an independent league. He pitched in two games before becoming a free agent again.
Pitching Style
Casey Fossum was known for his unique pitching style. He threw three different types of curveballs.
- One curveball was fast, in the low to mid 70s miles per hour.
- Another curveball was a bit slower, between 65 and 70 MPH, and he could throw it for strikes.
- His third curveball was called the "Fossum flip." This pitch had a very big, looping break, making it hard for batters to hit. It was similar to an eephus pitch, which is a very slow, high-arching pitch. He used this pitch to surprise batters.
Casey also had a good fastball that was usually between 88 and 92 miles per hour. He also threw a changeup. Besides his pitches, Casey was also a good fielder and was good at preventing runners from stealing bases.
Casey was a lighter pitcher, weighing around 160 pounds. He sometimes had injuries during his career, which can happen to pitchers.
Images for kids
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Fossum with the Hanshin Tigers
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Fossum with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
