David Price (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids David Price |
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Price with the Boston Red Sox in 2016
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| Pitcher | ||||||||||||||
| Born: August 26, 1985 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| September 14, 2008, for the Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| September 30, 2022, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 157–82 | |||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.32 | |||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 2,076 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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David Taylor Price (born August 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was chosen as the very first player in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Price made his first appearance in Major League Baseball (MLB) in September 2008.
He also played for the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Price started as a relief pitcher for the Rays during their exciting journey through the 2008 playoffs. Just weeks after joining the big leagues, he helped the Rays reach their first World Series by getting a save in Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Price became a full-time starting pitcher in 2009. In 2010, he was picked to start for the American League in the All-Star Game. He later won the prestigious Cy Young Award in 2012, which is given to the best pitcher in each league.
The Rays traded Price to the Tigers in 2014. Then, in 2015, he moved to the Blue Jays, who won their division. After that season, the Red Sox signed Price to a huge seven-year contract. He helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series against the Dodgers. Later, he was traded to the Dodgers. Price was part of the Los Angeles Dodgers team that won the 2020 World Series, even though he chose not to play that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contents
- Early Life and High School Baseball
- College Baseball Career
- Professional Baseball Career
- Pitching Style
- Awards and Honors
- Personal Life
- See also
- Images for kids
Early Life and High School Baseball
David Taylor Price was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He has two brothers and started playing baseball when he was very young. He grew up cheering for the Atlanta Braves and looked up to their outfielder David Justice.
As a teenager, he played baseball and basketball at Blackman High School. He was a star player, known for his amazing pitching. During his high school career, he had a very low earned run average (ERA) of 0.43 and recorded 151 strikeouts. He won several awards, including Rutherford County MVP Pitcher and Male Athlete of the Year.
College Baseball Career
Even though the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Price in 2004 right out of high school, he decided not to sign with them. Instead, he chose to attend Vanderbilt University on an academic scholarship. He played for the baseball team for three seasons.
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In his first year in 2005, Price was named a Freshman All-American. He had a 2–4 record with a 2.86 ERA and 92 strikeouts. At one point, he felt frustrated and almost quit baseball to work at a fast-food restaurant. Luckily, his coach, Tim Corbin, convinced him to keep playing.
In 2006, Price set a new school record with 155 strikeouts. He was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the best amateur baseball player in the United States.
As a junior, Price had an incredible 11–1 record with a 2.63 ERA. He led the nation in strikeouts with 194, breaking his own school record. He won many major national awards, including the Dick Howser Trophy and the Brooks Wallace Award. David Price was the first player to win all the top college baseball awards in one year.
Playing for Team USA
In the summer of 2005, Price played for the United States National Team. He had a 2–0 record with a very low 1.26 ERA. In 2006, Price helped the United States win the gold medal at the World University Baseball Championship in Cuba. He was 5–1 with an amazing 0.20 ERA in eight starts for the team.
Professional Baseball Career
Draft and Minor Leagues
David Price was the very first player chosen in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed his first professional contract on August 15, 2007. It was a six-year deal worth $11.25 million, including a $5.6 million signing bonus. This was one of the biggest bonuses in draft history at the time.
After signing, Price started his career in the minor leagues. He played for the Vero Beach Devil Rays and the Montgomery Biscuits. He had an impressive 11–0 record combined in these leagues. Then, he was promoted to the Durham Bulls, a Triple-A team, in August 2008.
Tampa Bay Rays (2008–2014)
2008 Season: MLB Debut
Price made his big league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on September 14, 2008, against the Yankees. The first MLB hit he ever allowed was a home run by Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Price pitched as a relief pitcher in the playoffs. He earned a postseason win before even winning a regular-season game! He also got his first career save in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, helping the Rays beat the Red Sox and reach the World Series.
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2009 Season
On May 30, 2009, Price got his first regular-season MLB win against the Minnesota Twins. He finished the season with a 10–7 record and 102 strikeouts.
2010 Season: All-Star
In 2010, Price was the first American League pitcher to reach 10 wins that season. He was chosen as the starting pitcher for the American League in the 2010 MLB All-Star Game. He ended the season tied for second in the AL with 19 wins and third in ERA (2.72). He finished second in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award.
2011 Season
On July 9, 2011, Price gave up a home run to Derek Jeter, which was Jeter's 3,000th career hit. Price finished 2011 with a 12–13 record and 218 strikeouts.
2012 Season: Cy Young Award Winner
In 2012, Price had an amazing season, going 20–5. He tied for the league lead in wins and led the league with a 2.54 ERA. He pitched a complete-game shutout against the Los Angeles Angels on April 24, 2012. Price was also chosen for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. He became the first pitcher in Rays history to win 20 games in a season. After a close vote, Price won the Cy Young Award for being the best pitcher in the American League.
2013 Season
In 2013, Price had a 10–8 record with a 3.33 ERA. He led the American League with four complete games. In a special tie-breaker game against the Texas Rangers, Price pitched a complete game to help the Rays reach the postseason.
2014 Season with Rays
From June 4 to 25, Price had five starts in a row where he struck out at least ten batters. This is a rare achievement in baseball history. He was named to his fourth All-Star team in July. Before being traded, Price had an 11–8 record with the Rays.
Detroit Tigers (2014–2015)
2014 Season with Tigers
On July 31, 2014, Price was traded to the Detroit Tigers. In his first game with the Tigers, he pitched very well, striking out ten batters. On August 21, in his first game against his old team, the Tampa Bay Rays, Price pitched a complete game, allowing only one hit, but still lost the game. This was a very unusual and rare event in baseball.
Price finished the 2014 season leading all of Major League Baseball in innings pitched (248.1) and strikeouts (271).
2015 Season with Tigers
In 2015, Price and the Tigers agreed on a $19.75 million salary for the season. This was a record for a player who was eligible for arbitration. Price was named the Tigers' opening day starter for 2015. He pitched 8.2 shutout innings in their first game.
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On July 6, 2015, Price was named to his fifth All-Star Game. He pitched a scoreless inning in the game and earned the win for the American League.
Toronto Blue Jays (2015)
2015 Season with Blue Jays
On July 30, 2015, Price was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his debut for the Blue Jays on August 3, striking out 11 batters in 8 innings and getting a win. On September 5, Price earned his 100th career win. He made 11 starts for the Blue Jays in 2015, going 9–1 with a 2.30 ERA.
Price started Game 1 of the ALDS for the Blue Jays. He earned his second career postseason win on October 12, pitching in relief. Price finished the 2015 season with an 18–5 record and a 2.45 ERA. He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting.
Boston Red Sox (2016–2019)
2016 Season
On December 4, 2015, Price signed a huge seven-year, $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. This was a record for the team. Price won his first game with the Red Sox on April 5, 2016. He finished the season with a 17–9 record and a 3.99 ERA. He led the AL with 230 innings pitched. His 228 strikeouts were the second-highest of his career.
2017 Season
Price started the 2017 season on the disabled list because of an elbow injury. He returned on May 29, 2017. Later, he was placed on the disabled list again due to elbow inflammation. He came back in September and pitched as a reliever for the rest of the season. In the 2017 American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, Price pitched 6.2 scoreless innings.
2018 Season: World Series Champion
Price returned to the starting rotation in 2018. He pitched 14 scoreless innings in his first two starts, earning a standing ovation from the fans. On May 9, he had to miss a start because of a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome in his wrist. During the 2018 regular season, Price had a 16–7 record with a 3.58 ERA.
In the postseason, Price started Game 2 of the Division Series against the New York Yankees. He struggled in that game. His next postseason start was Game 2 of the Championship Series against the Houston Astros. The Red Sox won that game. When star pitcher Chris Sale couldn't start Game 5, Price stepped up and pitched a fantastic game, holding Houston scoreless for six innings. This was Price's first win in 12 career postseason starts, and it helped the Red Sox reach the World Series.
Price then started Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers, earning another win. He also pitched well in relief in Game 3. Price started Game 5 of the World Series. He gave up a home run on his first pitch but then retired 14 batters in a row. The Red Sox won the game 5–1, clinching the World Series victory!
After the World Series, Price announced he would stay with the Red Sox. He was also named the Babe Ruth Award recipient for the best postseason performance. In November, Price was announced as the AL Comeback Player of the Year.
2019 Season
Before the 2019 season, Price changed his jersey number from 24 to 10, as a tribute to his son, Xavier. He started the season in the rotation but was placed on the injured list in May due to elbow soreness. He returned later that month and won 6 straight decisions. Price was briefly away from the team in August for the birth of his second child. He finished the season with a 7–5 record and a 4.28 ERA.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2021–2022)
On February 10, 2020, the Red Sox traded Price, along with Mookie Betts, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In May 2020, Price announced he would donate $1,000 to each of the Dodgers' minor league players to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 4, 2020, Price decided not to play during the shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic. Even though he didn't play, the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, and the team gave Price a World Series ring. Price later auctioned off his ring to raise money for charity.
2021 Season
On April 15, 2021, Price earned his first big league save with the Dodgers. On May 27, he recorded his 2,000th career strikeout. Price pitched in 39 games for the Dodgers in 2021, including 11 starts, and finished with a 5–2 record and a 4.03 ERA.
2022 Season and Retirement
In early September 2022, Price was placed on the injured list. He had made 38 appearances that season, all as a reliever. Price mentioned in an interview that he was thinking about retiring after the 2022 season because his body was hurting. He later clarified that he hadn't made a final decision but planned to return for the postseason. He pitched in two more games in late September. This was the first season in his career where he did not start any games. He finished with a 2.45 ERA and did not pitch in the postseason.
On December 5, 2022, David Price announced that he would not pitch in MLB during the 2023 season, stepping away from the game.
Pitching Style
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David Price was known for using many different types of pitches, all thrown with great speed. He threw two kinds of fastballs, a four-seamer and a two-seamer, which could reach speeds of 93 to 98 miles per hour. His two-seamer was a main pitch against both right-handed and left-handed batters.
He also threw a cutter at 90 to 92 mph, which he used mostly against right-handed hitters. Price also had a changeup (83 to 86 mph) and a spike curveball (78 to 81 mph) to keep batters guessing.
Price was known for pitching quickly, usually taking only 5 to 7 seconds between pitches. His unique pitching style led to something called the "Price rule," which helps pitchers know how to position themselves when a runner is on third base.
Awards and Honors
- 2012 Cy Young Award
- 2010 Warren Spahn Award
- 2010 American League All Star starter
- 2007 Roger Clemens Award
- 2007 Golden Spikes Award
- 2007 Dick Howser Trophy
- 2007 Baseball America College Player of the Year
- 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year
- 2007 American Baseball Coaches Association First Team All American
- 2007 Brooks Wallace Award
- 2007 Baseball America College All-America First Team
- 2007 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year
- 2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team All-American
- 2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District Player of the Year
- 2007 SEC Male Athlete of the Year
- 2007 SEC Pitcher of the Year
- 2007 First Team All-SEC
- 2006 Golden Spikes Award Finalist
- 2006 Baseball America Summer Player of the Year
Personal Life
David Price married his longtime girlfriend, Tiffany Smith, in November 2016. They welcomed their first child in May 2017 and their second child in August 2019. The family owns homes in Naples, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, and Paradise Valley, Arizona.
See also
In Spanish: David Price para niños
- Black Aces, African-American pitchers with a 20-win MLB season
- List of World Series starting pitchers
Images for kids
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David Price in 2012
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Price with the Durham Bulls in 2009
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Price pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013
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Price pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015
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Price with the Boston Red Sox in 2016
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Price delivers a pitch for the Red Sox in 2016
