Freddy García facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freddy García |
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Garcia with the Baltimore Orioles
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: October 6, 1976 Caracas, Venezuela |
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| debut | |||
| April 7, 1999, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 24, 2013, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 156–108 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.15 | ||
| Strikeouts | 1,621 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976) is a former professional baseball pitcher from Venezuela. He is well-known for playing many seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for seven different MLB teams, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees. Garcia also pitched in leagues in China, Mexico, and Venezuela.
One of Freddy García's best years was 2001. That year, he led the American League in innings pitched and had the best ERA. He was chosen for the All-Star team in both 2001 and 2002. In 2005, he helped the Chicago White Sox win the World Series. He was the starting pitcher in the final game of that series.
Contents
- Freddy García's Baseball Journey
- Playing for the Seattle Mariners
- Playing for the Chicago White Sox
- Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
- Playing for the Detroit Tigers
- Playing for the New York Mets
- Second Time with the Chicago White Sox
- Playing for the New York Yankees
- Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
- Playing for the Atlanta Braves
- Playing in Other Leagues
- How Freddy García Pitched
- See also
Freddy García's Baseball Journey
Playing for the Seattle Mariners
Freddy García first signed with the Houston Astros in 1993. In 1998, he joined the Seattle Mariners in a trade. Other players like Carlos Guillén and John Halama also moved to Seattle in that trade.
In his first year with the Mariners, Freddy García pitched 201 innings. He had a great record of 17 wins and 8 losses. He also got 170 strikeouts and a 4.07 ERA. His strongest season was in 2001. He won 18 games for the Mariners, who set a record with 116 wins that year. He also led the American League with a 3.05 ERA. He was considered one of the top pitchers for the Cy Young Award that year.
In June 2004, García was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He left the Mariners with a record of 76 wins and 50 losses. He also had a 3.89 ERA and 819 strikeouts.
Playing for the Chicago White Sox
Freddy García was the starting pitcher for Game 4 of the 2005 World Series. He pitched seven innings and did not allow any runs against the Houston Astros. The White Sox won that game and the World Series, sweeping the series in four games.
In 2006, Freddy García reached a milestone of over 1,000 career strikeouts. He also set a record for Venezuelan pitchers. He earned his 103rd career win, becoming the Venezuelan with the most wins in Major League history at that time. He finished the 2006 season with 17 wins and 9 losses. While with the White Sox, he earned the nickname "Big Game" because of his strong performances in important games.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
In December 2006, García was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He was traded for two younger players, Gavin Floyd and Gio González.
Freddy García had a shoulder injury that affected his playing in 2007. He was placed on the injured list in June and had surgery in August. He made 11 starts for the Phillies and earned one win before his injury.
Playing for the Detroit Tigers
In August 2008, García signed a contract to play in a smaller league with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched well in his first two games in the minor leagues. In his first game with the Tigers' main team, he pitched five innings without allowing any runs and got the win.
Playing for the New York Mets
In January 2009, García signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. However, he was released in April 2009 after two difficult starts for their minor league team.
Second Time with the Chicago White Sox
On June 8, 2009, the Chicago White Sox signed Freddy García again to a minor league contract. He returned to pitch for the White Sox's main team in August.
In his first game back, García allowed 5 runs in 4.1 innings. He finished the 2009 season with 3 wins and 4 losses. The White Sox decided to keep him for the 2010 season. He became a free agent after the 2010 season.
Playing for the New York Yankees
On January 31, 2011, García signed a contract to play in a smaller league with the New York Yankees. In March 2011, the Yankees announced he would join their main starting pitchers. He had a good 2011 season with 12 wins and 8 losses and a 3.62 ERA.
García also pitched in the playoffs for the Yankees in 2011. He lost his only playoff start against the Detroit Tigers. Despite this, the Yankees offered him a new contract for the 2012 season.
In 2012, García was expected to compete for a starting spot. He began the 2012 season with some struggles. He was moved to the bullpen (where pitchers come in during games) after having a tough April. David Phelps took his spot as a starter.
García improved quickly once he was in the bullpen. He had a very low ERA during his two months as a relief pitcher. A leg injury to Andy Pettitte in June brought García back into the starting rotation. Overall, he finished the 2012 season with 7 wins and 6 losses. He became a free agent after the season.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
On January 28, 2013, García signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. He was released by the Padres in March. He then signed another minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He was called up to the Orioles' main team in May. He was later moved off the team's main roster in June 2013. A few days later, García signed another minor league contract and returned to the Orioles' minor league team.
Playing for the Atlanta Braves
On August 23, 2013, Freddy García was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He joined their main team in September. García pitched well for the Braves, with a 1-2 record and a 1.65 ERA in September. He started Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Even though the Braves lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, García pitched well, giving up only 2 runs over 6 innings.
He returned to the Braves on a minor league contract in January 2014 but was released in March.
Playing in Other Leagues
After his time in MLB, Freddy García continued to play baseball in other countries.
- EDA Rhinos (Taiwan): In April 2014, García signed with the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan. This was one of the biggest contracts in that league's history at the time.
- Olmecas de Tabasco / Los Angeles Dodgers (Mexico/USA): In February 2015, he signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco in Mexico. In April 2015, he signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers but was released soon after.
- Sultanes de Monterrey (Mexico): He rejoined the Olmecas de Tabasco in June 2015 and was then traded to the Sultanes de Monterrey. He also played for the Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela, where he won a league championship. He retired after the 2016 Caribbean Series. However, he came out of retirement in April 2016 to play for the Sultanes de Monterrey again but was released in May.
- Leones de Yucatán (Mexico): In March 2018, García signed with the Leones de Yucatán in Mexico. He was released in April 2018.
How Freddy García Pitched
When Freddy García was younger, he threw a very fast fastball and a hard slider. As he got older, his pitches became a bit slower. To make up for this, he learned to throw many different types of pitches, sometimes as many as six or seven!
In his later years, García used these pitches:
- Four-seam fastball — a straight, fast pitch
- Slider — a pitch that breaks away from the hitter
- Curveball — a pitch that drops sharply
- Splitter — a pitch that looks like a fastball but drops suddenly
- Changeup — a slower pitch that looks like a fastball to fool hitters
- Sinker — a fastball that moves downward
García also learned to be very careful about where he threw the ball. He tried to keep his pitches on the edges of the strike zone. This made it harder for batters to hit them well.
See also
In Spanish: Freddy García para niños
- List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
