Jerome Williams (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerome Williams |
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Williams with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2012
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| Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: December 4, 1981 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 26, 2003, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| CPBL: March 21, 2010, for the Uni-President Lions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 26, 2016, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| CPBL: October 3, 2010, for the Uni-President Lions | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 52–66 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.59 | ||
| Strikeouts | 655 | ||
| CPBL statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 7–9 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.11 | ||
| Strikeouts | 76 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Jerome Lee Williams (born December 4, 1981) is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 to 2016. During his career, he played for many teams, including the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He also played for the Uni-President Lions in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan.
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Baseball Career
Starting in the Major Leagues
In 1999, the San Francisco Giants chose Williams in the first round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. This meant they saw him as one of the most promising young players in the country. He spent over four years playing in minor league teams to develop his skills.
In 2003, he was finally called up to the major leagues to play for the Giants. He had a great first season, winning 7 games and losing 5, with a low 3.30 Earned Run Average (ERA). A lower ERA means the pitcher is more effective at preventing the other team from scoring. He continued to be a starting pitcher for the Giants in 2004, winning 10 games.
In 2005, after a few games with the Giants, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In his first game with the Cubs, he pitched for seven innings and only allowed two runs.
Challenges and a Comeback
Williams played for the Washington Nationals in 2007 but had to stop playing due to an ankle injury. After he recovered, he had another injury to his shoulder. Because of these challenges, he was released from the team.
For the next few years, Williams played for several minor league and independent teams, including teams connected to the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics. He also played winter baseball in Puerto Rico and spent the 2010 season playing in Taiwan for the Uni-President Lions.
Return to MLB
In 2011, Williams made a successful return to Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On August 21, 2011, he won his first MLB game in six years. He became an important part of the Angels' pitching team, sometimes starting games and sometimes coming in as a relief pitcher.
Williams played for the Angels for three seasons. In 2013, he started 25 games and had a record of 9 wins and 10 losses.
Playing for More Teams
After leaving the Angels, Williams played for several more MLB teams. In 2014, he played for the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers, and the Philadelphia Phillies all in the same season. That year, he set an interesting MLB record by becoming the first pitcher to beat the same team (the Oakland Athletics) while playing for three different teams in one season.
He stayed with the Phillies for the 2015 season. His final MLB season was in 2016 with the St. Louis Cardinals. After that, he played for a short time in independent and Mexican baseball leagues before retiring in 2018.
Coaching Career
After his playing career ended, Williams decided to become a coach to help younger players.
- In 2021, he was the pitching coach for the St. Lucie Mets, a minor league team for the New York Mets.
- In 2023, he became the pitching coach for the State College Spikes in the MLB Draft League.
- In 2024, he was named the pitching coach for the Yolo High Wheelers in the Pioneer League.
Pitching Style
Williams was known for throwing many different types of pitches to keep hitters guessing. His main pitches were:
- A sinker and a four-seam fastball, which are fast pitches.
- A cut fastball, which moves slightly to the side as it reaches the batter.
- A changeup, which looks like a fastball but is much slower.
- A slider and a curveball, which are breaking balls that curve as they fly.
Personal Life
Williams grew up in Waipahu, Hawaii. He was known for always wearing a puka shell necklace when he played. He wore it to honor his mother, Deborah, who passed away from breast cancer in 2001 while he was in the minor leagues.
To further honor his mother and support the search for a cure for breast cancer, Williams also used a pink glove whenever he pitched.
