Ryan Rowland-Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ryan Rowland-Smith |
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Rowland-Smith with the Seattle Mariners
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: 26 January 1983 Sydney, Australia |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: 22 June, 2007, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| CPBL: 26 March, 2015, for the EDA Rhinos | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: 14 April, 2014, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |||
| CPBL: 15 May, 2015, for the EDA Rhinos | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 12–17 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.57 | ||
| Strikeouts | 229 | ||
| CPBL statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 1–4 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.70 | ||
| Strikeouts | 45 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Ryan Benjamin Rowland-Smith (born 26 January 1983) is an Australian former professional baseball pitcher. A pitcher is a player who throws the baseball to the batter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Ryan also played for Australia in the World Baseball Classic three times. He also played in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Ryan was born in Sydney, Australia. He grew up watching MLB games on video tapes. The Seattle Mariners signed him right after high school. He spent several years playing for their minor league teams. In June 2007, he joined the Seattle Mariners for the first time. He struck out the first batter he faced, who was a famous player named Ken Griffey Jr..
In 2008, Ryan started as a relief pitcher for the Mariners. A relief pitcher comes into the game after the starting pitcher. He was briefly sent to the minor leagues to practice being a starting pitcher. A starting pitcher begins the game. He came back to the team in August and stayed in their starting group. In 2009, he had an injury and returned in July. He pitched well in many of his games. In 2010, he started 20 games, which was his most ever. After this year, the Mariners let him become a free agent. This means he could sign with any team.
For the next three years, Ryan played in the minor leagues for different teams. In 2014, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was excited because they were starting the season in Australia. His time with the Diamondbacks was short. He then played for the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan in 2015. He played for the Brisbane Bandits in Australia in 2017. Ryan retired after playing in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
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Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Ryan Rowland-Smith was born on 26 January 1983, in Sydney, Australia. His dad, Rob, is a famous trainer. His mom, Julie, was a high school physical education teacher. Ryan was the third child in his family. His parents divorced when he was three years old. Ryan grew up with his mom and sister in Newcastle, New South Wales.
He loved baseball from a young age. He watched games on video tapes because MLB was not shown on TV in Australia. He started playing baseball when he was 12. After finishing high school in 2000, the Seattle Mariners signed him. They were one of the few MLB teams that looked for players in Australia. Ryan was very happy to sign his contract. He said it was his only chance to play professional baseball.
Baseball Career Highlights
Starting Out in the Minor Leagues (2001–2006)
Ryan began his professional career in 2001. He played for the Rookie level Arizona League Mariners. He pitched in 17 games and did very well. In 2002, he played for two different Single-A teams. He learned a lot about pitching in these early years.
In 2003, Ryan continued to play well in the minor leagues. He had a very low earned run average (ERA). ERA shows how many runs a pitcher allows per game. In 2004, he played for the Inland Empire 66ers. He pitched as both a relief pitcher and a starting pitcher. He struck out many batters.
In 2005, the Minnesota Twins chose Ryan in a special draft. But they sent him back to the Mariners later that year. He then played for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. He pitched a career-high 122 innings. In 2006, he split his time between two minor league teams. He continued to improve his pitching skills.
Making it to the Major Leagues (2007)
In 2007, Ryan played for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. Triple-A is the highest level of minor league baseball. He pitched well enough to get called up to the Seattle Mariners in June.
Ryan made his first Major League game appearance on 22 June. He faced Ken Griffey Jr., a famous player, and struck him out! This was a great start to his MLB career. He pitched well in many games that year. He earned his first career win on 13 September. In his first year with Seattle, he struck out 42 batters.
Becoming a Starter (2008)
Ryan started 2008 as a relief pitcher. He made 32 relief appearances. His first Major League start was on 1 July. He pitched three scoreless innings. Later in July, he was sent back to the minor leagues. This was so he could practice being a full-time starting pitcher.
He did well in Tacoma and rejoined the Mariners in August. From August until the end of the season, he had a very good ERA. He pitched seven innings against the Oakland Athletics in August. In 2008, he played in 47 games for the Mariners. He had a 5–3 record and a 3.42 ERA.
Injuries and Comebacks (2009–2010)
In 2009, Ryan had an injury to his arm. He was placed on the disabled list. He went to Tacoma for rehab starts. In July, he was called back up to the Mariners. He pitched well in many of his starts. Three times in 2009, he pitched a season-high eight innings. He finished the season with a 5–4 record and a 3.74 ERA.
In 2010, Ryan started as the third pitcher in the Mariners' starting group. He struggled early in the season. The Mariners moved him to the bullpen for a short time. He returned to the starting group in June. He earned his only win of the year on 20 June. He gave up many runs in a game on 27 July. After that game, he was placed on the disabled list.
Ryan made 20 starts in 2010, which was his most ever. But he only won one game and lost ten. Even with his struggles, he was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award. This award goes to a player who shows great character and helps the community. The Mariners nominated him for his work with a golf tournament. After the 2010 season, the Mariners did not offer him a new contract. He became a free agent.
Playing for Other Teams (2011–2014)
In 2011, Ryan signed with the Houston Astros. He spent most of the season with their Triple-A team. After that season, he became a free agent again.
The Chicago Cubs signed Ryan in 2012. He played the whole season for their Triple-A team. He was used more as a relief pitcher. In 2013, the Boston Red Sox signed him. He had a great record of 7–0 with their Triple-A team. But he never got to pitch for the Red Sox because he got sick.
In 2014, Ryan signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was very excited because the Diamondbacks were starting their season in Australia. He said it was special to play MLB in his home country. He made his last Major League appearance on 14 April. He was later released by the Diamondbacks. He then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and later the Cincinnati Reds. He played for their minor league teams.
Final Years in Baseball (2015–2017)
In 2015, Ryan left the United States. He signed with the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan. He pitched in nine games for them. For the winter of 2015–16, he played one game in the Dominican Republic.
After not playing in 2016, Ryan signed with the Brisbane Bandits in Australia in January 2017. He helped the team win their second championship in a row. Ryan planned to retire after this season. His last games were for Australia in the World Baseball Classic.
Playing for Australia
Ryan Rowland-Smith proudly played for his home country, Australia, many times.
He played for Australia in the 2004 Summer Olympic games. He pitched in four games and helped his team win a silver medal. They made it to the championship game but lost to Cuba.
Ryan was also part of the Australia national baseball team for the 2006 World Baseball Classic. However, he could not pitch because of an elbow injury. He played for Australia again in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The team lost all three of their games in the first round.
Before he retired, Ryan played for Australia one last time in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He pitched well in the qualifying games. Australia won their games against the Philippines and South Africa to move forward. He said the team had the best players and depth. Australia made it to the main tournament but did not advance past the first round.
Life After Playing Baseball
After retiring from playing, Ryan Rowland-Smith became a baseball TV analyst. He started working for Root Sports Northwest in 2017. He appears on shows before and after Seattle Mariners games. He also talks about baseball on the radio for ESPN710 Seattle. He was also an analyst for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Ryan said that talking about baseball was the perfect job for him.
He also started a training camp for young baseball players called NxtGen Baseball. He co-founded it with another Australian player, Trent Oeltjen.
Personal Life
Ryan's grandfather was a minister for sport and recreation in New South Wales. His older sister, Rhiannon, is a competitive surfer. Ryan also enjoys surfing as a hobby.
In 2013, Ryan married Amanda Aardsma. She is an American actress and the sister of his former teammate, David Aardsma. Ryan became good friends with Ken Griffey Jr., the first batter he struck out in MLB. Griffey Jr. even attended Ryan's wedding.
Ryan Rowland-Smith was the first player with a hyphenated last name to play in a Major League Baseball game. During his career, he wrote a blog to connect with his fans. He was also one of the first Mariners players to use Twitter in 2009.
In June 2019, Ryan appeared on the TV show American Ninja Warrior. He competed in the Seattle Qualifying Round. He said he wanted to enjoy the experience and try his best.
Images for kids
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Rowland-Smith pitching against the Oakland Athletics.
