Freddy García

For other uses, see Freddy García (disambiguation). Freddy Garcia
Free Agent — No. 34 Starting PitcherBorn: June 10, 1976(1976-06-10) (age 32)
Caracas, VenezuelaBats: Right Throws: Right Major League Baseball debut April 7, 1999 for the Seattle Mariners Selected MLB statistics
(through 2007) Win-Loss 117-76 Earned Run Average 4.07 Strikeouts 1252 Teams

García with the Chicago White Sox in 2006

Freddy Antonio García (born June 10, 1976 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who last played for the Philadelphia Phillies. García began his major league career with the Seattle Mariners in 1999 and was traded to the Chicago White Sox during the 2004 season. He bats and throws right-handed.

Signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1993, García was acquired by Seattle in 1998, along with Carlos Guillén and John Halama in the trade that sent Randy Johnson to the Astros.

During García's rookie season, he pitched 201 innings, compiling a 17-8 record with 170 strikeouts and a 4.07 ERA in 33 starts. After going 9-5 in his second season, he went on to win 18, 16, 12, 13, and 14 games over the course of the next five seasons.

Freddy was the starting pitcher in the championship clinching Game 4 of the 2005 World Series for the Chicago White Sox, going 7 innings and allowing no earned runs.

Freddy experienced a bit of controversy in 2006 when it was alleged by a Venezuelan newspaper that he failed a drug test during the World Baseball Classic.[1]

In 2006, he surpassed 1200 strikeouts for his career. In eight post-season games, he is 5-2 with a 3.56 ERA in 48 innings. Also during 2006, on April 29, García recorded his 103rd career win in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, surpassing former White Sox left-hander Wilson Alvarez as the Venezuelan native with most career wins in Major League history.

He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on December 6, 2006, in exchange for prospects Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez [2]. While Phillies fans eagerly anticipated Garcia's 2007 season, he failed to live up to even the lowest of expectations. Garcia hid a shoulder injury for the first several months of the season and was finally placed on the disabled list in June. He made 11 starts before being placed on the DL and earned one win. That win infamously became known in Philadelphia as the "ten million dollar win," in reference to Garcia's ten million dollar salary. Garcia was not re-signed by the Phillies after the 2007 season.

García throws a fastball that can get into the 90s and a hard slider. He also throws a two-seamer, a curve, a changeup and occasionally uses a splitter.

Freddy Garcia has started to throw off the mound and is looking at return date to baseball in july and several teams has express interest in him.

Freddy Garcia has started to work his way back from injury by throwing and pitching and getting in shape and has schedule a return date by something in July 2008. Several teams has interest in him.

1 Highlights
2 Trivia
3 See also
4 Sources

Highlights

Two time All-Star (2001 and 2002)
Led league in ERA (3.05, 2001)
Led league in innings pitched (238.2, 2001)
Won a world championship with the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 season.

Trivia

Garcia was the American League pitcher on the mound when the 2002 All-Star Game was called after 11 innings, and ended as a 7-7 tie. The other pitcher was Philadelphia's Vicente Padilla.