Lance Cormier

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**Lance Cormier**
Major League Baseball debut
Atlanta Braves — No. 40
Relief pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
June 18, 2004 for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006 season)
Win-loss	12-12
Earned run average	5.72
Strikeouts	130
Former teams
Arizona Diamondbacks (2004–2005)

Lance Robert Cormier (born August 19, 1980 in Lafayette, Louisiana) is a right-handed baseball pitcher who plays for the Atlanta Braves (2006-present).

Lance went to Lafayette High School and graduated in 1998. He attended the University of Alabama, and in his pitching career there, he went 31-16 with a 3.98 ERA and 17 saves. Lance started his career as a closer and recorded a University of Alabama freshman record 11 saves. In his junior year, Lance switched to being a starting pitcher and went 20-8 in the last two seasons of his college career. Highlights of his college career include being a first team Academic All-American in his senior year. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in finance.

Twice Lance was drafted by a major league team but he didn't sign. On June 2, 1998, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 40th Round of the 1998 amateur draft, but he didn't sign. On June 5, 2001, he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 10th Round of the 2001 amateur draft, but again he didn't sign. The Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him in the 4th Round of the 2002 draft on June 4, 2002.

In 2002, Lance pitched for the Class A South Bend Silver Hawks and the Yakima Bears. With the Silver Hawks, he went 3-0 with 17 strikeouts and a 2.93 earned run average in 27.2 innings. With the Yakima team, he went 0-0 with 3 strikeouts and a 27.00 ERA in 1 inning. His combined statistics for the year were 3 wins and 0 losses, with 20 K's and a 3.83 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched.

Lance played 15 games for the Lancaster JetHawks in 2003, going 6-5 with 59 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA, before being moved up to the AA El Paso Diablos. He had 2 wins and 3 losses, 26 strikeouts, and a 6.10 ERA with the Diablos. His stats for the season were an 8-8 win-loss record, 85 strikeouts, and a 4.53 ERA in 135.2 innings.

Lance started 2004 with El Paso, going 2-3 with a 2.29 ERA in 10 games, including one of his best games on May 6, where he allowed 2 hits in 7 innings and struk out 10. In May, he was promoted to the AAA Tucson Sidewinders, where he had 1 win and 1 loss and a 1.77 ERA. On June 18, he was called up to the big leagues when pitcher Jose Valverde was placed on the disabled list. His first major league start was on June 19 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He lost 11-4, and allowed 5 hits in 1 inning, and was sent back down to Tucson, where he was elected the Diamondbacks June minor league Pitcher of the Month.

After being brought back up to the majors on July 29, Lance beat the Houston Astros, 6-4 in 6.0 innings pitched. Lance struck out five, and recorded his first major league hit. He made a move to the bullpen after losing his next 2 games. From August 29 to September 11, batters only hit .136 off of Lance. He recorded his first big-league RBI on July 29.

In 2005, Lance appeared in 67 games for the D'backs. His 7 wins tied for fourth place among National League relief pitchers. Lance pitched 18.0 scoreless innings at the beginning, and on April 29, he recorded a career-high four strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. He compiled a 1.04 ERA in his last 9 games of the season.

On December 7, 2005, Lance was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with pitcher Óscar Villarreal for catcher Johnny Estrada. He made his first appearance for the Braves on April 3, 2006. After being demoted to the Richmond Braves on August 21, Cormier was called back up to the big league team four days later on August 25.