Rick White (baseball player)

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Rick White
Houston Astros — No. 00
Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
April 6, 1994 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Selected MLB statistics
(through 2006)
Record     41-53
ERA     4.31
Strikeouts     524
Former teams

    Richard Allen White (Born December 23, 1968 in Springfield, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros. White has spent parts of eleven seasons in the majors, working primarily as a relief pitcher. He is 6' 4" tall and weighs 215 pounds, and he bats and throws with his right hand. The 38-year-old righthander has played on 10 major league teams.

    [edit] Career summary

    After graduating from Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, White attended Paducah Community College. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 15th round of the 1990 June draft, with the 390th overall pick, and having signed quickly, made his professional debut with the Pirates' affiliate in the Gulf Coast League that fall. White worked primarily as a starting pitcher while advancing through the minors, and he started 14 games as a swingman with the Pirates in 1994 and 1995, before settling in as a reliever with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

    White enjoyed his best seasons as a professional with the Devil Rays, spending two and a half seasons as a key part of their bullpen, before being traded to the New York Mets in 2000. The Mets acquired White and outfielder Bubba Trammell in exchange for pitcher Paul Wilson and outfielder Jason Tyner. The Mets advanced to the World Series that season, but lost to the New York Yankees in five games.

    White appeared in the postseason for a second time in 2002 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, who were eliminated in the NLCS by the San Francisco Giants. On June 23, 2006, the Philadelphia Phillies claimed Rick White off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. On February 2, 2007, the Houston Astros signed Rick White to a minor-league contract.

    [edit] Notes and trivia

    • White throws four pitches: a fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a forkball.
    • Other major-league pitchers who attended Kenton Ridge High School include Dustin Hermanson and Dave Burba
    • During pre-game warmups on May 12, 1999, he and pitcher Jim Mecir were involved in a serious collision in the outfield while chasing a fly ball in batting practice. White was unhurt, but Mecir broke his elbow and missed the rest of the season.
    • White has never led his league in a major category, and has only ranked among the top ten once: He ranked ninth in the National League in hit batsmen in 1994, with a total of six.
    • One of few players to wear 00 or single digit numbers in the Major Leagues as a pitcher.

    [edit] External links