Jeff Suppan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeffrey Scot Suppan (pronounced /ˈsuːpɑːn/^[1]; born January 2, 1975, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.

[edit] Baseball career

Suppan was drafted out of high school (Crespi Carmelite High School) by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors. He played with the Sox through the 1997 season and then was picked up by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks for 1998. Late in the 1998 season, he moved to the Kansas City Royals, where he stayed through 2002. In 2003, he opened the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was traded back to the Red Sox for their stretch run.

The Cardinals acquired Suppan as a free agent in 2004, and he embarked upon a career year, posting a 16–9 won-lost record and a 4.16 earned run average, with 110 strikeouts, 65 walks, and 192 hits allowed in 188 innings. Suppan helped lead the Cards to the 2004 World Series, where he started Game 3.

In 2005, improved on his previous year's performance, going 16–10 with a 3.57 ERA. He started Game 4 of the National League Championship series against the Houston Astros, allowing one run over five innings but came away with a no-decision after the Astros took the lead later in the game.

Suppan has hit two career Major League home runs, both off Steve Trachsel of the New York Mets. His first was on September 10, 2005. The Cardinals won the game 4–2.^[2] He hit his second in Game 3 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. The Cardinals would win the game 5–0 to take a 2–1 lead in the series.

Suppan started Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the New York Mets. He did not factor in the decision, giving up only one run in seven innings, but the Cardinals won 3–1, earning him the National League Championship Series MVP. Suppan in the 2006 NLDS and NLCS had an 0.60 ERA.

As of the end of the 2006 season, Suppan has a won-lost record of 106–101 over 12 Major League seasons. He has a career ERA of 4.60 with 16 complete games, five shutouts and 1,048 strikeouts in 317 games (301 starts). During the 2006 offseason Suppan signed a four-year, $42 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. As of 2006, Suppan held a career ERA of 1.76 at Miller Park, where he was to pitch for the Brewers in 2007.

Suppan is one of only 7 ballplayers who pitched in the NL in 2007 who won at least 12 games in each year from 2004-07, the others being Carlos Zambrano, Greg Maddux, Roy Oswalt, Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, and Jason Marquis.

Suppan, along with teammates J. J. Hardy, Bill Hall, and Chris Capuano appeared in an episode of The Young and the Restless which aired on CBS on June 20, 2007.^[3]

[edit] Restaurant

Suppan (whose nickname is, appropriately, "Soup") is also a restaurateur. His restaurant, Soup's Grill, is jointly operated with his wife. It is located in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles, California on Ventura Blvd. The house specializes not in soups but in Philly cuisine, including cheesesteaks and dressed fries.

[edit] Political involvement

Suppan gained some notoriety outside of baseball for appearing in a political advertisement alongside other celebrities, Patricia Heaton, Jim Caviezel, and Kurt Warner during the 2006 World Series. The ad aired in opposition to the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2006), which protects—in Missouri—stem cell research that is legal under federal law. However, the ad was often mischaracterized as a counter to an earlier ad featuring actor Michael J. Fox.^[4] Fox's ad was to promote Senate candidate Claire McCaskill and particularly her support for expanded stem cell research on the federal level. The ad featuring Suppan did not mention McCaskill, her opponent (Jim Talent), or the issue of federal funding for stem cell research—the issues Michael J. Fox focused on in his ad. Rather, the Suppan ad focused directly on opposing Amendment 2—repeating the claims of Amendment 2 opponents. The timing of both ads during a World Series that featured the St. Louis Cardinals was intended to draw the particular attention of Missouri voters.

Suppan is a very devout Catholic, appearing in the DVD, "Champions of Faith".^[5]

[edit] Career highlights

• One-time World Series Champion (2006 St. Louis Cardinals)
• 2006 National League Championship Series MVP

[edit] See also

• Arizona Diamondbacks all-time roster

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Suppan's career statistics at baseball-reference.com
• Jeff Suppan's restaurant