John Halama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians — No. -- | |
| Pitcher | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 2, 1998 for the Houston Astros | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Win-loss | 56-48 |
| Earned run average | 4.65 |
| Strikeouts | 492 |
| Former teams | |
John Thadeuz Halama (born February 22, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Cleveland Indians organization. Previously, Halama played with the Houston Astros (1998), Seattle Mariners (1999-2002), Oakland Athletics (2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004), Boston Red Sox (2005), Washington Nationals (2005), and Baltimore Orioles (2006). He bats and throws left-handed.
A native from Brooklyn, New York, Halama has a resilient arm that lends itself to starting or long relief. He relies basically on a sinking fastball that tops out in the mid-80's with an occasional slider and change-up mixed up. When his sinker is working, Halama doesn't need much else. He is one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in baseball.
Halama made his debut with the Astros in 1998. At midseason, he was sent to Seattle along with Freddy García and Carlos Guillén in the same trade that brought Randy Johnson to Houston. Halama won 41 games for the Mariners in a four-year span, with a career high 14 victories in 2000. In 2004, Halama went 7-6 with a 4.70 ERA in 34 appearances, including 14 starts for the Rays. He was signed by Boston as a free agent at the end of the season. He was later released by Boston and ended up with the Washington Nationals.
Spanning a career of seven-plus seasons in the Major Leagues, Halama has compiled a 53-44 record with 469 strikeouts and a 4.60 ERA in 860.1 innings pitched.
In 2001, Halama threw one of only 8 perfect games in the history of the Pacific Coast League.
Halama pitched for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League in 2007 and was selected by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the 2008 expansion draft.
On June 5, 2008, Halama signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, and was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
