Scott Baker (baseball)

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**Scott Baker**

Minnesota Twins — No. 30
Starting pitcher
Born: September 19, 1981 (1981-09-19) (age 26)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
May 7, 2005 for the Minnesota Twins
Selected MLB statistics (through June 5, 2008)
Win-Loss	19-20
Earned run average	4.63
Strikeouts	228
Teams
Minnesota Twins (2005-present)

Timothy Scott Baker (born September 19, 1981 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins. He made his major league debut in May 2005 with the Twins as a middle reliever during a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and had two road starts against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Detroit Tigers before being permanently placed on the pitching rotation at the end of August 2005 to replace struggling pitcher Joe Mays, who was demoted to the Twins bullpen. Baker won in his first start on August 29, 2005, defeating the Kansas City Royals 3-2. He won the fifth starter role for the 2006 Twins over teammate Francisco Liriano. His pitching struggles in the beginning of the 2006 season resulted in his being demoted to the AAA Rochester Red Wings; however, he was recalled in September 2006. He started the 2007 season at Rochester before being called up to start in place of the released Sidney Ponson on May 18, 2007.

1 High school years
2 College years
3 Major league career
4 External links

[edit] High school years

Baker attended Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport and was an All-State selection as a senior. Baker graduated from Captain Shreve High School in 2000.

[edit] College years

Baker played college baseball at Oklahoma State University.

[edit] Major league career

In 2005 and 2006, Baker struggled, posting a record of 8-11. After a promising 2007 debut, in which he pitched 8 1/3 innings, he struggled in his next 5 starts. On June 20, he pitched a solid five innings, giving up only two runs, and was pulled out of the game only so manager Ron Gardenhire could use a pinch hitter against the New York Mets. This performance sparked a turnaround in his pitching, and he finished the season 9-9 with a 4.26 ERA.

On August 31, 2007, Baker took a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at the Metrodome during the second game of a doubleheader, but lost his bid for perfection when he issued a walk to the first batter he faced in the ninth, John Buck. The second hitter after Buck that he faced, Mike Sweeney, hit a single, ending Baker's bid for a no-hitter. Baker finished the game by beating the Royals 5-0 while allowing just one hit and completing his second complete game of his career. Baker has a fastball in the upper 80s and lower 90s, with some movement, a good changeup, a curveball, and a slider[1][2]