Tyler Walker

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For the NASCAR driver, see Tyler Walker (NASCAR).

**Tyler Walker**

San Francisco Giants — No. 51
Relief pitcher
Born: May 15, 1976 (1976-05-15) (age 32)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
July 2, 2002 for the New York Mets
Selected MLB statistics (through April 25, 2008)
Win-Loss	16-9
Earned Run Average	4.41
Strikeouts	148
Teams
New York Mets (2002) San Francisco Giants (2004-2006, 2007-present) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006)

Tyler Lanier Walker (born May 15, 1976 in San Francisco, California) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the San Francisco Giants. He is an alumnus of San Francisco University High School and University of California, Berkeley. Walker has pitched for the New York Mets (2002), the San Francisco Giants (2004-2006, 2007-present), and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006).

[edit] Major league career

Tyler Walker's big break came in 2005, when Giants' closer Armando Benítez was out of action for three months. With only one Major League save in his career to that point, Walker filled in admirably by converting 23 out of 28 save opportunities. On June 17, in a game against the Detroit Tigers, Walker made history by becoming the first pitcher to record a save (since the save rule became an official stat in 1969) by entering a game with the bases loaded with nobody out and proceeding to strike out all three batters he faced without allowing a run to score.

Early in the 2006 season, Walker was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Carlos Hines. On June 14 of that year, he was placed on the disabled list with a strained right elbow, and later underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. On December 10, 2006, he signed a minor league deal with the Giants. He pitched in 15 games late in the 2007 season and is expected to play an important role as a set-up man for closer Brian Wilson in 2008.