| Philip Humber | |
|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox – No. 41 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: December 21, 1982 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 24, 2006 for the New York Mets | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
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| Win-Loss | 11-10 |
| Earned run average | 4.12 |
| Strikeouts | 151 |
| Teams | |
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Philip Gregory Humber (born December 21, 1982 in Nacogdoches, Texas) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.
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Humber attended Carthage High School in Carthage, Texas. Humber was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 29th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign, choosing instead to attend Rice University.
Humber was a dominant pitcher during his three college seasons for the Rice Owls baseball team, stepping into the nationally-ranked Owls' starting rotation as a freshman. Humber finished his freshman season in 2002 with an 11-1 record, a 2.78 earned run average and a Western Athletic Conference leading 130 strikeouts, earning National Freshman Player of the Year honors from Collegiate Baseball and All-America honors from several publications.
His sophomore season in 2003 saw the development of Rice's "Big Three" rotation, featuring Humber and classmates Wade Townsend and Jeff Niemann. Humber put together another strong showing in 2003, posting an 11-3 record with a 3.30 ERA as Rice won its first national championship. He pitched a complete game in the decisive third game of the 2003 College World Series, a 14-2 win over Stanford University. He was honored with 'Philip Humber Day' in his hometown of Carthage, Texas.
In his junior season of 2004, Humber compiled a 13-4 record and 2.27 ERA. He also set the Rice single-game record for strikeouts when he fanned 17 Hawaii hitters March 20, 2004. After being upset in the Houston Regional by Texas A&M, Humber looked forward to the Major League Baseball Draft. Humber, Niemann, and Townsend were all selected in the first eight picks of the 2004 draft - the first time three teammates had ever gone so early in the same draft.
Humber was the New York Mets' first-round draft pick out of Rice University in 2004. The third overall pick in that draft, he received a $3.7 million signing bonus in January 2005 after a long holdout.
He entered spring training 2005 with the Mets, and after a brief stint there, he was sent to Single-A St. Lucie, where, in fourteen starts, he posted a 2-6 record and a 4.99 ERA. Humber was then promoted to Double-A Binghamton, where Humber, in one start gave up three earned runs in four innings. Humber left the game early due to elbow pain, which required Tommy John Surgery. He resumed pitching with St. Lucie, posting a 2.37 ERA in 7 starts.
On July 31, 2006, 377 days after his surgery, Humber was once again promoted to Binghamton, where he was 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA. He made his major league debut on September 24, 2006.
Humber made his first Major League start on September 26, 2007, against the Washington Nationals. The Mets, having lost eight of their previous 12 games and seen their lead over the Philadelphia Phillies decrease from seven games to two, removed Mike Pelfrey from the final rotation to give an extra day of rest to pitchers Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, and John Maine. Although the Mets raced out to a 6-2 lead, Humber allowed five runs in four-plus innings, receiving a no decision in a game the Mets eventually lost, 9-6. The decision to start Humber was seen as emblematic of the Mets' desperation. As George Vecsey wrote in The New York Times, "How did it come to this? How did the entire Mets' season come to depend so much on a young pitcher, Philip Humber, who had never started in the major leagues until last night?"[1] Humber did not start another major league game until August 21, 2010 as a member of the Kansas City Royals.
On February 2, 2008, Humber was included in a trade to the Minnesota Twins along with Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra, and Carlos Gómez for Johan Santana. Though he spent most of the 2008 season assigned to the Twins' triple A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, he did appear in five games for the Twins, pitching 11.2 innings, and posting a 4.63 ERA and six strikeouts.
On April 17, 2009, Humber was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Morillo.
On December 15, 2009, Humber signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals with an invite to spring training.
On June 10, 2010, while pitching in a game for the Omaha Royals, Humber was hit in the face on a line drive by Luis Cruz. After lying on the mound for a few minutes, he was able to get up and walk on his own to the dugout. He was then transported to a local hospital.
Humber was called up by the Kansas City Royals on August 5, 2010, when Kansas City designated José Guillén for assignment. On August 25, Humber pitched three relief innings for the Royals against the Detroit Tigers and earned his first major league win.
In December 2010, Humber was waived by the Royals and claimed by the Oakland Athletics.[2]
On January 18, 2011, Humber was waived by the Athletics and claimed by the Chicago White Sox.
On April 9, 2011 Humber won his first start with the White Sox, pitching 6 2/3 innings and only allowing one run.
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