| Travis Blackley | |
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Blackley with the Reno Aces, Triple-A affiliates of the Arizona Diamondbacks, throwing to first base to try to pick off runner on 12 April, 2009. |
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| Starting pitcher | |
| Born: 4 November 1982 | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| 1 July, 2004 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Career statistics (through 2007 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 1-3 |
| Earned run average | 9.35 |
| Strikeouts | 21 |
| Teams | |
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Travis Jarrod Blackley (born 4 November 1982, in Melbourne, Australia) is a former starting pitcher for the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization. He bats and throws left-handed.
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Blackley was signed by the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent on 29 October 2000. He began his professional career with the Single-A Everett AquaSox in 2001. He had a 6-1 record with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts. He also had 90 strikeouts in 78⅔ innings and held opponents to a .211 batting average.
Blackley played for the Single-A San Bernardino Stampede in 2002. He had a 5-9 record with a 3.49 ERA in 21 games, 20 of which were starts. He had 152 strikeouts in 121.1 innings, his strikeouts were second among all Mariners minor leaguers.
Blackley played for the Double-A San Antonio Missions in 2003. His 2003 season was his most impressive of his minor league career. He led the Texas League with 17 wins; was second in ERA (2.61), fourth in strikeouts (144) and fourth in innings pitched (162.1). His 17 wins were the most by a Texas League pitcher since Jeff Reardon of the Jackson Mets in 1978.
He participated in the Texas League Postseason All-Star game and was named to the World squad in the 2003 All-Star Futures Game at U.S. Cellular Field on 15 July. Blackley was also named the Mariners minor league pitcher of the year by the organization.
In 2004, Blackley was named by Baseball America as the #63 prospect out of 100 prospects. He was named the third best prospect in the Mariners system, behind pitchers Félix Hernández and Clint Nageotte, and was their top left-handed prospect. Blackley began the season in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers. The Mariners, after trading Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox, needed another starter and Blackley's contract was purchased on 1 July 2004. He made his major league debut on that same day against the Texas Rangers and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in 5⅔ innings and got the win. He became just the sixth pitcher in Mariners history to start and win on their major league debut.
After spending a month with the major league club in which he went 1-3 with a 10.04 ERA in 6 starts, Blackley was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma on 1 August 2004. He had an 8-6 record with a 3.83 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) with Tacoma in 2004 before ending the season on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis in his left arm.
Blackley missed the whole 2005 season while recovering from left shoulder surgery.
In March of 2006, Blackley was slated to play in the World Baseball Classic with team Australia but was held back to continue rehabbing his shoulder.
Blackley spent the majority of the 2006 season with Double-A San Antonio. After going 8-11 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 starts in Double-A, Blackley was promoted to Triple A Tacoma at the end of August. He made 2 starts in Tacoma and had a 1-1 record with a 4.09 ERA.
On 1 April 2007, following the end of Spring Training, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Jason Ellison. Blackley was immediately optioned to Triple-A Fresno. Blackley played the whole minor league season with the Grizzlies. He went 10-8 with a 4.66 ERA in 28 starts. He was recalled on 21 September, and on 23 September made his first major league start since 31 July 2004 against the Cincinnati Reds. Blackley won his debut, giving up two runs in the first inning and three hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out five.
After being outrighted off the San Francisco roster, on 6 December 2007, Blackley was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft.
Towards the end of the 2008 spring training, Blackley was placed on waivers. The Giants did not reclaim him and the Phillies outrighted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He became a free agent after the season ended.
On 19 December 2008, Blackley signed a major league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[1] On 1 April 2009, Blackley was sent outright to Reno.[2]
Blackley began the 2010 season with the New York Mets AAA affiliate Buffalo Bisons. He was released on 2 May.
On 13 May 2010, he signed with the Oakland Athletics. He is currently playing with their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats.
Travis was named in the 35 man roster for the Melbourne Aces for the inaugural Australian Baseball League season, on 2 December 2010 he was activated onto the 22 man roster and made his debut for the Aces on 5 December starting against the Sydney Blue Sox pitching a rain shortened 1 hit shutout. Blackley previously played for the Victoria Aces in the semi-professional Claxton Shield.
Blackey was first selected for Australia in the 2006 World Baseball Classic but did not play due to an ongoing shoulder injury. He debuted for Australia in the 2007 Baseball World Cup and pitched 0-1 with a 1.64 ERA over the tournament, his only loss coming against the Japan national baseball team when Tadashi Settsu threw a shutout against Australia in the quarter final, with Australia finishing 5th. He played again for Australia in the 2009 World Baseball Classic pitching a no decision against Cuba and a 1.59 ERA over the tournament.
Blackley is married to model Arynne Tiller of Wichita, Kansas and they have a son, Tristan (born 6 January 2005). They reside in Phoenix, Arizona.
Blackley's younger brother, Adam, formerly played in the Boston Red Sox farm system[3] and currently plays with him for the Aces in the ABL and the L&D Amsterdam of the Dutch league Honkbal Hoofdklasse.
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