Freddy García
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Freddy Antonio García (born June 10, 1976 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Chicago White Sox since 2004. García began his major league career with the Seattle Mariners in 1999 and was traded to the White Sox in the 2004 midseason. He bats and throws right handed.
Signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1993, García was brought to Seattle in 1998 along with Carlos Guillén and John Halama in the same trade that sent Randy Johnson to the Astros.
García exceeded expectations in his rookie season by handling one difficult role, namely that of the substitute for departed Johnson. He was a stable and effective performer, rolling up 201 innings and compiling a 17-8 record with 170 strikeouts and a 4.07 ERA in 33 starts. After going for 9-5 in his sophomore year, he won 18, 16, 12, 13, and 14 the next five seasons.
Basically, García is a hard thrower with a fastball that can get into the 90s and a hard slider. He also throws a two-seamer, a curve and a changeup. García has a splitter but he rarely throws it. Sometimes, he uses his breaking ball while neglecting to establish the fastball. García works hard to hold baserunners with a variety of pickoff moves and also helps himself defensively with good skills and instincts.
Through the 2005 season, García has posted a 99-62 record with 1067 strikeouts and a 3.93 ERA in 1427.1 innings. In eight post-season games he is 5-2, 38, 3.56, in 48 innings.
Highlights
- Two time All-Star (2001 and 2002)
- Led league in ERA (3.05, 2001)
- Led league in innings pitched (238.2, 2001)
Fact
- On August 15, 2001, García combined with fellow Venezuelan pitchers Giovanni Carrara, Omar Daal and Kelvim Escobar to win their respective starts: García, in a Seattle victory over the Red Sox, 6-2; Carrara, of the Dodgers, facing Montreal, 13-1; Daal, of the Phillies, against Milwaukee, 8-6, and Escobar, of the Blue Jays, over Oakland, 5-2. This marked the first time in major league history that four pitchers coming from Venezuela have recorded a winning game in their respective starts in the same day.
- On August 23, 2005, Garcia pitched a complete game one-hitter against Minnesota, giving up only one home-run. The White Sox were unable to score any runs, and Garcia became one of the few pitchers ever to lose a one-hitter
- On April 29, 2006, García recorded his 103rd career win in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, surpassing former White Sox left-hander Wilson Alvarez as the winningest Venezuelan native in Major League history.
- Freddy is married to Glyndis, who is the niece of his current manager, Ozzie Guillén. They had a baby in late 2005.
- Freddy experienced a bit of controversy in 2006 when it was revealed that he failed a drug test during the World Baseball Classic.
See also
Sources
- [ESPN] - profile and daily updates
- [Baseball-Reference.com] - career statistics and analysis
- [Baseball Library] - article
- [Retrosheet] - 2001 box scores
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