Ken Ray

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Kenneth Alan "Ken" Ray, (born November 27, 1974, Atlanta, Georgia) is a Major League pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. Ray made his MLB debut July 10, 1999.

Early Career

After briefly pitching for the Royals in 1999, Ray spent years battling arm problems while trying to work his way back onto a major league roster.

Back in the Majors

He made a meteoric rise from 2005 to 2006. In 2005, Ray started the season with the independent North Shore Spirit of the Can-Am League before being acquired by the Atlanta Braves organization. He spent the remainder of the season with the AAA Richmond Braves.

During a spring training game in 2006, he caught Braves' manager Bobby Cox's eye with his mid-90's fastball and great changeup. Although he didn't make the Braves' opening day roster, Ray's impression on Cox kept him squarely on the Braves' radar screen. On April 6th, following an injury to starter Horacio Ramirez, Ray was called up from the Richmond Braves, Atlanta's AAA affilliate. He almost immediately became a key contributor to the Braves' bullpen. He is currently used as a closer or as the setup man for Jorge Sosa.

Like several other Braves players, Ray is a local product. He is an Atlanta native and a graduate of Roswell High School. He currently resides in Arizona with his wife and newborn son.

Ken Ray recently, and miraculously, became the full-time closer for the Braves after pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Washington Nationals, striking out two of the three batters he faced, but he struggled a bit in that role and now shares it with Sosa.

Ken Ray is nicknamed "The Key" for an internet mistake when he first came into the league. His name was posted as Key Ray, and he was announced as so in his first appearance with the Kansas City Royals in 1999.

External links

[Baseball-Reference.com] - career statistics and analysis
[ESPN.com: Ken Ray]
[MLB.com profile]

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