Jake Peavy, Starting Pitcher, Retired
Date of Birth: 5/31/1981
Birthplace: Mobile, Alabama
Jake Peavy, retired starting pitcher, was a star player in high school, winning the Alabama High School Player of the Year award prior to being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1999. After three years in the minor leagues, he was pitching in 17 games with the Padres in 2002.
In 2003, his first full season in the major leagues, Peavy pitched 194.2 innings in 32 games and he had a 12-11 record with a 4.11 ERA. The following season was a much better one for him. In 2004, he led the National League in ERA with a career low ERA of 2.27. He had a 15-6 record in 27 games in 2004.
Peavy signed a four-year, $14.5 million contract with the Padres in March, 2005. That season, he earned his salary by leading the National League in strikeouts with 216.
Peavy's best season was the 2007 one. That year, he won the National League Cy Young award and the Triple Crown for pitchers, leading the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts. He had a 2.54 ERA with career highs in games played (34), innings pitched (223.1), wins (19 to 6 losses), and strikeouts (240 to 68 walks).
After 13 games with the Padres in 2009, they traded Peavy to the Chicago White Sox. In 2010, he had an arm injury and surgery that limited his playing time to 17 games. He suffered injuries again the following season, pitching in 19 games in 2011.
Peavy came back strong in 2012, pitching 219.0 innings with an 11-12 record and a 3.37 ERA in 32 games. He won a Gold Glove that season for making 22 assists and 14 putouts with just one error and a .973 fielding percentage.
The White Sox traded Peavy to the Red Sox on July 30, 2013. He had a 12-5 record and a 4.17 ERA in 13 games with the White Sox and 10 games with the Red Sox in 2013.
On July 26, 2014, the Red Sox traded Peavy to the San Francisco Giants. He finished the 2014 season with a 7-13 record, 158 strikeouts to 63 walks, and a 3.73 ERA in 20 games with the Red Sox and 12 games with the Giants. He had a poor postseason, finishing with one win and two losses and a 6.19 ERA in 16.0 innings in 4 games. He gave up 18 hits, 11 runs, including one home run.
Peavy signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Giants on December 19, 2014. He finished the 2015 season with an 8-6 record, 78 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a 3.58 ERA in 110.2 innings in 19 games.
Peavy pitched in 21 games as a starter and in 10 games as a reliever in 2016. He finished the season with a 5.54 ERA, 5 wins to 9 losses, and 102 strikeouts to 36 walks in 118.2 innings. He didn't play in the postseason.
Peavy became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He didn't play professional baseball in 2017 and 2018. He retired on May 5, 2019.
Statistics for Peavy in 15 seasons (2002-2016) in the major leagues include:
- 7 seasons with 30 or more games, with a high of 34 in 2007
- 5 seasons with over 200 innings pitched, with a high of 223.1 in 2007
- 8 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 240 in 2007
- 4 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 2.27 in 2004
Career pitching statistics for Peavy through 2016 include:
- 388 games played
- 2,377.0 innings pitched
- 152-126 win-loss record
- 2,207 strikeouts to 708 walks
- 3.63 ERA
Personal Life
Peavy married his wife Katie in 2000. They have four sons.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jake Peavy
ESPN - Jake Peavy