John Lackey, Retired
Date of Birth: 10/23/1978
Birthplace: Abilene, Texas
College: University of Texas at Arlington
John Lackey, retired starting pitcher, was first drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 1999. He played in the minor leagues from 1999 through most of 2002, joining the Red Sox that season for 18 games.
In 2003, his first full season in the major leagues, Lackey pitched 204.0 innings in 33 games. He finished the season with a 10-16 record and a 4.63 ERA. The following year, he had a career high 199 strikeouts (to 71 walks), a 14-5 record, and a 3.44 ERA in 33 games.
Lackey's best season was 2007 when he led the American League in ERA. That year, he pitched a career high 224.0 innings in 33 games and he had a career high 19 wins (to 9 losses) and a career low ERA of 3.01.
Lackey became a free agent after the 2009 season ended and he signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Red Sox in December, 2009. In his first season with Boston, he had a 14-11 record with a 4.40 ERA in 33 games.
Lackey had Tommy John surgery in 2011 and he missed the entire 2012 season. In 2013, he pitched in 29 games and he had a 10-13 record and a 3.52 ERA.
On July 31, 2014, Lackey was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the 2014 season with a 14-10 record, 164 strikeouts to 47 walks, and a 3.82 ERA in 21 games with the Red Sox and 10 games with the Cardinals. In the postseason, he pitched 13.0 innings in two games and he gave up 10 hits and 5 runs. He had one win and a 3.46 ERA.
Lackey pitched in 33 games with the Cardinals in 2015. He finished the season with a 13-10 record, 175 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a career low ERA of 2.77 in 218.0 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 10.1 innings in 2 games and he gave up 6 hits, including a home run, and 4 runs.
Lackey signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on December 8, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with a 3.35 ERA, 11 wins to 8 losses, and 180 strikeouts to 53 walks in 188.1 innings in 29 games. In 3 postseason games, he pitched 13.0 innings and he gave up 14 hits and 8 runs.
Lackey had a 4.59 ERA in 31 games with the Cubs in 2017. He had 12 wins and 12 losses and 149 strikeouts to 53 walks in 188.1 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 3.2 innings in relief in 3 games and he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs.
Lackey elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He didn't play professional baseball in 2018.
Lackey retired after the 2018 season.
Statistics for Lackey in 15 seasons (2002-2011, 2013-2017) in the major leagues include:
- 7 seasons with 33 games
- 6 seasons with over 200 innings pitched, with a high of 224.0 in 2007
- 9 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 199 in 2005
Career pitching statistics for Lackey through 2018 include:
- 448 games played
- 2,840.1 innings pitched
- 188-147 win-loss record
- 2,294 strikeouts to 815 walks
- 3.92 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - John Lackey
ESPN - John Lackey