Joel Zumaya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Detroit Tigers — No. 54 | |
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: November 9, 1984 Chula Vista, California |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 3, 2006 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
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| Win-Loss | 8-6 |
| Earned run average | 2.62 |
| Strikeouts | 124 |
| Teams | |
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Joel Martin Zumaya (born November 9, 1984, in Chula Vista, California) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
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[edit] Baseball career
Zumaya was drafted out of Bonita Vista High School in the 11th round by the Tigers, the 320th overall selection of the 2002 MLB amateur draft. He was chosen because of his power arm, but it wasn't clear whether he would be able to develop adequate control or an off-speed pitch. He is widely known for his 100 MPH fastball and revved up attitude. He uses his change-up, which he gets to about 88 mph, more on left-handed batters.
[edit] Minor league career
Zumaya began his stint in the Tigers minor league system as a starting pitcher. Because he was drafted straight out of high school, Zumaya frequently pitched against players older than himself. In 2003, the 18-year-old Zumaya made great strides pitching for the low-A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps. 2004 saw Zumaya begin the year pitching for the high-A affiliate Lakeland Tigers, before a late season promotion to the AA Erie SeaWolves. The results were inconclusive, as he finished with only a .500 win-loss record and struggled with walks. Zumaya began the 2005 season back in Erie; however, his results were much improved from 2004, and he was soon promoted to the AAA Toledo Mud Hens. He finished the season with an impressive 199 strikeouts in 151 innings pitched. In 77 games over 4 seasons, Zumaya was 27-19, and averaged 6.4 hits and 11.1 strikeouts per 9 innings.
[edit] Major league career
With the Tigers, he has most often been used as a middle relief pitcher, and occasionally as a setup man, filling the innings after the starter has finished and before the closer has come in. Zumaya is a fan favorite for his intense, aggressive attitude on the mound and his 100 mph fastball, which has topped out at over 104 mph (and earned him the nickname "Zoom-Zoom"). He also has a very good knuckle-curve that he uses quite effectively as an off-speed pitch. He was among the primary reasons for the Tigers' bullpen success in 2006.
While he held batters to a .187 batting average in 2006, he was even tougher with runners in scoring position (.176), and 2 outs and runners in scoring position (.143).
Zumaya remained in the bullpen for the 2006 playoffs.
His future as a starter or reliever has not yet been determined. Zumaya has stated that he prefers the bullpen, although has said that he'd start if given the chance. Zumaya was sidelined for the 2006 American League Championship Series by a sore wrist, which Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski disclosed in a December 2006 radio interview was due to Zumaya playing the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero.[1][2] On the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II, the credits read "No pitchers were harmed in the making of this game. Except for one. Joel Zumaya. He had it coming."[3]
During home games at Comerica Park, Zumaya enters the game from the bullpen to the song "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix.
In May 2007, he ruptured a tendon in his hand, requiring surgery and 12 weeks rehab. On August 20, 2007, the Tigers activated Zumaya from the 15-day disabled list after not playing since May 1st. The next day, he made his first major league appearance following the injury, pitching to one batter in a game against the Cleveland Indians.
During the 2007 season, the Tigers drafted Zumaya's brother, Richard Zumaya, who has signed with the Tigers and has spent the rest of the season pitching with the GCL Tigers.[4]
Zumaya sustained another injury, this time to his shoulder, during the 2007 offseason. While helping his father move some boxes in the attic, a 50-60 pound box fell on his shoulder, separating it. His return date for 2008 is uncertain, although he will be on the disabled list until at least mid-season.[5] Zumaya pitched his first rehab game for the 2008 season June 3 for the single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. In 2 innings of relief, Zumaya did not give up any runs while striking out 1 and allowing a hit and a base on balls.[6] The Tigers have set a goal of the end of June for Zumaya's return, along with fellow reliever Fernando Rodney, also recovering from a shoulder injury.
[edit] Record-setting fastballs
Although not official, the fastest observed fastball speed was a pitch from Mark Wohlers during spring training in 1995, which allegedly clocked in at 103 mph.[7]
The official record according to the Guinness Book of World Records is 100.9 mph by Nolan Ryan in 1974. Ryan's pitch was clocked using coherent infrared radar.[8]
The reliability of radar guns used at MLB games more recently has been questioned. USA Today columnist Mike Lopresti reported that FOX was using radar guns which recorded speeds 3 to 4 miles an hour faster than the readings on the McAfee Coliseum radar guns in Game 1 of the 2006 American League Championship Series.[9]
During the 2006 season, Zumaya often threw pitches that were clocked at or above the official record reading of 101 mph. On July 3, 2006, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, and Fernando Rodney each threw multiple fastballs clocked in at over 100 MPH, becoming the first time in MLB history that 3 pitchers, on the same team, had done so during 1 game, just 5 games into the season they became the first MLB team to have 3 pitchers, the same 3, throw over 100 MPH in a season. On July 4, 2006, at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California, Zumaya threw a pitch clocked at 103 mph, thus tying the "unofficial" record held by Wohlers.[7] On July 20, 2006, in a game against the Chicago White Sox, Zumaya threw a fastball that television speedguns recorded at 104 MPH, but it has not yet been decided if this speed will be recognized. Similarly, on May 20, 2006, Zumaya gave up a grand slam to Ken Griffey, Jr. on a pitch that FSN Detroit's radar gun clocked at 104 mph,[10] but it was concluded that the fastball was 100 mph, and the ball that was hit was traveling 104 mph.[citation needed]
Zumaya hit 104 mph on the Comerica Park radar gun Monday, August 7, while pitching against Minnesota Twins IF Nick Punto. Zumaya reached 101 mph or higher on 5 of 6 pitches during the at-bat. He also reached 103 mph during the Tigers' 4-3 playoff victory at Yankee Stadium on October 5, 2006;[11] and also on October 10th, 2006, during Game 1 of the ALCS in Oakland, against the A's.[12]
Despite the accuracy of radar guns being in question, it is likely that Zumaya throws some of the fastest pitches in baseball. By contrast, other pitchers have reached 100 mph on television radar guns, but do not usually reach 103 mph (this group includes Bobby Jenks, Kyle Farnsworth, and Billy Wagner, among others). If the readings are in fact inflated by 3 to 4 miles per hour, then Zumaya would really feature a 100 mph fastball, while other pitchers would clock in at 97-98 mph. In an interview for Detroit radio station WRIF, former Tigers pitcher Denny McLain stated that he believed the numbers on stadium and television radar guns were inflated. However, he also claimed that Zumaya had the most consistently fast pitches he had seen in person since Nolan Ryan and former Houston Astro J.R. Richard.
With no scientific evidence (such as Nolan Ryan's infrared radar pitch), the true speed of Joel Zumaya's fastball remains a matter of interpretation or perspective.
However there is a new technology on the horizon that reads pitch speeds more accurately and does not inflate those numbers. It uses cameras and software to obtain the data. This new technology comes from Major League Baseball in its Advanced Media section. Part of Enhanced Gameday tracks pitch speed, break, and trajectory.[13] One pitch registered on this was clocked at 104.8 mph at release by Joel Zumaya. This was during Game 1 of the ALCS against Frank Thomas of the Oakland Athletics on October 10, 2006, at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum (other readings were at 103 mph; the slowest reading was 102 mph).
It should be noted that temperature, wind velocity, barometric pressure, and other factors can affect the speed of a pitch. Historically, baseball has seen both the height of the mound moved up, and the mound moved back (1890s), which could be factors in comparing the fastest pitchers of all time.
After the 2006 season, The Bill James Handbook published a list of pitchers and the number of their pitches thrown at 100 mph or more. Zumaya led the Major Leagues with 233, while Kyle Farnsworth was second with 26. The National League leader was Billy Wagner, with 5. Zumaya's average fastball was an astonishing 98.6 mph, with 100+ mph fastballs coming every 1 out of 6 pitches.[14]
During a March 30th, 2007 spring training game against the New York Yankees, the Joker Marchant Stadium speedgun reported one of his pitches as being 107 MPH; however, his fastest fastball in terms of actual speed during that game was 103.[15][16]
During an April 21st, 2007 game against the Chicago White Sox, Zumaya hit 104 MPH on the Comerica Park radar gun.[17]
[edit] Quotes about Zumaya
- "If you've never seen Joel Zumaya before, get ready. This guy can bring it." - Joe Buck, during game 3 of the 2006 World Series
- "Well, we had the heat with Verlander, and now the heat's going to be turned up even more." - Jon Miller on ESPN television as Zumaya entered Game 2 of the 2006 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium
- "Not fair. Not fair at all" - Fox Sports Net commentator Rod Allen, referring to Zumaya having used his breaking ball following five consecutive 100 mph-plus fastballs to strike out Vladimir Guerrero.
- "Our runner up goes to pitcher Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers, the rookie who hit 100 miles an hour on the radar gun, but missed most of the American League Championship Series, and was not fully effective in the World Series, due to an inflamed pitching wrist and forearm, which we today learned from the Tigers he got from playing the video game Guitar Hero on PlayStation 2. The Tigers are asking him to put the damn thing away for a few years." - Keith Olbermann, naming Zumaya runner-up in his December 14, 2006 edition of "The Worst Person in the World" segment on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.[18]
- In Guitar Hero 2, the final lines in the credits reads: "No pitchers were harmed during the making of this game. Except one. Joel Zumaya. He had it coming."
[edit] References
- ^ Guitar hero? Pitcher hurt playing video game
- ^ Dave Dombrowski on WXYT 12/13/2006
- ^ GUITAR HERO: Sequel strikes the perfect chord. CanWest News Service (2007-04-26). Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ Richard Zumaya
- ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: Official Info: Zumaya underwent surgery on Wednesday
- ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_03_sarafa_lakafa_1
- ^ a b The Fastest Pitcher in Baseball History
- ^ Guinness Book of World Records (page and publisher data needed!)
- ^ If the radar gun is smoking, it must be the Tigers
- ^ Reds Top Plays Archive (multimedia, see "Griffey's slam" under May 20
- ^ Tigers even series with Yankees
- ^ Mo' town
- ^ Latest technology enhances playoffs
- ^ Zumaya more than just a flame-thrower
- ^ Photograph of speedgun display
- ^ Kaline says it's the most anticipated Tigers opener he's ever seen
- ^ Dye, bullpen get job done
- ^ Worst Persons in the World: Michael Crichton
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
