Derek Lowe
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| Los Angeles Dodgers — No. 23 | |
| Starting pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| April 26, 1997 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through March 28, 2007) |
|
| Wins | 100 |
| Strikeouts | 981 |
| Earned run average | 3.81 |
| Former teams | |
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Derek Christopher Lowe (born June 1, 1973 in Dearborn, Michigan) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He throws and bats right-handed.
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[edit] Early years
Lowe attended Edsel Ford High School (Dearborn, Michigan) and was a four-sport letterman in baseball, golf, soccer and basketball. He was an All-League honoree in all four sports and was a first team all-state pick in basketball.
[edit] Career
Lowe was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 8th round of the 1991 amateur draft and made his Major League debut in 1997. Seattle, however, was desperate for immediate bullpen help and packaged Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek into a deal with the Boston Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb. The Mariners' willingness to trade Lowe may have stemmed from his involvement in an incident earlier that year in Federal Way, Washington. Lowe was charged with fourth-degree domestic violence by King County police after his girlfriend claimed that he struck her. Lowe was released on $1,000 bond the next day, and he allegedly violated a no-contact order by returning to her home shortly after his release.[1]
Lowe compiled a 5-15 record over his first two seasons, during which he split time starting and relieving, but came into his own in 1999 after being transferred into the closer's role, finishing the season with 15 saves and a sparkling 2.63 ERA.
Lowe had his best season as a closer in 2000 when he led the American League with 42 saves. He was regarded as an unconventional closer, however, as he didn't overwhelm hitters. As a result, despite 24 saves early in the 2001 season, Lowe lost the closer's job at the trading deadline, July 31, when Boston acquired star closer Ugueth Urbina from the Montreal Expos. Lowe was left in limbo, forced to take various setup jobs in the bullpen.
In 2002, Lowe moved back into the starting rotation, a move which paid off immediately. He posted a 21-8 record, a 2.58 ERA, and finished 3rd in Cy Young Award voting behind Barry Zito and teammate Pedro Martinez. Lowe also no-hit the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on April 27 that year, the first no-hitter at the hitter-friendly Fenway Park since Dave Morehead in 1965.
Lowe struggled through much of the 2003 season but, boosted by the strength of Boston's unflinching offense, posted a 17-7 record despite an atypical 4.47 ERA. In 2004 he finished at 14-12 with a 5.42 ERA in 33 starts. But he was 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in four games during the postseason, three of them starts. He was the winner in the final game of all three postseason series — against the Angels, Yankees and Cardinals — as the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. Lowe is the only pitcher in MLB history to accomplish this hat trick. Lowe has a 72-59 career record with 85 saves.
On January 11, 2005, he finalized a $36 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Controversially, Lowe wore a Boston Red Sox uniform, with his career-long number of 32, during the Red Sox World Series ring ceremony on April 11, 2005, after already pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has been characterized as a "fraternization" and unprofessional, although much to the delight of the Red Sox fans.
[edit] Personal life
On August 3, 2005 FSN West in Los Angeles announced that "Dodger Dugout" anchor Carolyn Hughes had been suspended pending an investigation into a potential relationship between her and Lowe. Shortly thereafter, the pitcher filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Trinka Lowe, by whom he fathered two children. Hughes' husband had also filed for divorce and, as of early 2006, Lowe and Hughes were living together.
He attended the University of California, Irvine. He also has a girlfriend named Lynda.[1]
[edit] Accomplishments
- All-Star (2000, 2002)
- No-hitter vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (April 27, 2002)
- Finished 3rd in American League Cy Young Award voting (2002)
- Led the American League in saves with 42 (2000)
- Finished 2nd in the American League in wins with 21 (2002)
- Winner of the deciding game of the American League Division Series, American League Championship Series, and World Series in the same year (2004)
- The final pitcher for both 2003 and 2004 ALDS series. Both were emotional wins that set up the eventual ALCS showdown with the Yankees.
- Finished tied for National League wins with 16 (2006)
[edit] Teams
- Seattle Mariners (1997)
- Boston Red Sox (1997-2004)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (2005-)
[edit] Trivia
On August 31, 2005, Lowe nearly pitched the second no-hitter of his career. After giving up a leadoff single to the Cubs' Jerry Hairston, Lowe did not allow another Chicago hit, picking up a one-hit, two-walk, 7-0 complete game victory while facing only 29 batters.
[edit] References
- ^ "Another problem for Sox", Bob Dick, The New Bedford Standard-Times, published August 23, 1997, accessed June 24, 2006.
[edit] External links
Categories: Major league players from Michigan | 1973 births | American League All-Stars | Boston Red Sox players | Living people | Los Angeles Dodgers players | Major league pitchers | Major League Baseball pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter | People from Dearborn, Michigan | Seattle Mariners players
