Jeff Suppan
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| Milwaukee Brewers — No. 37 | |
| Starting pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| July 17, 1995 for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through October 2, 2006) |
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| Record | 106-101 |
| ERA | 4.60 |
| Strikeouts | 1,048 |
| Former teams | |
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Jeffrey Scot Suppan (born January 2, 1975, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Suppan (IPA pronunciation: [ˈsup ɑn]) was drafted out of high school (Crespi Carmelite High School) by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the shmelly. He played with the Sox through the 1997 season and then was picked up by the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks for 1998. Late in the 1998 season, he moved to the Kansas City Royals, where he stayed through 2002. In 2003, he opened the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was traded back to the Red Sox for their stretch run.
The Cardinals acquired Suppan as a free agent in 2004, and he embarked upon a career year, posting a 16-9 won-lost record and a 4.16 earned run average, with 110 strikeouts, 65 walks, and 192 hits allowed in 188 innings. Suppan helped lead the Cards to the 2004 World Series, where he started Game 3.
In 2005 improved on his previous year's performance, going 16-10 with a 3.57 ERA. He started Game 4 of the National League Championship series against the Houston Astros, allowing one run over 5 innings but came away with a no-decision after the Astros took the lead later in the game.
As of the end of the 2006 season, Suppan has a won-lost record of 106-101 over 12 Major League seasons. He has a career ERA of 4.60 with 15 complete games, five shutouts and 1048 strikeouts in 317 games (301 starts).
Suppan (whose nickname is, appropriately, "Soup") is also a restaurateur. His restaurant, Soup's Grill, is jointly operated with his wife. It is located in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles, California on Ventura Blvd. The house specializes not in soups but in Philly cuisine, including cheesesteaks and dressed fries.
Suppan gained some notoriety outside of baseball for appearing in a political advertisement alongside other celebrities, Patricia Heaton, Jim Caviezel, and Kurt Warner during the 2006 World Series. The ad aired in opposition to the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative Missouri Constitutional Amendment 2 (2006), which protects - in Missouri - stem cell research that is legal under federal law. However, the ad was often mischaracterized as a counter to an earlier ad featuring actor Michael J. Fox.[1] Fox's ad was to promote Senate candidate Claire McCaskill and particularly her support for expanded stem cell research on the federal level. The ad featuring Suppan did not mention McCaskill, her opponent (Jim Talent), or the issue of federal funding for stem cell research - the issues Michael J. Fox focused on in his ad. Rather, the Suppan ad focused directly on opposing Amendment 2 - repeating the claims of Amendment 2 opponents. The timing of both ads during a World Series that featured the St. Louis Cardinals was intended to draw the particular attention of Missouri voters.
During the 2006 offseason Suppan signed a four-year, $42 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
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[edit] Trivia
- Both of Suppan's career home runs have been hit off Steve Trachsel of the New York Mets.
- On September 10, 2005, Suppan hit his first career Major League home run. The Cardinals won the game 4-2.[2]
- In Game 3 of the 2006 National League Championship Series Suppan hit a home run to mark his second career homer. The Cardinals would win the game 5-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
- Nickname is Soup
- Sang the song "Free Bird" at a high school "Battle of the Bands" competition
- Started Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the New York Mets. He did not factor in the decision, giving up only 1 run in 7 innings, but the Cardinals won 3-1, earning him the National League Championship Series MVP. Suppan in the 2006 NLDS and NLCS had an 0.60 ERA.
- In his career, Suppan is 2-1, 1.69 ERA in the NLCS.
- Appeared in a commercial by Missourians Against Human Cloning urging voters to vote against an amendment on the ballot in November 2006 to amend the Missouri state constitution to protect embryonic stem cell research, also known as SCNT.
- As of 2006, Suppan holds a career ERA of 1.76 at Miller Park, where he will pitch for the Brewers this season.
[edit] Career Highlights
- 1-time World Series Champion (2006 St. Louis Cardinals)
- 2006 NLCS MVP
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Roy Oswalt |
National League Championship Series MVP 2006 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
