Roy Oswalt

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Roy Oswalt

The Wizard
Houston Astros — No. 44
Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
May 6, 2001 for the Houston Astros
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Record	98-47
ERA	3.05
Strikeouts	1,016

Olympic medal record
Men's baseball
Gold	2000 Sydney	Team

Roy Edward Oswalt [OHS-walt] (born August 29, 1977 in Weir, Mississippi) is an American baseball player who is currently a starting pitcher for the Houston Astros.

Contents 1 Pitching 2 Career 3 Highlights 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] Pitching

Oswalt is known as one of the faster workers in baseball in terms of time between pitches. Despite his 6 ft 0 in 185-pound frame, he is one of baseball's hardest hurlers, and frequently appears among the league leaders in Innings Pitched.

Oswalt throws four primary pitches. His fastball sits between 92 and 98 miles per hour. He throws two overhand curveballs: a hard snapping curve in the low 80's that is gripped with two forefingers over the seams and a looping slow curve of about 70 mph that is thrown with three fingers over the seams. Oswalt also throws a straight changeup in the low 80's, and an underrated slider in the mid 80's. On occasion, Oswalt will mix a cut fastball or a two-seam fastball. Roy's pitching style emphasizes changes of speed and elevation.

[edit] Career

Oswalt is currently considered to be among the elite pitchers in the National League. In a six-year career (through 2006), Oswalt has compiled an 98-47 record with a 3.06 ERA and a 3.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio (1022-to-265) in 1208.1 innings pitched. He posted a 20-12 record in 2005 with a 2.94 ERA, repeating his 20-win performance of 2004. He was the ace of a Houston Astros staff that included Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. He is also a two-time All-Star. On August 29, 2006, Oswalt's 29th birthday, he signed a five year extension with the Houston Astros totaling $73 million with an option for a 6th year.

[edit] Highlights

• All-Star (2005, 2006)
• Led National League in wins (20, 2004)
• Led NL in games started (35, 2004)
• 5-time Top 5 in voting for the Cy Young Award (5th, 2001; 4th, 2002; 3rd, 2004; 4th, 2005; 4th, 2006)
• TSN Rookie of the Year (2001)
• Olympic gold medalist (2000)
• National League Championship Series MVP (2005)
• Back to Back 20 win seasons (2004-05)
• Part of 2003 six man no-hitter against the New York Yankees.
• Has most wins of any pitcher for the past 5 years.
• Led National League in ERA (2.98, 2006)

[edit] Trivia

• On June 11, 2003, Houston set a major league record for combined pitchers in a no-hitter with six, against the Yankees. The pitchers were Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner. Oswalt left the game due to an injury.

• Upon first seeing Oswalt at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, former Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda remarked, "This guy is the next Orel Hershiser."

• Pitched seven innings against the Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS to send the Astros to their first World Series appearance in franchise history.

• His entrance song is Godsmack's "I Stand Alone."

• He won 15 decisions against the Cincinnati Reds without a loss before finally losing to them on April 28, 2006.

• He is nicknamed the Wizard of O's (Oz).

• He enjoys hunting in the offseason. He owns a large portion of land near his hometown of Weir where he frequents most of his hunting trips.

• He owns a bulldog named Dixie and another dog named Buttermilk.

• In 1999, when Oswalt was at the Class A level in the Midwestern League, he suffered an apparently serious shoulder injury. After a month of pain in his upper shoulder, Oswalt was convinced that his shoulder was torn. Shortly thereafter, he was checking the sparkplug wires on his truck. He touched one of the sparkplug wires, causing the truck's engine to start. The truck's electric current flowed through Oswalt's body, and consequently the muscles in his hand tightened on the sparkplug wire. Unable to let go of it, Oswalt grapsed the wire for almost one minute. Oswalt then claimed his foot slipped off the truck's bumper and he was finally "thrown off." After the electric shock, Oswalt told his wife that his shoulder's condition improved and that he no longer felt any pain. Oswalt claims he has not felt any pain in his shoulder since the incident.

• During the 2005 NLCS, Roy Oswalt was promised before game 6 if he could get a win and take the Astros to the World Series, Drayton McLane, the Astros owner, would buy him a new bulldozer. McLane had asked Roy earlier in his career what his goals were to which Roy replied "To own a bulldozer." Roy Oswalt is now the proud owner of a Caterpillar D6N XL which he intends to "hire out and make a little money in the offseason."

• On August 9, 2006, Roy Oswalt hit his first career home run in a 14-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Houston Astros.

• On August 29, 2006, his 29th birthday, Oswalt signed a 5-year contract worth $73 million. That same day he pitched in a 10-3 Astros win.

• Oswalt is a fan of the band Rascal Flatts.

• Oswalt, a dedicated NASCAR fan, has never actually been to a live race, mainly because of scheduling conflicts. However, on February 18, 2007, he was able to watch his first live NASCAR race. Accompanying Oswalt were teammates Woody Williams, Chad Qualls and Brandon Backe.

[edit] External links

• ESPN - profile and daily updates
• Baseball Reference - career statistics and analysis

Preceded by Albert Pujols

National League Championship Series MVP 2005

Succeeded by Jeff Suppan