User:Sanfranman59/Westbrook

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**Jake Westbrook**
Major League Baseball debut
Cleveland Indians — No. 37
Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
June 17, 2000 for the New York Yankees
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Wins-Losses	56-53
ERA	4.35
Innings pitched	883 2/3
Strikeouts	471
Former teams
New York Yankees (2000) Cleveland Indians (2001–present)

Jacob Cauthen "Jake" Westbrook (b. September 29, 1977 in Athens, Georgia) is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball. He attended Madison County High School in Danielsville, Georgia where he starred in both baseball and basketball. As a senior at Madison County, his record was 9-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 63 innings. He tossed 6 no-hitters as a high school junior and senior. After graduation, he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Georgia^[1], where his father, Cauthen, received varsity letters in both baseball^[2] and basketball^[3]. But when the Colorado Rockies made him the 21st overall pick in the 1996 amateur draft, Jake decided to forgo college and sign with the Rockies.

Westbrook spent his first two professional seasons in the Rockies farm system, playing in 1996 for both their Arizona Rookie League team and the Portland Rockies of the Class A Northwest League and in 1997 for the Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. In November 1997, the Rockies traded him with two other minor leaguers—P John Nicholson and OF Mark Hamlin—to the Montreal Expos for major league 2B Mike Lansing.

In the Expos organization, Westbrook pitched for the Class A Jupiter Hammerheads of the Florida State League in 1998 and for the Class AA Harrisburg Senators of the Eastern League in 1999. In December 1999, the Expos dealt him to the New York Yankees with pitchers Christian Parker and Ted Lilly in exchange for P Hideki Irabu.

Westbrook was with the Yankees' AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers in the International League for the first half of the 2000 season. He was called up to New York in June and made his major league debut with a start against the Chicago White Sox on June 17. He made two other appearances with the Yankees before he has dealt to the Indians July 25 with P Zach Day to complete a June 29 trade in which the Yankees acquired OF/DH David Justice for OF Ricky Ledee and two players to be named later. At the time of the trade, Jake was on the Columbus disabled list (DL) with what the Yankees called a strained left oblique muscle. After he was transferred to the Indians International League affiliate Buffalo Bisons' DL, he was diagnosed with a broken rib and was transferred to the 60-day DL on September 1.

In 2001, Westbrook began the season in AAA and bounced back and forth between Buffalo and Cleveland throughout the season. All told, he was with the Indians for five stints and while he was used primarily in relief, he started 6 games in July when Jaret Wright was on the DL. He finished the season with a 4-4 record and a 5.85 ERA. In 64 2/3 innings, he compiled 48 strikeouts, 24 walks and surrendered 6 home runs.

2002 was an injury-plagued season for Westbrook. He had surgery in February on his throwing arm to remove bone spurs from the elbow and to transpose the ulnar nerve. He was on the DL from mid-March to mid-June. He made 3 rehabilitation starts for the AA Akron Aeros and one for Buffalo before returning to Cleveland where he made 7 relief appearances followed by 4 starts. His final game was August 25, after which an MRI of his right elbow revealed a bone bruise, leading the team to shut him down for the season. For the season, Jake was 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA. In 41 2/3 innings, he struck out 20, walked 12 and gave up 6 home runs.

Westbrook made the Indians opening day roster in 2003 as a long reliever and sixth starter. When Jason Bere was placed on the DL the first week of the regular season with a shoulder injury, Jake was inserted into the rotation and made 9 starts through the end of May before ineffectiveness relegated him to the bullpen again. He pitched well in 11 relief appearances during June and the Indians sent him down to Buffalo to make a couple of starts before putting him back in the big league rotation where he remained for the rest of the season (13 more starts). Jake won 7 and lost 10 games in 2003, with a 4.33 ERA in 133 innings with 58 strikeouts, 54 walks and 9 home runs allowed.

In 2004, Westbrook established himself as a fixture in the Indians starting rotation. After beginning the season in the bullpen, he entered a game on April 19 against the Detroit Tigers following a rain delay and retired all 21 batters he faced, striking out 7. He became the first pitcher since 1969 to pitch seven perfect innings in relief.^[4] He followed up this performance with a complete game two-hitter against the Tigers on April 25 and was named American League Player of the Week.^[5] He continued to pitch well during the first half of the season and was named to replace Curt Schilling on the American League All-Star Team, joining teammates C. C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Ronnie Belliard and Matt Lawton. After the All-Star break, Jake didn't miss a beat, stringing together five consecutive wins from July 20 through August 14 en route to a 14-9 record for the year, 3.40 ERA, 116 SO, 61 BB and 19 HR allowed in 214 2/3 IP. He was the only Indians pitcher to exceed 200 innings and led the American League in both home ERA (2.36) and complete games (5).

[edit] References

^ 2006 Cleveland Indians Media Guide (PDF) 254-259 (2006). Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
^ Men's Baseball Lettermen. University of Georgia Sports Communications (2006-01-28). Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
^ Men's Basketball Lettermen, All-Time. University of Georgia Sports Communications (2006-09-28). Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
^ Charlton's Baseball Chronology - 2004. BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
^ Cleveland's Jake Westbrook named American League Player of the Week. Major League Baseball (2004-04-26). Retrieved on March 11, 2007.