Brandon Morrow
From BR Bullpen
Brandon John Morrow
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 175 lb.
- School University of California
- Debut April 3, 2007
- Born July 26, 1984 in Santa Rosa, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Brandon Morrow was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft with the fifth overall pick. He made his pro debut that summer with the AZL Mariners, going 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 7 games before being promoted to the Inland Empire 66ers for one game at the end of the season.
Morrow suffers from Type 1 diabetes.
He made his MLB debut on April 3, 2007. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the Oakland A's in his debut. After the 2009 season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for Brandon League. While Morrow had been used primarily as a reliever in the major leagues up to that point, the Blue Jays made him a starter to begin the 2010 season. While Morrow was somewhat inconsistent at the beginning of the season, he put his name among the American League's strikeout leaders from the start of the year. On August 7, he had a game for the ages, not giving up any hit to the Tampa Bay Rays until two men were out in the 9th. Evan Longoria then hit a ball off the glove of diving 2B Aaron Hill for a single, but Morrow retired the next batter, Dan Johnson, on strikes to complete the one-hitter. It was the first complete game and the first shutout of his career, and his 17 strikeouts were just one shy of the team record, set by Roger Clemens in 1998. The Blue Jays shut down Morrow in early September in order not to unduly pile up his innings pitched. He ended the year with a record of 10-7, 4.49 in 26 starts, striking out 178 batters in 146 innings. After the All-Star break, he was 5-1, 3.69 in 9 starts, his only loss coming in his final start against the New York Yankees.
In 2011, he had another good season for the Jays, finishing at 11-11 with a 4.72 ERA in 30 starts. More importantly, he struck out 203 batters in 179 1/3 innings, allowing only 162 hits. The Jays signed him to a long-term contract after the season, which received some criticism because his career record was one game below .500 at that point. However, they were convinced that he was about to have a break-out season, and that his electric stuff could make him one of the major leagues' top pitchers for the next few years. Indeed, he proved them right at the start of the 2012 season, as he started the year throwing great. On May 3rd, he pitched his second career shutout, a three-hitter over the Los Angeles Angels, then on May 19th repeated with another three-hit shutout, this time over the New York Mets, to bring his record on the season to 5-2, 2.63. His next start was disastrous, however, as he lasted only 2/3 of an inning against the Texas Rangers, giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks; the Jays lost that game, 14-3.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (2011)
