Dushan Ruzic

From BR Bullpen

Dushan Ruzic

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 8", Weight 277 lb.

Born January 5, 1982 in Darwin, Northern Territory Australia

Giant right-hander Dushan Ruzic played his second minor league season in 2007.

Ruzic debuted in Australia in the 2002 Claxton Shield, allowing two unearned runs in 1 1/3 IP. In 2004, he was 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in the event. Ruzic was 0-1 with a 0.84 ERA in the 2005 Claxton Shield and was signed by the Florida Marlins. He struggled in the US, going 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA in 17 games for the GCL Marlins despite being one of the team's oldest pitchers at 23. In the 2006 Claxton Shield, Ruzic allowed 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings and six runs, taking the loss.

The 25-year-old pitcher revived his career in 2007. In 16 innings in the Claxton Shield, he allowed five hits and four walks while striking out 17 and not allowing a single run. He went 2-0 and won the Golden Arm Award. Australian baseball commentators Flintoff & Dunn called it "one of the very greatest pitching performances in Claxton Shield history." That earned Ruzic a spot on the Australian national team. He also was signed by the Cincinnati Reds. Splitting his US season between the Sarasota Reds (2-1, 1 Sv, 2.82 in 30 games) and the Chattanooga Lookouts (1-2, 4.24 in 13 games), he looked much sharper than in his prior minor league season. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, the tall hurler struck out 8 and allowed no runs in 9 1/3 innings as the top hurler on an Australian team that had three pitchers with major league experience and another couple who had spent 2007 in AAA.

Despite his productive 2007, he did not return to the US minors for 2008 and instead signed in late April with DOOR Neptunus in the Netherlands. He made his Hoofdklasse debut on May 4, throwing two shutout innings in relief of Diegomar Markwell for a save; he allowed two hits and struck out two in a 4-1 win over Sparta/Feyenoord. Ruzic was 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA for Neptunus in the 2008 European Cup in Regensburg, getting the win over the host Buchbinder Legionäre.

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