Grant Balfour
From BR Bullpen
Grant Robert Balfour
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.
- Debut July 22, 2001
- Born December 30, 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
[edit] Biographical Information
Grant Balfour played for Australia at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, he allowed only one hit and one walk in 7 innings, striking out 7 and allowing no runs. He saved three games, most in the event, in helping Australia to its first Gold in any major international competition.
He was one of the main reasons the Tampa Bay Rays managed to turn their bullpen from one of the worst in major league history in 2007 to one of the best in baseball in 2008. He had put up a 6.14 ERA in 22 games for the D-Rays in 2007, after being acquired at the trading deadline from Milwaukee for Seth McClung, but in 2008, he was almost unhittable for the new-look Rays. In 58 ⅓ innings, he allowed only 28 hits and 24 walks, and struck out 82 batters, on his way to posting a sparkling 1.54 ERA. He was used in pressure situations, picking up 6 wins and 4 saves, and continued to his fine work in the postseason, making clutch appearances in the first two games of the ALDS, both Rays' wins over the White Sox.
