John Lackey
From BR Bullpen
John Derran Lackey
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 6", Weight 205 lb.
- School University of Texas at Arlington, Grayson County College
- Debut June 24, 2002
- Born October 23, 1978 in Abilene, TX USA
[edit] Biographical Information
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John Lackey pitched eight seasons in the major leagues for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, winning at least 9 games each year. He had a winning record each season except for his second year. He then signed a big free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox.
Lackey was a 2nd round pick in the 1999 amateur draft of what were then the Anaheim Angels, and pitched 3 1/2 years in the minors before breaking in with the parent team. In the minor leagues, he went 6-2 in 1999, 15-9 in 2000 split among three teams, 12-11 in 2001 split among two teams, and 8-2 with the Salt Lake Stingers with a 2.57 ERA in 2002 along with his 9-4 record as a rookie with the Angels. He was fourth in the 2002 American League Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Lackey was then a key pitcher in the postseason, as he threw seven innings of shutout ball to win the fourth game of the 2002 ALCS. Then in the 2002 World Series, he appeared in 3 games, and got the win in Game 7 of the Series. He was the first rookie to do so since Babe Adams in 1909. He also appeared in postseason play in 2005, and then in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
In both 2005 and 2006, he was among the league ERA leaders. The most similar player, according to the similarity scores method, is his contemporary Brad Penny. He had his best year in 2007, going 19-9, 3.01 (the best ERA in the American League). He led the AL in shutouts in 2003, 2006 and 2007.
Lackey signed a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. He went 14-11 in his first season in Boston, pitching 215 innings and striking out 156 batters. However, he struggled early in the 2011 season, putting up a 2-5 record with an 8.01 ERA in his first 7 starts, which included 3 starts in which he gave up 8 or more runs. He was placed on the disabled list on May 16 with a strained right elbow. The rough patch acme after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in the off-season.
Lackey is the most successful of the five major leaguers to come out of the University of Texas at Arlington.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- AL All-Star (2007)
- AL ERA Leader (2007)
- 3-time AL Shutouts Leader (2003, 2006 & 2007)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2007)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 5 (2003, 2005-2007 & 2010)
- Won a World Series with the Anaheim Angels in 2002
