Graduated from Smyrna High (Tenn.) School...A two-sport athlete, lettered all four years in baseball and three years in football...Played quarterback and led Smyrna to back-to-back Tennessee High School state championships...Was also Homecoming King...Wrote in his high school bio that 10 years from now he hopes to be playing Major League Baseball and accomplished that goal...Played college baseball at Vanderbilt University where he finished his career ranking second all-time in wins (27) and fourth in strikeouts (317)...Led the Commodores to their first-ever College World Series appearance in 2011 posting a 12-4 record with a 2.43 ERA...Pitched for Team USA in 2010 and 2011...2010 Baseball America Summer Player of the Year...Let his son, Gunnar, draft his fantasy football team in 2022 and it made the postseason in the Minnesota Twins team league despite drafting quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in back-to-back rounds...Had his children watch Little Big League after being traded from Cincinnati to Minnesota to help them acclimate to his new team, which was the featured MLB team in the movie...Made an acting appearance in high school in Smyrna High School's production of Disney's "High School Musical"...Played Troy Bolton, which involved a significant amount of singing and dancing to songs "Start of Something New", "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "We're All in This Together."...Is often times seen carrying a baseball with him serving as a touchstone to his craft...He and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Gunnar and Declan...The family resides in Nashville, Tenn.
2023
Pitched his second season with the Twins organization and his first season making 32 or more starts since a career-high 33 with Oakland in 2014, his first full professional season...Finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting behind Gerrit Cole (NYY) who received 30 unanimous first place votes...Gray received 20 second-place votes and six third place...Also ranked 18th in AL MVP voting...Led all Major League pitchers with an 0.39 HR/9 IP, allowing just eight home runs over 184 innings pitched...The lowest single-season HR/9 IP mark by any MLB pitcher with over 180 innings pitched since his career began in 2013...Ranked second in the American League with a 2.79 ERA (third in MLB) and was the lowest by a Twins pitcher since Johan Santana posted a 2.77 mark in 2006...Was 20th lowest qualifying ERA in Twins franchise history...Tied for first on the Twins staff in games started (32), ranked second in innings pitched (184.0) and third in strikeouts (183)...Named to the 2023 American League All-Star team...Threw one scoreless inning with a walk and two strikeouts (Ronald Acuña, Jr. & Mookie Betts) in his first All-Star Game appearance, as he did not pitch in his previous two selections in 2015 and 2019...Started the Twins Home Opener vs. HOU (4/7) and struck out a career-high 13 batters over 7.0 innings...Was his 13th career double-digit strikeout game and set the Twins Home Opener record for strikeouts passing the previous mark of 10 shared by Bert Blyleven's vs. CWS in 1974 and Francisco Liriano vs. CLE in 2019...Fired a season-high 16.0 inning scoreless streak (4/18-30)...Hurled a season-high 107 pitches vs. NYY (4/24) over 7.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball...Surpassed 1,500 innings pitched for his career at KC (7/28)...Recorded his 1,500th career strikeout vs. TB (9/11) getting Taylor Walls swinging in the 1st inning...Received two runs of support or less in 21-of-32 starts, ranking third-lowest among American League pitchers at 3.91 run support average...Reached 10 years of Major League service time on July 18.
2022
Spent first season with Minnesota after being acquired via trade during spring training from Cincinnati...Began season as club's number two starter, making Twins debut April 9 vs. Seattle, allowing two runs on four hits in 4.2 innings pitched....Placed on 10-day Injured List on April 17 after two starts, with a strained right hamstring...made one rehab start with Low-A Fort Myers on May 1 and was reinstated May 7...Earned first win as a Twin in fifth start May 18 at Oakland, allowing two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings pitched...Struck out season-high 10 batters May 24 vs. Detroit (7.0 IP)…matched season-high with 10 again Aug. 16 vs. Kansas City (6.0 IP)…marked the 11th and 12th time in career with double-digit strikeout totals...Went 3-0, 1.65 ERA (27.1 IP, 5 ER) in five May starts and 1-0, 1.69 ERA (16.0 IP, 3 ER) in three June starts....Placed on 15-day Injured List on June 2 with a right pectoral strain; reinstated on June 15...Did not strike out a batter in start July 8 at Texas (4.2 IP), marking just the fifth time in career to not strike out a batter in a start, first time since March 31, 2019...Placed on 15-day Injured List for third time Sept. 20 with a strained right hamstring and did not return...Allowed just two runs-or-fewer in 18 of 24 starts...Pitched 7.0 innings three times on the season (May 24 vs. DET, June 27 at CLE and Sept. 14 vs. KC), second-most on the staff...Ranked seventh in the American League and 16th in all of baseball with a 2.38 ERA (56.2 IP, 15 ER) post-All-Star break (min. 55.0 IP)…Went 4-2, 2.66 ERA (67.2 IP, 20 ER) with 25 walks and 78 strikeouts in 13 home starts, compared to 4-3, 3.63 ERA (52.0 IP, 21 ER) with 11 walks and 39 strikeouts in 11 road starts.....Held left-handed batters to a .202 batting average, compared to .244 vs. right-handed batters...Held opponents to a .193 (17-for-88) batting average with 25 strikeouts when throwing his curveball...ranked in the 89th percentile in baseball in curveball spin and in the 98th percentile on fastball spin....Ranked second on Twins staff in strikeouts (117) and quality starts (9), tied for second in wins (8), third in innings pitched (119.2) and fourth in starts (24)…Had 2023 contract option picked up by Twins on Nov. 7.
2021
Hampered during Cincinnati spring training with a muscle strain in his back and began the regular season on the 10-day Injured List...made one spring training appearance March 4 vs. Kansas City....didn’t pitch in another “A”game the rest of the spring...Made season debut in a start on April 17 vs. Cleveland in Reds 14th game of season...Placed on 10-day Injured List three times on season: April 1-17 (back spasms), June 9-July 2 (right groin strain) and July 2-18 (strained rib cage)...In eight starts between losses on July 25 and September 12, both to the Cardinals, went 5-0, 2.89 ERA (43.2 IP, 14 ER)...the five-game winning streak (July 30-September 1) fell one win shy of his single-season career-high (6-0, June 18-July 26, 2014)...Made 200th major league appearance on April 28 at Los Angeles-NL...On May 12 at Pittsburgh, allowed seven hits, snapping his streak of 48 consecutive regular-season starts, beginning August 25, 2018, in which he did not allow more than six hits...is was longest such streak in major league history (excluding “openers”)...in those 48 starts went 17-14, 3.10 ERA...allowed more than six hits in regular-season start for the first time since Aug. 1, 2018 for New York-AL vs. Baltimore (2.2 IP, 8 H)...Made 200th career start on July 7 at Kansas City, becoming the 36th active pitcher with 200 career starts, the 23rd active right-hander...Recorded first career multi-hit game on Aug. 5 vs. Pittsburgh - both singles...Acquired by Minnesota via trade with Cincinnati, along with right-handed minor league pitcher Francis Peguero, in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Chase Petty on March 13, 2022.
2020
The Reds' Opening Day starter made 11 apps in a season interrupted in September by a mid-back strain...Went 5-3, 3.94 in 9 starts before he went on the 10-day injured list on 9/13...made his final 2 starts on 9/22 vs Mil (5ip) and in the season finale on 9/27 at Min (5.1ip)...Was scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen the last weekend of the season, a three-game series at Min...after the Reds clinched a Postseason spot with a 7-2 win in Game 58, was tabbed to start the season finale in place of Wild Card Series Game 1 starter Trevor Bauer...Was scheduled to start Game 3 of the Wild Card Series at Atl, but the Reds were eliminated after two games...Tied the club record for strikeouts over the first three starts (28) and four starts (35) of a season while establishing new club records for strikeouts in the first 5 starts (45) and 6 starts (51) of a season...all four marks were broken by Trevor Bauer, who went on to establish club records for strikeouts in the first 11 and 12 apps of a season (100)...With a 7-1 win vs Det improved his record to 2-0, 0.45 in three Opening Day starts...the sixth of his nine strikeouts was the 1,000th of his career (Austin Romine)...For the first time in his career won his first three starts of a season, a streak snapped by a 9-3 loss on 8/9 at Mil... began the previous season winless in his first 9 starts, the longest such streak of his career to begin a season...In his first seven starts through 8/27 went 5-1, 1.94...In the two starts leading up to his disabling injury allowed 11 earned runs in 4.0 innings, including a 16-2 loss on 9/1 vs StL in which he made the shortest appearance of his Major League career (10bf, 0.2ip, 5h, 6er, 3bb, 1k, 38 pitches)...for the second time allowed a career high six runs in an inning (4th inning, 5/9/2016 for Oak at Bos)...his season ERA in his other nine starts was 2.08.
2019
In his first season with the Reds was a National League All Star...joined RHP Luis Castillo as the first Reds starting pitchers named to the All-Star team since Johnny Cueto and Alfredo Simon in 2014...Gray did not pitch in the NL's 4-3 All-Star Game loss at Cle's Progressive Field, but Castillo threw a perfect fourth inning (2k)...Finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting...In voting of the local chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, received the Johnny Vander Meer Award as the Reds' Most Outstanding Pitcher...In Players Choice Award voting of MLBPA members, finished second to Atl's Josh Donaldson as the National League's Comeback Player of the Year...Was named to Baseball America's Major League AllStar second team...Luis Castillo (226) and Gray (205) are the first Reds teammates each to record at least 200 strikeouts in the same season...their strikeout ratios of 10.67 and 10.52 per 9 innings, respectively, are the highest in Reds history for pitchers with at least 125 innings...Gray and Hou's Justin Verlander were the only pitchers in the Major Leagues to make at least 30 starts and allow no more than 4 runs in any of those starts...Ranked among the National League leaders in ERA (2.87, 5th), opponents' BA (.196, 2nd), fewest hits per 9 IP (6.26, 2nd), most strikeouts per 9 IP (10.52, 10th), fewest walks/hits per inning (1.08, 8th), road ERA (2.71, 3rd) and night ERA (2.78, 3rd)...Established a career high in strikeouts (205) and produced at least 30 starts in a season for the third time in his career...Produced the lowest ERA ever by a Reds pitcher for the month of August (6gs, 4-0, 0.74)...from 8/4-8/15 became just the fifth Reds pitcher ever to make at least 3 consecutive scoreless starts (18ip, 7h, 11bb, 24k), the first since Tom Browning in June 1989...In his last 15 starts of the season beginning 6/28 finished 8-3, 1.99 with 13 quality starts and 5 times was the victim of blown saves...over that span ranked fourth among all Major League starting pitchers in ERA (Jack Flaherty 1.22, Gerrit Cole 1.64, Jacob deGrom 1.68)...In his last 9 starts at Great American Ball Park went 7-1, 2.39, including wins in 7 straight home starts from 6/16-8/20...became only the second pitcher ever to win 7 consecutive starts at GABP...Johnny Cueto won 7 straight starts from 6/6-8/18, 2012...ln his 3-0 win on 7/3 vs Mil, threw 8.0 shutout innings and tied his career high with 12 strikeouts...the 8.0 innings tied Trevor Bauer for the most by a Reds pitcher in a game this season, and his 12 strikeouts were the most by a Reds pitcher in 2019 until Luis Castillo had a career-high 13 strikeouts on 8/5 vs LAA...In his 3-2 win on 8/20 vs SD, Josh Naylor's solo HR with 2 outs in the top of the sixth inning snapped his career-high scoreless streak at 23 innings, tied for the third-longest scoreless streak in the Major Leagues in 2019...the longest scoreless streak of his career had been 14.2 innings (4/28-5/8, 2015)...was the longest by a Reds pitcher since reliever J.J. Hoover's 26.1-inning streak from 6/13-8/19, 2013...was the longest by a Reds starter since Tom Browning's 23-inning streak from 5/29-6/8, 1990...was the longest by a Reds righthanded starter since Tom Seaver's 27-inning streak from 9/15-9/30, 1977...On 8/19 and 8/20 vs SD, Trevor Bauer (11) and Gray (10) became the first Reds pitchers to record at least 10 strikeouts in consecutive starts since Gary Nolan (10) and Jim Maloney (10) did it on 9/20 and 9/21, 1968 at Hou...since 1900, Reds pitchers never have recorded at least 10 strikeouts in 3 consecutive starts...in the 4-2 win vs SD on 8/21, Luis Castillo, with three 10-strikeout games to that point in the season and six 10-strikeout games in his career, finished with 4 strikeouts (6ip, 5h, 1er, 0bb)...On 7/12 at Col, his strikeout of Charlie Blackmon to end the fifth inning was the 900th strikeout of his career...On 9/24 vs Mil struck out the first batter of the game (Trent Grisham)...was his 200th strikeout of the season...With the completion of the second inning on 7/17 at Cubs reached 1,000 career innings pitched...Began the season with 9 starts without a win, the longest such streak of his career to begin a season, but finished 11-8...a team-high 6 times was the victim of blown saves...Was bothered in spring training by stiffness in his right elbow and made just 3 exhibition starts, but he started the Reds' second game of the regular season and didn't miss a turn...his 31 starts were just 1 shy of staff leader Luis Castillo and tied for the second-most in a season in his career.
2018
With 11 victories ranked third on the Yankees' staff (Luis Severino 19, Masahiro Tanaka 12)...went 9-9, 5.26 in 23 starts and 2-0, 2.60 in 7 relief apps...went 4-4, 6.98 in 11 starts and 4 relief apps at Yankee Stadium and 7-5, 3.17 in 12 starts and 3 relief apps on the road...began the season in the rotation and went 8-8, 5.56 in 21 starts through 8/1...made 7 of his last 9 apps out of the bullpen...on 8/7 at WSox, in his first relief appearance since 7/19/13 at LAA, threw 3.0 scoreless innings to earn the 13-inning, 4-3 win...in an 11-7 Yankees loss on 9/2 vs Det threw 4.0 innings in the longest relief appearance of his career...on 1/21/19 was traded to the Reds, along with minor league LHP Reiver Sanmartin (REEVER san-mar-TEEN), in exchange for IF Shed Long and Cin's 2019 Competitive Balance A draft pick.
2017
Split the season between Oakland (16GS) and the Yankees (11GS), going 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA (162.1IP, 139H, 79R/64ER, 57BB, 153K, 19HR) in 27 starts…opponents hit .226 (139-for-615); LH .221 (62-for-281), RH .231 (77-for-334)... had 2.8 WAR and a 3.90 FIP (FanGraphs)…began the year on the 10-day D.L. with a right shoulder strain, snapping a streak of three consecutive Opening Day rosters (2014-16)... Ranked 10th in the AL in ERA... was sixth in opponents' BA (.226), and seventh in opponents' OBP (.294) and opponents' slugging pct. (.374)... tied for fourth in the Majors with 15 unearned runs allowed; had permitted a total of 14 unearned runs in 53 starts over the 2015-16 seasons... Was 3-7 with a 3.11 ERA (72.1IP, 25ER) in 12 road starts, the seventh-lowest road ERA in the AL (min. 70.0IP on road)... allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 10-of-12 starts... permitted 2ER-or-fewer in each of his final nine road turns (beginning 6/10), the longest such streak in the AL in 2017, and the longest single-season streak in the AL since Chris Archer's 10-start streak from 5/16-8/24/14... Held left-handed batters to a .221/.293/.352 line…was the seventh-lowest opp. BA by a right-handed pitcher in the Majors (min. 300PA by LHB)... Was acquired by the Yankees along with international signing bonus pool money from Oakland in exchange for OF Dustin Fowler, RHP James Kaprielian and INF/OF Jorge Mateo on 7/31... Made 11 starts for the Yankees, going 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA (65.1IP, 55H, 31R/27ER, 27BB, 59K, 11HR)…was 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA (28.2IP, 18ER) and 8HR in five starts at Yankee Stadium... earned wins in his first two home starts as a Yankee... Began the season with the Athletics and went 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA (97.0IP, 84H, 48R/37ER, 30BB, 94K, 8HR) in 16 starts... went 4-2 with a 1.37 ERA (39.1IP, 23H, 11R/6ER, 9BB, 36K, 2HR) over his final six starts... Completed 6.0IP in 19-of-27 starts and allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 18-of-27... Allowed 2ER-or-fewer in a career-best 11 consecutive starts from 6/25-8/26, the longest such streak in the Majors in 2017 and the longest single-season streak in the AL since Tampa Bay's Alex Cobb (12GS from 7/9-9/11/14)…tossed at least 6.0IP with 2ER-or-fewer in a career-best nine straight starts from 6/25-8/15, the longest such streak in the AL and second-longest in the Majors in 2017 (Philadelphia's Aaron Nola, 10GS from 6/22-8/12)... was the longest single-season streak by an AL hurler since Toronto's Mark Buehrle did it in nine straight starts from 6/3-7/21/15…was the second-longest QS streak of his career (10QS from 3/31-5/22/14)... Went 8-9 with a 2.84 ERA (104.2IP, 78H, 42R/33ER, 36BB, 95K, 13HR) over his final 17 starts, the Majors' seventh-lowest ERA from 6/25 through the end of the season... allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 14-of-17 turns over the stretch... opponents hit .201/.272/.353 (78-for-388)... Gave up 11HR in 65.1IP as a Yankee (1.52 HR/9.0IP) after permitting just 8HR in 97.0IP with Oakland (0.74 HR/9.0IP)... Opponents batted .139 (19-for-137) with 72K and 2BB in plate appearances ending with a slider (Brooks Baseball)... Received one-or-zero runs of support in six of his seven losses with the Yankees (9RS total)... in the seven losses he started, Yankees batters hit a combined .155 (34-for-220) with a total of 14R... Took a decision in each of his final 18 starts (beginning 6/20), tied for the second-longest streak in the Majors in 2017 (Mets' Jacob deGrom-20, Detroit's Michael Fulmer-18)... Was placed on the 10-day D.L. from 3/30-5/1 with a right shoulder strain and missed the A's' first 25 games of the season…tossed 11.0 scoreless innings over two rehab assignments, the first with Single-A Stockton on 4/22 vs. San Jose (W, 5.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 6K) and the second with Triple-A Nashville on 4/27 vs. New Orleans (W, 6.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 7K)... Made his season debut in 5/2 loss at Minnesota (6.0IP, 4ER)... Recorded his third and fourth career double-digit-strikeout performances on 5/24 vs. Miami (11K) and 6/10 at Tampa Bay (10K)... Took the loss in his Yankees debut on 8/3 at Cleveland (6.0IP, 4R/2ER)... earned his first win as a Yankee in his home Yankees debut on 8/15 vs. the Mets (6.0IP, 2ER)... Tossed his sixth career complete game in 9/12 loss against Tampa Bay at Citi Field (8.0IP, 2ER)... Started once in each of the Yankees' two postseason series, going 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA (8.1IP, 4H, 5R/4ER, 6BB, 6K, 1HR)... took the loss in ALDS Game 1 at Cleveland, lasting 3.1IP (3H, 3ER, 4BB, 2K, 1HR)…allowed just 1H over 5.0IP (2R/1ER, 2BB, 4K) in a no-decision in ALCS Game 4 vs. Houston…was the sixth Yankees pitcher (seventh time) to permit one-or-zero hits in a postseason start of at least 5.0IP, the first since Roger Clemens (5.0IP, 1H, 0R) in 2001 ALCS Game 4 vs. Seattle... Made two spring training starts with Oakland, posting no record and a 15.75 ERA (4.0IP, 7ER).
2016
Went 5-11 with a 5.69 ERA in 22 starts in a season shortened by two stints on the disabled list…his ERA was more than 2½ runs higher than his previous career high of 3.08 in 2014…his five wins follow back-to-back 14-win seasons…also had career highs in losses (11), home runs (18), extra base hits (50), opponents batting average (.286), on-base percentage (.343) and slugging percentage (.475) and matched his high in wild pitches (15)…his average of 7.23 strikeouts per nine innings was a career low and his 3.23 walks per nine innings were a career high…had the second lowest winning percentage in the American League (.313) and the second most wild pitches…the wild pitches tied for sixth most in Oakland history and matched the most by an Athletic over the last 24 years…the winning percentage tied for 10th lowest in Oakland history…among pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched, he had the fourth highest ERA in the AL and the highest by an A's pitcher since 2000 (Olivares, 6.75)…his opponents batting average included a mark of .286 (66-for-231) against right-handed hitters and .286 (67-for-234) against left-handers…surrendered 12 of his 18 home runs to righties…11 of the home runs were solo shots…the eight and nine hitters in the order batted a combined .467 with seven home runs and 21 RBI…however, held the five hitter to a .176 average, no home runs and four RBI…based on a minimum of 100 innings pitched, his .468 average against the number eight hitter was the highest by a Major Leaguer since at least 1974…his .465 average against the nine hitter was third highest over that span and the highest since 1999 (Loaiza, TEX .500)…his mark against the five hitter tied for fourth lowest in the AL in 2016…using the 100 inning minimum, he had the fourth highest average with runners in scoring position in the AL (.330), tied for the fifth highest average when opponents put the first pitch in play (.467) and had the seventh highest average against batters leading off an inning (.321)…had a .233 opponents batting average the first time through the lineup, .318 after that…yielded six runs in an inning once, five runs three times and four runs twice…he allowed 58 of his 80 runs in the single biggest inning of his 22 starts (25.13 ERA)…had a 1.84 ERA in all other innings…went 2-3 with a 7.52 ERA in six starts after the All-Star Break after going 3-8 with a 5.16 ERA in 16 starts before the break…the eight losses were two more than his combined pre-break total from the previous two seasons (20-6, 2.42 ERA in 37 starts)…is now 23-14 with a 3.13 ERA (119 er in 342.0 ip) in 54 career appearances before the All-Star Break compared to 15-17 with a 3.79 ERA (112 er in 266.0 ip) in 44 games after the break…compiled a 2.05 ERA in the first inning, a 3.43 ERA in the second inning and a 7.42 ERA from the third inning on…went 2-8 with a 6.50 ERA in 12 starts on four days rest, 3-3 with a 4.73 ERA in 10 starts on five days rest or more…is now 19-20 with a 3.65 ERA (133 er in 328.0 ip) in 51 career starts on four days rest, 19-11 with a 3.20 ERA (98 er in 276.0 ip) in his other 45 starts…the A's were 7-15 (.318) in his starting assignments…tossed fewer than five innings in five of his starts…had just three such starts over the first three years of his career.
2015
Was named to his first American League All-Star Team…went 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 31 starts and ranked third in the AL in ERA…also ranked second in opponents slugging percentage (.316) and OPS (.590), third in opponents batting average (.217), fourth in opponents on-base percentage (.273), eighth in innings pitched (208.0) and tied for eighth in wins…the batting average and on-base percentage were seventh lowest in Oakland history and the OPS ranked eighth…finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting…led the A's in wins, starts, innings pitched, strikeouts (169), complete games (3) and walks (59)…was 10-3 with a 2.04 ERA, .198 opponents batting average and five home runs in 18 starts before the All-Star Break compared to 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA, .244 opponents batting average and 12 home runs in 13 starts after the break…it marked the second consecutive season he had 10 wins before the break and four after the break…is now 20-6 with a 2.40 ERA (67 er in 251.1 ip) in 38 career games before the break, 13-14 with a 3.38 ERA (90 er in 239.2 ip) in 38 games after the break…set an Athletics single season record for putouts by a pitcher with 37…broke the previous mark of 35 set by Chick Fraser in 1901…the putouts were the most by a pitcher since Kevin Brown had 41 for the Dodgers in 1999… did not commit an error in 60 chances, which were the most in the majors and second most in Oakland history (Langford, 62 in 1979) among pitchers with no errors…they were the most errorless chances by an AL pitcher since Josh Towers had 60 for Toronto in 2005…had the second most total chances among AL pitchers…also tied for first in the AL in shutouts (2), tied for third in complete games, ranked fourth in fewest pitches per inning (14.8), tied for fourth in wild pitches (13), tied for sixth in winning percentage (.667), seventh in home runs per nine innings (0.74), tied for eighth in opponents grounded into double plays (19) and tied for ninth in opponents reaching on an error (8)…his .217 opponents batting average included a mark of .208 (81-for-389) against left-handed hitters compared to .226 (85-for-376) against right-handers…it increased to .256 with runners in scoring position…opponents hit .146 with two strikes and .194 the first time through the lineup…held the number eight hitter in the batting order to a .139 batting average, which was the lowest in the AL and second lowest in the majors among pitchers that qualified for the ERA title…yielded a .326 average to the clean-up hitter, .203 against all other spots in the order…was 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA and five home runs in 16 starts on the road compared to 6-4 with a 2.82 ERA and 12 home runs in 15 starts at home…the road ERA was eighth lowest in Oakland history…it was second lowest over the last 34 years to his mark of 2.51 in 2014…is now 14-6 with a 2.57 ERA (59 er in 206.2 ip) in 31 starts on the road over the last two years compared to 14-11 with a 3.23 ERA (79 er in 220.1 ip) in 33 starts at home…was 5-2 with a 1.78 ERA in nine starts during the day compared to 9-5 with a 3.12 ERA in 22 starts at night…his day ERA ranked sixth lowest in Oakland history among pitchers with at least 50 day innings and is the lowest since Tim Hudson had a 1.39 ERA in 2003…went 8-3 against AL West competition, 6-4 against everyone else…is now 20-8 with a 2.46 ERA (68 er in 248.1 ip) in 37 career games against the West compared to 13-12 with a 3.30 ERA (89 er in 242.2 ip) in 39 games against all other teams…logged a 2-1 record and a 1.69 ERA in three interleague starts…ranked sixth in the majors in interleague ERA…was 12-1 in 20 starts with three runs of support or more compared to 2-6 in 11 starts with two runs or fewer…is now 29-2 in 43 career starts with run support of three or more…the A's bullpen blew a save in six of his starts.
2013
Spent most of the season at Triple-A Sacramento where he was 10-7 with a 3.42 ERA in 20 starts…also had two stints with the A's…after making two relief appearances in his Major League debut in July, he returned to Oakland Aug. 10 and finished the season in the starting rotation…was 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA in 12 games, 10 starts, with the A's…also went 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two ALDS starts against Detroit…based upon a minimum of 60 innings pitched, he had the lowest opponents on-base percentage among American League rookies (.272), ranked second in opponents batting average (.214) and slugging percentage (.298) and third in ERA…struck out 67 batters in 64.0 innings and his average of 9.42 strikeouts per nine innings was second best (Allen, CLE 11.26) … allowed just four home runs,an average of 0.56 per nine innings…walked 20 for a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.35…yielded 20 of his 22 runs over the first three innings of a game … had a 5.10 ERA, .290 opponents batting average and four home runs allowed in innings one through three compared to a 0.53 ERA, .132 opponents average and no home runs from the fourth inning on…did not allow a run after the fifth inning (14.2 ip)…was 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA in six starts in Oakland compared to 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in six games, four starts, on the road…his opponents batting average included a .198 (20-for-101) mark against right-handed hitters compared to .226 (31-for-137) against left-handers … issued 15 of his 20 walks to lefties…allowed a .194 opponents batting average to hitters leading off an inning … surrendered one double (.210 slugging percentage) and issued just four walks (.242 on-base percentage) … compiled a 5-3 record and a 2.85 ERA in his nine starts … did not allow a run in his two relief appearances (4.0 ip)…did not inherit a runner and retired both of his first batters faced in relief…was 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA in seven games at night compared to 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in five starts during the day…had a 2-1 record and a 1.25 ERA in six games against AL West teams compared to 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA in six games against everyone else…was 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in five starts on five days rest or more, 2-2 with a 4.02 ERA in five starts on four days rest…averaged 7.50 runs of support in his 10 starts…the A's were 6-4 (.600) in his starting assignments…tossed at least six innings in six of his 10 starts, allowed two runs or fewer six times and walked two batters or fewer seven times.
OAKLAND: Was selected from Sacramento July 10 and made his Major League debut that day at Pittsburgh…entered the game in the fifth inning and tossed 2.0 scoreless innings…struck out the first batter he faced, Clint Barmes…also tossed 2.0 shutout innings July 19 at Los Angeles (AL) … had allowed two hits and a walk in 4.0 scoreless innings while striking out six in two relief appearances when he was optioned to Sacramento July 19…returned to Oakland Aug. 10 and spent the remainder of the season in the starting rotation…made his first ML start Aug. 10 at Toronto and allowed four runs, two earned, in 6.0 innings for the loss in a 5-4 decision…walked a career-high three batters (also Sept. 11 at Minnesota and Sept. 29 at Seattle)…then picked up his first big league win in his second start when he combined with Dan Otero on a five-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over Houston Aug. 15…tossed 8.0 innings and allowed four hits while striking out a career-high nine on a career-high 118 pitches…is the fourth pitcher in Oakland history to toss at least 8.0 shutout innings in one of the first four games of his career…the other three all had complete game shutouts, most recently John Henry Johnson in his third game on April 23, 1978 against Seattle…allowed just two hits in 7.0 innings in a no decision against Seattle Aug. 20…it was his third consecutive start with four hits or fewer… joins A.J. Griffin (June 24-July 4, 2012) as the only Athletics pitchers since 1916 to toss six or more innings and allow four hits or fewer in each of their first three career starts…allowed a career-high six runs on a careerhigh eight hits in 3.1 innings in a 10-3 loss at Baltimore Aug. 25 … then went 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA and .230 opponents batting average over his final six starts … matched his career-high by tossing 8.0 innings Sept. 5 against Houston but allowed three runs and took the loss in a 3-2 decision …won each of his final three decisions beginning Sept. 11, the first time he put together consecutive wins in his career … finished September with a 3-1 record and a 2.79 ERA in five starts…started Game 2 of the ALDS against Detroit and combined with Grant Balfour on a four-hit shutout in the A's 1-0 win (8.0 ip, 4 h, 2 bb, 9 so)…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the third rookie to strikeout at least nine without allowing a run in a postseason game (Dave Righetti, Game 2 of 1981 ALDS; Mike Boddicker, Game 2 of 1983 ALCS)…is the fourth pitcher with 10 or fewer career regular seasons starts that has not allowed a run in a postseason start (Duster Mails, Game 6 of 1920 World Series; Brandon Backe, Game 5 of 2004 NLCS; Matt Moore, Game 1 of 2011 ALDS) … also started Game 5 and allowed three runs on six hits and four walks in 5.0 innings for the loss in a 3-0 decision…had surgery for a fractured left thumb following the season…the surgery, an internal fixation with a screw to repair the thumb fracture, was performed by Dr. Thomas Graham at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital Oct. 18.
SACRAMENTO: Won a career-high 10 games with the River Cats…also finished with a career-high 118 strikeouts…the wins tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast League and the strikeouts tied for seventh… was also fourth in ERA (3.42) and tied for fifth in complete games (1)…led the league in strikeouts per nine innings (8.97)…ranked fourth in the A's farm system in ERA, tied for fifth in wins and sixth in strikeouts…was named the A's organization Minor League Pitcher of the year and was also a Baseball America's Triple-A All-Star…surrendered just five home runs in 118.1 innings, an average of 0.38 per nine innings…four of the home runs came on the road and three were solo shots…allowed a .259 opponents batting average, including .244 (53-for-217) against left-handed hitters compared to .274 (64-for-234) against right-handers…issued 26 of his 39 walks to lefties…yielded a .223 batting average and .281 on-base percentage to batters leading off an inning…had a 4.74 ERA over the first three innings of a game, 1.54 from innings four through six and 6.23 from the seventh inning on…the River Cats were 12-8 (.600) in his starting assignments…tossed six or more innings in 15 of his 20 starts, allowed two runs or fewer 11 times and walked two batters or fewer 15 times…fired 6.0 shutout innings and allowed just two hits in his first start April 7 against Las Vegas but had a no decision in the River Cats 8-4 win…won back-to-back games April 25 against Salt Lake and May 1 at Fresno, one of two times he put together consecutive wins all year (July 4-24)…tossed a complete game four-hitter in the latter outing against the Grizzlies, a 4-1 win…walked two and struck out six…then faced just two batters in his next start May 6 against Las Vegas…walked each batter, both scored and he was charged with the loss…tossed a minor league season-high 109 pitches May 16 against Oklahoma City…struck out a seasonhigh 11 batters and did not issue a walk in 7.0 innings in a no decision against New Orleans May 21…allowed his first home run of the season in that game, snapping a season-opening eight-start, 47.2-inning homerless streak…logged a 2.38 ERA in seven starts in May but was just 3-3…struck out 46 batters in 41.2 innings…walked a season-high tying five batters June 6 at Tucson (also May 11 at Nashville) but picked up the win…that gave him a 6-4 record, a 2.69 ERA and a .245 opponents batting average over his first 12 starts … then went 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA and .280 opponents average over his final eight starts … was named to the Triple-A All-Star Game but did not pitch as he was promoted to Oakland July 10…was 8-6 with a 2.99 ERA and .249 opponents batting average in 17 starts at the time…was optioned back to Sacramento July 19 and went 2-1 with a 6.19 ERA and .318 opponents batting average over his final three starts…allowed a season-high seven runs on a season-high tying nine hits in just 4.2 innings in a loss in the second game of a doubleheader at Las Vegas July 29…was rated as having the best breaking ball and best control in the Pacific Coast League by Baseball America.
2012
Spent the entire season at Double-A Midland, with the exception of one start with Triple-A Sacramento in September...was 6-9 with a 4.14 ERA in 26 games, all starts, with the RockHounds...tied for the Texas League lead in shutouts (1), tied for second in complete games (1), ranked third in innings pitched (148.0) and tied for fourth in games started...also ranked second in wild pitches (16), tied for fourth in walks (57), seventh in hits allowed (148), tied for seventh in earned runs (68), tied for ninth in losses
and 10th in runs (73)...led Midland in starts and innings pitched...had a no decision in his one regular season start with Sacramento, allowing four runs in 4.0 innings (9.00 ERA)...combined for a 4.26 ERA in 27 starts overall...tied for second in the A's farm system in complete games (1) and ranked third in innings pitched (152.0 ip)...surrendered just eight home runs in 152.0 innings (0.47 per nine innings)...allowed a .271 opponents batting average, including .250 (90-for-360) against right-handed hitters compared to .306 (68-for-222) against left-handers...had 31 walks and 34 strikeouts against lefties compared to 27 walks and 65 strikeouts against righties...his opponents average dropped slightly to .263 with runners in scoring position...was 2-6 with a 4.72 ERA in 14 starts before the TL All-Star Break...then went 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 13 starts after the break...compiled a 3.83 ERA over the first four innings of a game, 5.24 after that...allowed just two home runs in 69.0 innings at home with Midland...
led TL pitchers in total chances (51) and errors (6)...had a .882 fielding percentage...his teams were 13-14 (.481) in his starting assignments...tossed six or more innings in 15 of his 27 starts, allowed two runs or fewer 13 times and walked two batters or fewer 16 times...was named the A's fifth best prospect by Baseball America following the season...was also tabbed as having the best curveball in the A's farm system by the magazine.
2011
The A's first round selection in the First-Year Player Draft signed July 25 and combined for a 1-1 record and 0.82 ERA in six starts with the A's affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League and Double-A Midland...did not surrender a home run in 22.0 innings...allowed a .241 opponents batting average, including .206 (7-for-34) against right-handed hitters compared to .267 (12-for-45) against left-handers...issued just one of his six walks to righties...opponents were 2-for-17 (.118) with runners in scoring position...made
his professional debut Aug. 7 at the Rangers; Arizona Rookie League affiliate, absorbing the loss in a 6-3 decision...allowed a run on four hits in 2.0 innings and struck out two...was transferred to Midland Aug. 11 and went 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA in five starts...did not allow a run in his first four outings, giving him a 19.1-inning scoreless streak from Aug. 7 to Sept. 5...made his Double-A debut with 2.2 scoreless innings Aug. 12 against Tulsa and followed that with 3.2 innings at Tulsa Aug. 19...tossed 5.0 shutout innings and struck out a season-high six against Corpus Christi Aug. 26...recorded his first pro win Aug. 31 at San Antonio (5.0 ip, 1 h, 1 bb, 3 so)...allowed his only run in his final start Sept. 5 at Frisco...tossed 3.2 innings and had season-highs in hits (5) and walks (3)...was rated as the A's third-best prospect by Baseball America following the season.
