Jon Rauch
Encyclopedia
Jon Erich Rauch is a right-handed relief pitcher
who is currently a free agent
. At 6' 11" (2.11 m), he is the tallest player in Major League Baseball
history. He is also an Olympic
Gold Medal
ist.
. He grew up in Westport, Kentucky.
in college at Morehead State University
, where he double majored in physics and business. He was also a member of the social fraternity
Sigma Phi Epsilon
.
by the Chicago White Sox
. He debuted with the White Sox on April 2, .
In 2002, Rauch's first stint in the big leagues resulted in a 6.59 ERA
in eight games and six starts
. He did not play in the majors in , then returned to the majors in after a strong Triple-A campaign. However, against major league batters he again posted a high ERA of 6.23. In July 2004, Rauch was traded to the Montréal Expos
along with Triple-A reliever Gary Majewski
for Carl Everett
.
against the Houston Astros
off Roger Clemens
, making him the tallest man ever to hit a home run in Major League Baseball. Despite a strong finish to the season in Montréal, Rauch was sent to the minors when the Expos moved to Washington. After putting up better numbers in the minors, Rauch finished the season with the Nationals, used mostly as a reliever, and going 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA.
In , Rauch had his best season, posted a 4-5 record, a 3.35 ERA, and appearing in 85 games, second most in the NL.
In , Rauch led the Major Leagues in appearances with 88. He finished the year with a 8-4 record, four saves, and a 3.61 ERA. His eight victories led the team in wins, a rarity in baseball for a relief pitcher.
On February 2, , Rauch signed a two-year contract with the Nationals, worth a total of $3.2 million. Before being traded, Rauch spent most of the year as the closer
in place of injured Chad Cordero
.
Rauch won the first game in the history of Nationals Park.
.
. He appeared in 17 games for the Twins before the end of the season, posting a 5-1 record with a 1.72 ERA.
On April 2, 2010, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
named Rauch the team's closer, replacing the injured Joe Nathan
.
On April 6, 2010 Rauch earned his first save as a Twin with a perfect ninth with two strikeouts versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
in a 5-3 win. Rauch served as the team's closer through August, when the Twins acquired Matt Capps
. During his time as closer, he saved 21 games in 25 opportunities.
After the Twins acquired Capps, Rauch returned to his previous role as a set-up man and long reliever.
After pitching in a game against the Seattle Mariners
on August 15, 2011, Rauch was taken to a Seattle hospital for an emergency appendectomy. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 16, 2011. At the time on injury, Rauch led the Blue Jays in appearances (with 51), posting a 5-4 record with a 4.47 earned run average and 11 saves.
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. At 6' 11" (2.11 m), he is the tallest player in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
history. He is also an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gold Medal
Gold Medal
Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
ist.
Early years
Rauch attended and graduated from Oldham County High SchoolOldham County High School
Oldham County High School is a public high school in Buckner, Kentucky. It was founded in 1953 and has a student body of approximately 1,250 students in 9th through 12th grades. OCHS was given the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award in 1987 and 2002...
. He grew up in Westport, Kentucky.
College career
Rauch played baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in college at Morehead State University
Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
, where he double majored in physics and business. He was also a member of the social fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
.
Chicago White Sox
Rauch, weighing at 290-lbs, was drafted in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft1999 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...
by the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. He debuted with the White Sox on April 2, .
In 2002, Rauch's first stint in the big leagues resulted in a 6.59 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in eight games and six starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. He did not play in the majors in , then returned to the majors in after a strong Triple-A campaign. However, against major league batters he again posted a high ERA of 6.23. In July 2004, Rauch was traded to the Montréal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
along with Triple-A reliever Gary Majewski
Gary Majewski
-Career:Majewski graduated in 1998 from St. Pius X High School in Houston, where he was unanimously selected for Houston Player of the Year for his achievement of maintaining a 1.64 ERA and a 14-3 record. With that, he led his team to the state championship in Class 5A TAPPS.In the majors, Majewski...
for Carl Everett
Carl Everett
Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
.
Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals
On August 13, 2004, Rauch hit a home runHome run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
against the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
off Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
, making him the tallest man ever to hit a home run in Major League Baseball. Despite a strong finish to the season in Montréal, Rauch was sent to the minors when the Expos moved to Washington. After putting up better numbers in the minors, Rauch finished the season with the Nationals, used mostly as a reliever, and going 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA.
In , Rauch had his best season, posted a 4-5 record, a 3.35 ERA, and appearing in 85 games, second most in the NL.
In , Rauch led the Major Leagues in appearances with 88. He finished the year with a 8-4 record, four saves, and a 3.61 ERA. His eight victories led the team in wins, a rarity in baseball for a relief pitcher.
On February 2, , Rauch signed a two-year contract with the Nationals, worth a total of $3.2 million. Before being traded, Rauch spent most of the year as the closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
in place of injured Chad Cordero
Chad Cordero
Chad Patrick Cordero is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He broke into the big league ranks with the Montreal Expos...
.
Rauch won the first game in the history of Nationals Park.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On July 22, 2008, Rauch was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for second base prospect Emilio BonifacioEmilio Bonifacio
Emilio Jose Bonifacio Del Rosario is a Dominican professional baseball 3rd baseman with the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball in the United States. He played in his first Major League game on September 1, 2007 when he was called up by the Arizona Diamondbacks...
.
Minnesota Twins
On August 28, 2009, Rauch was traded to the Minnesota Twins for RHP Kevin MulveyKevin Mulvey
Kevin John Mulvey is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. He has previously played for the Minnesota Twins.-Early life:Mulvey is a New Jersey native...
. He appeared in 17 games for the Twins before the end of the season, posting a 5-1 record with a 1.72 ERA.
On April 2, 2010, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....
named Rauch the team's closer, replacing the injured Joe Nathan
Joe Nathan
Joseph Michael Nathan is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . Nathan started out his baseball career as a shortstop in high school but converted to a pitcher after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants...
.
On April 6, 2010 Rauch earned his first save as a Twin with a perfect ninth with two strikeouts versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
in a 5-3 win. Rauch served as the team's closer through August, when the Twins acquired Matt Capps
Matt Capps
Matthew Dicus Capps , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He is a 2002 graduate of Alexander High School in Douglasville, where he lettered in football, basketball, cross-country and baseball before receiving a scholarship at LSU...
. During his time as closer, he saved 21 games in 25 opportunities.
After the Twins acquired Capps, Rauch returned to his previous role as a set-up man and long reliever.
Toronto Blue Jays
On January 17, 2011 the Blue Jays signed Rauch to a one-year deal worth $3.5M that includes a club option for $3.75M in 2012.After pitching in a game against the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
on August 15, 2011, Rauch was taken to a Seattle hospital for an emergency appendectomy. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 16, 2011. At the time on injury, Rauch led the Blue Jays in appearances (with 51), posting a 5-4 record with a 4.47 earned run average and 11 saves.
External links
- Bio from Washington's Website
- 2007 spring training highlight video from The Washington Post
- Haber, Brett. "What I've Learned: Jon Rauch", Washingtonian, August 1, 2008.