Scott Williamson
Encyclopedia
Scott Ryan Williamson is a right-handed relief pitcher
in the Florida Marlins
organization. He has played for the Cincinnati Reds
(1999–2003), Boston Red Sox
(2003-), Chicago Cubs
(2005–2006), San Diego Padres
(2006), and the Baltimore Orioles
(2007). After a lightning-fast start: going from college to the major leagues in two years, with just five appearances at the Triple-A level and winning National League Rookie of the Year honors, Williamson's career tailed off in the mid-2000s as he suffered repeated injuries and spent long stretches on the disabled list.
in Friendswood, Texas
. In his senior year he posted a 0.68 ERA and was named district MVP
. In college, Williamson played for first Tulane University
and then Oklahoma State University. With the latter, he earned Big 12
first-team honors during the 1996-1997 school year. Williamson entered the draft
after the season was over and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds
in the 9th round, 276th pick overall.
of the Pioneer League. Starting for Billings, Williamson went 8-2 with a 1.78 ERA, the best in the league that year. For 1998 Cincinnati promoted Williamson to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
of the Southern League
, bypassing Single-A altogether. In his first start for the Lookouts Williamson faced Atlanta Braves
veteran John Smoltz
, down with the Greenville Braves
on a rehabilitation assignment. Williamson held his own, giving up two runs in six innings in a 6-5 loss. Mark Berry
, Lookouts manager, praised Williamson's performance: "I was highly impressed...I expected him to be more erratic because of Smoltz, the big crowd and the whole situation. It's something he can build on." Williamson would start just 18 games for the Lookouts that year after battling injuries, but at the end of the season Cincinnati promoted him to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
. Cincinnati planned to call Williamson up in September but he "stretched a tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand" during a game for Indianapolis, ending his season.
Cincinnati invited Williamson to spring training in 1999, where the combination of an impressive performance and injuries to key members of the pitching staff, including Denny Neagle
and Stan Belinda
, led to Williamson making the major league club despite having made just five appearances at the Triple-A level and never being on the 40-man roster. Williamson made his major league debut in relief on April 5, 1999. In his rookie season with Cincinnati Williamson went 12-7 with 107 strikeouts, a 2.41 earned run average
and 19 saves; made the All-Star
team, and earned Rookie of the Year
honors. Williamson was the first Reds player to be so honored since Chris Sabo
in 1988.
During the 1999-2000 off-season Williamson's name came up several times in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners
, who were looking to deal Ken Griffey, Jr.
, but in the end Williamson remained with Cincinnati. Williamson returned for the 2000 season but was bedeviled by injuries, including two broken toes in mid-September. He made fewer appearances than in 1999 but pitched more innings, due in part to joining the starting rotation after the All-Star break.
After a lackluster spring training Cincinnati returned Williamson to the bullpen, but after two appearances went on the disabled list
with a torn ligament in his shoulder. After consultation with orthopedic surgeon James Andrews
Williamson underwent Tommy John surgery
, ending his season. Cincinnati general manager Jim Bowden
called it "Devastating, just devastating." Williamson returned to the bullpen for the 2002 season and went 3-4 with a 2.92 ERA. For 2003 Williamson took over as closer and saved 21 games in 43 appearances. On July 31, 2003 Cincinnati traded Williamson to the Boston Red Sox for Phil Dumatrait
, Tyler Pelland and cash. The move was part of a fire sale
instigated by Cincinnati management after Bowden and manager Bob Boone
were fired.
had also been interested in Williamson; that Boston acquired him from Cincinnati was widely touted as a coup for Boston general manager Theo Epstein
. USA Today
sportswriter Hal Bodley placed the Williamson trade in the context of Red Sox-Yankees rivalry:
The mid-season arrival of Williamson, along with Scott Sauerbeck
, Jeff Suppan
and Byung Hyun Kim was expected to boost an already strong Boston team to the 2003 World Series
.
Williamson's tenure with Boston was a troubled one: his ERA with the team was 6.20 and he pitched just 20 innings in 24 appearances. In mid-September he underwent an MRI but the result was negative. As Boston entered the playoffs he shared closer duties with Mike Timlin
. In the American League Championship
series against New York, Williamson earned saves in Games 1, 4 and 6. Nevertheless, Little left a tiring Pedro Martinez
in the 8th inning of Game 7 with Boston up 5-2. Martinez gave up three runs and New York would eventually win in the 11th inning 6-5. Critics maintain that Little should have pulled Martinez in favor of Williamson or Timlin, but that their mixed record during the regular season led Little to stay with the veteran Martinez. Williamson's appearances in Games 1-6 marked the first time a Boston pitcher had appeared in the first six games of a playoff series.
Williamson returned to Boston in 2004 as a middle reliever and got off to a strong start (1.69 ERA in 14 appearances) before elbow tendinitis placed him on the disabled list
again in late May. Williamson returned in mid-June, but never felt completely healthy and went back on the DL at the beginning of July with a nerve impingement in his right forearm. The return to the DL was not without controversy: Williamson, feeling pain in a game against the Yankees (which the Red Sox would go on to lose), took himself out of the game. What happened next is a matter of dispute. Contemporary media accounts claim that Boston veteran starting pitcher Curt Schilling
confronted Williamson and "questioned [Williamson's] manhood." Schilling would later downplay the incident, acknowledging that he and Williamson "had words" but that Schilling never doubted that Williamson was injured. Williamson indicated that he and Schilling never patched things up and said that "Unfortunately, it happened. He's got his opinion, but it wasn't right."
In August Boston placed Williamson on the 60-day disabled list as word spread that he might undergo a second "Tommy John" surgery, which would end the 2004 season and likely preclude any activity in 2005 as well. Defying predictions, Williamson returned in September and finished the season with a 1.26 ERA in 28 appearances. However, he was left off the post-season roster and underwent surgery as Boston won the 2004 World Series
. Williamson filed for free agency at the end of the season, and departed the organization after Boston declined to offer arbitration.
signed Williamson to a minor league contract and added him to their 40-man roster, but he almost immediately went on the 60-day disabled list: in the end Williamson had undergone the second Tommy John surgery and was not yet recovered. Williamson returned to the team in August but struggled with his velocity. Sportswriters wondered at the wisdom of coming back in less than 12 months without the benefit of spring training. Williamson himself said that he was "trying to find my rhythm and it's hard to do that at the big-league level." Williamson eventually appeared in 17 games; his ERA, 8.68 in the beginning of September, dropped to 5.65 by the end of the season. Showing its confidence in Williamson, Chicago exercised its option to bring him back for another season.
Williamson made the 2006 team as a middle reliever, losing the closer's job to Ryan Dempster
. Williamson had expressed a willingness to be traded if it meant taking over the closer's job for the new team. In early June, after making 23 appearances with an ERA over 4, Williamson went back on the disabled list with tendinitis. Williamson returned at the end of June and pitched in eight more games, but on July 22 Chicago traded him to the San Diego Padres
for minor League pitchers Fabian Angulo and Joel Santo.
division, a prospect which cheered him: "Going from second-to-last to first place, that's always exciting." In an interview with the Galveston County Daily News, Williamson also expressed disappointment at the way Chicago manager Dusty Baker
had used him and revealed that he had considered retiring altogether. Now with San Diego, Williamson said that he was "having a lot of fun here, and I'm back to being myself, laughing and joking." Just days after that interview was published, Williamson made his last appearance for San Diego: an MRI revealed a bone chip in his elbow. Williamson returned to the DL and sat out the rest of the season. San Diego released Williamson on October 12.
signed Williamson to a one-year contract. After six appearances and an ERA of 1.60, Williamson went on the disabled list with tightness in his right triceps tendon. Williamson returned in June and appeared in ten more games, but lingering questions about his health and a desire on the part of Baltimore's management to promote younger players led to him being designated for assignment
on July 4. In sixteen games Williamson was 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA. Williamson cleared waivers and was released.
signed Williamson to a minor league contract on July 22. He was released on August 5 after going 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in 4 games with the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees. In early February 2008, Williamson signed a one year minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He would have made $700,000 if he had made the Giants major league roster. After posting a 13.50 ERA with the Giants in spring training
, Williamson was released on March 5, 2008. Williamson was signed to a minor league contract by the Atlanta Braves
in April. They released him in early June.
On June 15, 2008, the Seattle Mariners
signed him to a minor league contract. After joining the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
and his third organization that year, Williamson remarked that "This year has been kind of a crazy year for me...It's kind of frustrating, but it feels good to go out and compete." but he was released in late June after just three appearances.
On January 24, 2009, Williamson signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers
, who were looking for middle relievers after a disappointing 2008 season. In the end Williamson lost out to newcomer Ryan Perry
and was sent down to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens
. Detroit manager Jim Leyland
praised Williamson's experience: "I think Scott Williamson has an excellent chance...You're talking about a pretty big-time Major League pitcher at one time." Once in Toledo, however, Williamson had difficulties making a consistent outing and his ERA climbed steadily. On April 26, 2009, Toledo released Williamson to make room for Eddie Bonine
, ending Williamson's comeback attempt within the Detroit Tigers organization.
On August 2, 2010, Scott Williamson agreed to pitch for the Somerset Patriots. http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/patriots/2010/08/02/coming-and-going/
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...
in the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
organization. He has played for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1999–2003), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(2003-), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(2005–2006), San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(2006), and the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(2007). After a lightning-fast start: going from college to the major leagues in two years, with just five appearances at the Triple-A level and winning National League Rookie of the Year honors, Williamson's career tailed off in the mid-2000s as he suffered repeated injuries and spent long stretches on the disabled list.
Career
Williamson attended Friendswood High SchoolFriendswood High School
Friendswood High School is a public secondary school located in Friendswood, Texas, United States.Friendswood High School is a 4A educational facility which serves grades 9 through 12,and is a part of the Friendswood Independent School District....
in Friendswood, Texas
Friendswood, Texas
Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2000 U.S...
. In his senior year he posted a 0.68 ERA and was named district MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. In college, Williamson played for first Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
and then Oklahoma State University. With the latter, he earned Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
first-team honors during the 1996-1997 school year. Williamson entered the draft
1997 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1997 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, 1997...
after the season was over and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the 9th round, 276th pick overall.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati assigned Williamson their rookie affiliate, the Billings MustangsBillings Mustangs
The Billings Mustangs are a minor league baseball team based in Billings, Montana. The Mustangs are the Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of the Major League Cincinnati Reds. The team has been a part of the Pioneer League since 1948 with a five-year gap between 1964 and 1968, and has been affiliated...
of the Pioneer League. Starting for Billings, Williamson went 8-2 with a 1.78 ERA, the best in the league that year. For 1998 Cincinnati promoted Williamson to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
of the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
, bypassing Single-A altogether. In his first start for the Lookouts Williamson faced Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
veteran John Smoltz
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996...
, down with the Greenville Braves
Greenville Braves
The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004...
on a rehabilitation assignment. Williamson held his own, giving up two runs in six innings in a 6-5 loss. Mark Berry
Mark Berry (baseball)
Mark Berry is the third base coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He has held that position since . He has spent 27 seasons in the Reds organization as a player, coach, and manager.-Early life:...
, Lookouts manager, praised Williamson's performance: "I was highly impressed...I expected him to be more erratic because of Smoltz, the big crowd and the whole situation. It's something he can build on." Williamson would start just 18 games for the Lookouts that year after battling injuries, but at the end of the season Cincinnati promoted him to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
. Cincinnati planned to call Williamson up in September but he "stretched a tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand" during a game for Indianapolis, ending his season.
Cincinnati invited Williamson to spring training in 1999, where the combination of an impressive performance and injuries to key members of the pitching staff, including Denny Neagle
Denny Neagle
Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was last under contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the season, but he did not play due to injury...
and Stan Belinda
Stan Belinda
Stanley Peter Belinda is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher who batted from the right side, Belinda is 6'3" tall and weighs 187 pounds. He pitched from a three-quarters arm slot and threw both a regular low-90's fastball and a split-fingered fastball...
, led to Williamson making the major league club despite having made just five appearances at the Triple-A level and never being on the 40-man roster. Williamson made his major league debut in relief on April 5, 1999. In his rookie season with Cincinnati Williamson went 12-7 with 107 strikeouts, a 2.41 earned run average
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...
and 19 saves; made the All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team, and earned Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
honors. Williamson was the first Reds player to be so honored since Chris Sabo
Chris Sabo
Christopher Andrew Sabo is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds , Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals . At 6'0" and 180 lb , he batted and threw right-handed...
in 1988.
During the 1999-2000 off-season Williamson's name came up several times in trade talks with 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...
, who were looking to deal Ken Griffey, Jr.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...
, but in the end Williamson remained with Cincinnati. Williamson returned for the 2000 season but was bedeviled by injuries, including two broken toes in mid-September. He made fewer appearances than in 1999 but pitched more innings, due in part to joining the starting rotation after the All-Star break.
After a lackluster spring training Cincinnati returned Williamson to the bullpen, but after two appearances went on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
with a torn ligament in his shoulder. After consultation with orthopedic surgeon James Andrews
James Andrews (physician)
James Rheuben Andrews, M.D., born 1942 in Homer, Louisiana, is an orthopedic surgeon who practices at the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, Florida. He also practices in Birmingham, Alabama at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center located at St....
Williamson underwent Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
, ending his season. Cincinnati general manager Jim Bowden
Jim Bowden
-Early life and career:Bowden was born in Boston, MA and raised in Weston, Massachusetts and Boothbay Harbor, ME. He graduated from Rollins College in 1983 with a B.A. degree in Communications and Business Administration. He was the Sports Director at the College radio station as well doing the...
called it "Devastating, just devastating." Williamson returned to the bullpen for the 2002 season and went 3-4 with a 2.92 ERA. For 2003 Williamson took over as closer and saved 21 games in 43 appearances. On July 31, 2003 Cincinnati traded Williamson to the Boston Red Sox for Phil Dumatrait
Phil Dumatrait
Phillip Anthony Dumatrait is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life:Born in Bakersfield, California, Dumatrait played for Bakersfield College before he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft.-Cincinnati Reds:On July 30, 2003,...
, Tyler Pelland and cash. The move was part of a fire sale
Fire sale
A fire sale is the sale of goods at extremely discounted prices, typically when the seller faces bankruptcy or other impending distress. The term may originally have been based on the sale of goods at a heavy discount due to fire damage...
instigated by Cincinnati management after Bowden and manager Bob Boone
Bob Boone
Robert Raymond Boone is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and...
were fired.
Boston Red Sox
The New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
had also been interested in Williamson; that Boston acquired him from Cincinnati was widely touted as a coup for Boston general manager Theo Epstein
Theo Epstein
Theo Nathan Epstein is the President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs.On November 25, 2002, he became the youngest GM in the history of Major League Baseball when the Boston Red Sox hired him at the age of 28...
. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
sportswriter Hal Bodley placed the Williamson trade in the context of Red Sox-Yankees rivalry:
The SauerbeckScott SauerbeckScott William Sauerbeck is a retired left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-High school career:...
-Williamson deals give the Red Sox and Epstein a measure of revenge. They were stung last winter when the Yankees outbid them in a bitter battle for Cuban pitcher Jose ContrerasJosé ContrerasJosé Ariel Contreras Camejo is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies...
.
The mid-season arrival of Williamson, along with Scott Sauerbeck
Scott Sauerbeck
Scott William Sauerbeck is a retired left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher.-High school career:...
, Jeff Suppan
Jeff Suppan
Jeffrey Scot Suppan , is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Baseball career:Suppan was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, and rapidly ascended to the Majors making his debut at the age of 20...
and Byung Hyun Kim was expected to boost an already strong Boston team to the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
.
Williamson's tenure with Boston was a troubled one: his ERA with the team was 6.20 and he pitched just 20 innings in 24 appearances. In mid-September he underwent an MRI but the result was negative. As Boston entered the playoffs he shared closer duties with Mike Timlin
Mike Timlin
-Early life:Timlin was born in Midland, Texas to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.-Baseball career...
. In the American League Championship
2003 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkBacked by three home runs, Tim Wakefield shut the Bombers down in Game 1.-Game 2:Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York...
series against New York, Williamson earned saves in Games 1, 4 and 6. Nevertheless, Little left a tiring Pedro Martinez
Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
in the 8th inning of Game 7 with Boston up 5-2. Martinez gave up three runs and New York would eventually win in the 11th inning 6-5. Critics maintain that Little should have pulled Martinez in favor of Williamson or Timlin, but that their mixed record during the regular season led Little to stay with the veteran Martinez. Williamson's appearances in Games 1-6 marked the first time a Boston pitcher had appeared in the first six games of a playoff series.
Williamson returned to Boston in 2004 as a middle reliever and got off to a strong start (1.69 ERA in 14 appearances) before elbow tendinitis placed him on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
again in late May. Williamson returned in mid-June, but never felt completely healthy and went back on the DL at the beginning of July with a nerve impingement in his right forearm. The return to the DL was not without controversy: Williamson, feeling pain in a game against the Yankees (which the Red Sox would go on to lose), took himself out of the game. What happened next is a matter of dispute. Contemporary media accounts claim that Boston veteran starting pitcher Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
confronted Williamson and "questioned [Williamson's] manhood." Schilling would later downplay the incident, acknowledging that he and Williamson "had words" but that Schilling never doubted that Williamson was injured. Williamson indicated that he and Schilling never patched things up and said that "Unfortunately, it happened. He's got his opinion, but it wasn't right."
In August Boston placed Williamson on the 60-day disabled list as word spread that he might undergo a second "Tommy John" surgery, which would end the 2004 season and likely preclude any activity in 2005 as well. Defying predictions, Williamson returned in September and finished the season with a 1.26 ERA in 28 appearances. However, he was left off the post-season roster and underwent surgery as Boston won the 2004 World Series
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
. Williamson filed for free agency at the end of the season, and departed the organization after Boston declined to offer arbitration.
Chicago Cubs
At the start of 2005 the Chicago CubsChicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
signed Williamson to a minor league contract and added him to their 40-man roster, but he almost immediately went on the 60-day disabled list: in the end Williamson had undergone the second Tommy John surgery and was not yet recovered. Williamson returned to the team in August but struggled with his velocity. Sportswriters wondered at the wisdom of coming back in less than 12 months without the benefit of spring training. Williamson himself said that he was "trying to find my rhythm and it's hard to do that at the big-league level." Williamson eventually appeared in 17 games; his ERA, 8.68 in the beginning of September, dropped to 5.65 by the end of the season. Showing its confidence in Williamson, Chicago exercised its option to bring him back for another season.
Williamson made the 2006 team as a middle reliever, losing the closer's job to Ryan Dempster
Ryan Dempster
Ryan Scott Dempster is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Dempster bats and throws right-handed. He has been both a starter and a reliever in his career.-Professional career:...
. Williamson had expressed a willingness to be traded if it meant taking over the closer's job for the new team. In early June, after making 23 appearances with an ERA over 4, Williamson went back on the disabled list with tendinitis. Williamson returned at the end of June and pitched in eight more games, but on July 22 Chicago traded him to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for minor League pitchers Fabian Angulo and Joel Santo.
San Diego Padres
Williamson joined a San Diego team in first place in the National League WestNational League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
division, a prospect which cheered him: "Going from second-to-last to first place, that's always exciting." In an interview with the Galveston County Daily News, Williamson also expressed disappointment at the way Chicago manager Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
had used him and revealed that he had considered retiring altogether. Now with San Diego, Williamson said that he was "having a lot of fun here, and I'm back to being myself, laughing and joking." Just days after that interview was published, Williamson made his last appearance for San Diego: an MRI revealed a bone chip in his elbow. Williamson returned to the DL and sat out the rest of the season. San Diego released Williamson on October 12.
Baltimore Orioles
In late November 2006 the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
signed Williamson to a one-year contract. After six appearances and an ERA of 1.60, Williamson went on the disabled list with tightness in his right triceps tendon. Williamson returned in June and appeared in ten more games, but lingering questions about his health and a desire on the part of Baltimore's management to promote younger players led to him being designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
on July 4. In sixteen games Williamson was 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA. Williamson cleared waivers and was released.
Around the minors
The New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
signed Williamson to a minor league contract on July 22. He was released on August 5 after going 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA in 4 games with the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees. In early February 2008, Williamson signed a one year minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He would have made $700,000 if he had made the Giants major league roster. After posting a 13.50 ERA with the Giants in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, Williamson was released on March 5, 2008. Williamson was signed to a minor league contract by the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in April. They released him in early June.
On June 15, 2008, 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...
signed him to a minor league contract. After joining the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
and his third organization that year, Williamson remarked that "This year has been kind of a crazy year for me...It's kind of frustrating, but it feels good to go out and compete." but he was released in late June after just three appearances.
On January 24, 2009, Williamson signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, who were looking for middle relievers after a disappointing 2008 season. In the end Williamson lost out to newcomer Ryan Perry
Ryan Perry
Ryan Keith Perry is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. At the end of 2008 Baseball America named him the Tigers second best prospect, behind Rick Porcello.-Baseball career:...
and was sent down to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
. Detroit manager Jim Leyland
Jim Leyland
James Richard "Jim" Leyland is a Major League Baseball manager, currently with the Detroit Tigers.He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
praised Williamson's experience: "I think Scott Williamson has an excellent chance...You're talking about a pretty big-time Major League pitcher at one time." Once in Toledo, however, Williamson had difficulties making a consistent outing and his ERA climbed steadily. On April 26, 2009, Toledo released Williamson to make room for Eddie Bonine
Eddie Bonine
Eddie Keith Bonine is Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies system.- College career :...
, ending Williamson's comeback attempt within the Detroit Tigers organization.
On August 2, 2010, Scott Williamson agreed to pitch for the Somerset Patriots. http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/patriots/2010/08/02/coming-and-going/