Huston Street

Infobox MLB player
name = Huston Street

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width = 200
caption =
team = Oakland Athletics
number = 20
position = Relief pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1983|8|2
birthplace = city-state|Austin|Texas
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 6
debutyear = 2005
debutteam = Oakland Athletics
statyear = 2008 season
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 21-12
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 2.88
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 271
stat4label = Saves
stat4value = 94
teams =
*Oakland Athletics (by|2005-present)
awards =
*Rookie of the Year Award winner (by|2005)

Huston Lowell Street (pronEng|ˈçʲustən, born August 2, 1983 in Austin, Texas) is a relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, currently best known for winning the mlby|2005 American League Rookie of the Year Award. His father is former University of Texas quarterback James Street.

Baseball career

Street attended The University of Texas from by|2002-by|2004, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. He is widely regarded as one of the best collegiate closers of all time. Street earned a form of All-American honors at Texas every season he was there and helped his team win the College World Series of collegiate baseball in 2002. In that season, he set a CWS record for the most [Save (baseball)|saves] and won the Series Most Valuable Player honors for his amazing work as a closer. A year later, Street led the Longhorns to the Series semifinals, and in 2004, he helped his team to the finals, only to lose in two games to Cal State Fullerton.

Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2004, Street spent a few months in the minor leagues, spending no more than a month at each level. He then was invited to the Arizona Fall League where his team took the championship. Street was called up to the major leagues at the start of the mlby|2005 season. He became Oakland's closer when incumbent Octavio Dotel went down in May with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. Street saved 23 games in 27 chances to go along with a 5-1 record, 72 strikeouts, and a 1.72 ERA. Only Mariano Rivera's 1.38 ERA for the Yankees was better among American League relievers. Street had 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings pitched, and opposing hitters batted only .194 against him. He was rewarded for his effort by being named Rookie of the Year, as the third player in a row who had spent some time in the Athletics organization (after Angel Berroa in mlby|2003, and Bobby Crosby in 2004).

Street continued to serve as the closer for the A's in mlby|2006. He finished the 2006 season with a record of 4-4 and 37 saves, with 67 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA in 70.2 innings pitched with 11 blown saves.

Street had a solid season in mlby|2007 despite missing time with an injury. He went 5-2 with a 2.88 ERA, with 16 saves and 62 strikeouts in 50 innings.

Huston struggled somewhat in mlby|2008. After a rough stretch in July and August, he lost his closer position to rookie Brad Ziegler. Street's pitching has since improved greatly, although Ziegler continued to close.

Street appears in Richard Linklater's documentary Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach, about his college coach at the University of Texas, Augie Garrido.

couting

Unlike most closers, Street is a finesse pitcher instead of a power pitcher. Street's fastball usually hovers in the 90-92 mph range, topping out around 94 mph, but has exceptional tailing movement. He also features a sharp slider at 84-86 mph that he uses frequently against righties, as well as a good circle changeup at around the 78-80 mph range with splitter-like movement that he uses effectively against lefties.

tatistics

External links

*baseballstats |mlb=434718 |espn=6175 |br=s/streehu01 |cube=S/Huston-Street