- Grant Balfour
Infobox MLB player
width = 150
name=Grant Balfour
position=Relief pitcher
team=Tampa Bay Rays
number=50
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1977|12|30
debutdate=July 22
debutyear=2001
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
statyear=July 14, 2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=8-4
stat2label=Strikeout s
stat2value=137
stat3label=Earned run average
stat3value=4.71
teams=
*Minnesota Twins (by|2001, by|2003-by|2004)
*Milwaukee Brewers (by|2007)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (by|2007-present)Grant Robert Balfour (born
December 30 1977 inSydney, Australia ) is a middlereliever for theTampa Bay Rays . He has previously played for theCincinnati Reds ,Minnesota Twins , andMilwaukee Brewers . Balfour is well known in some baseball circles for his seemingly ironic name (Ball-Four), considering he is a pitcher.Balfour spent his high school years at William Clarke College in Kellyville, Sydney, Australia.
In by|2003 and by|2004 his WHIP was 1.42.
Balfour made his return to the major leagues on
July 18 , by|2007 in the 8th inning with the Milwaukee Brewers. He relievedChris Capuano in a 2-2 tie with theArizona Diamondbacks , striking out Chris Young, the first hitter he faced. With two outs in the 8th, he hit a batter and walked another before giving up a three-run home run to Mark Reynolds, giving the Diamondbacks a 5-2 lead. Balfour would finish the 8th and 9th inning and take the loss in relief, having given up three earned runs in the 5-2 defeat.Balfour missed all of by|2005 recovering from surgery and spent by|2006 and the first part of 2007 in the minors until being summoned from Triple-A Nashville on
July 17 .On the same day that he was
designated for assignment , Balfour was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays onJuly 27 2007 , forSeth McClung . Balfour finished the season in the Rays bullpen and was resigned to a 1 year deal.Balfour came into by|2008 spring training as a long-shot to make the Rays bullpen. Despite a solid spring training, eventually he lost out on the final spot and was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Durham on
April 3 ,2008 .Balfour was recalled from Triple A Durham on May 29th, 2008. He recorded the save on May 31st vs. the White Sox retiring Brian Anderson to end the game in a Rays 2-0 win. In the series sweep against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field, Balfour was credited with two of the three wins - the first on June 16th, relieving Scott Kazmir with the score 1-1 and bases loaded, pitching one and one-third perfect innings in a 3-2 win; the second on June 18th, entering the game trailing 1-2, and pitching one and two-thirds innings, recording three strikeouts, in a game the Rays won 8-3.
Balfour's season has been considered a pleasant surprise. He finished the year with a 1.54 ERA, a 6-2 record, 4 saves out of 5 opportunities, 14 holds, and 82
strikeout s over 58 1/3 IP in 51 appearances.ee also
*
List of players from Australia in Major League Baseball External links
* [http://www.fantasyplayers.com/HotOffTheWireStory.asp?NOTE_ID=461852 Balfour accepts assignment to Durham]
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