Brandon Webb

Infobox MLB player
name = Brandon Webb


width = 300
caption =
team = Arizona Diamondbacks
number = 17
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1979|5|9
birthplace = city-state|Ashland|Kentucky
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 22
debutyear = 2003
debutteam = Arizona Diamondbacks
statyear = August 22, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 84-59
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 3.15
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 1033
teams =
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|2003-present)
awards =
*Cy Young Award winner (by|2006)
*3x All-Star selection (by|2006, by|2007, by|2008)
*Led NL in wins in by|2006
*Led NL in wins in by|2008
*Led NL in innings pitched in by|2007

Brandon Tyler Webb (born May 9, 1979 in Ashland, Kentucky), is a National Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and was the 2006 National League Cy Young Award winner.

Webb was a 1997 graduate of Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland. Brandon and his wife, Alicia, make their home in Ashland as well. He decided to stick close to home for college, attending the University of Kentucky in Lexington. A devastating sinker is said to be his out pitch, leading to many ground-ball outs.

Professional career

2003 Rookie Season

Webb joined the Diamondbacks right after Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling went down with injuries in the year. Webb teamed up with Andrew Good and Jose Valverde to make up the lost ground in the starting rotation. Brandon was a candidate for Rookie of the Year in 2003, but lost to Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

Rocky 2004 Season

*lost 16 games as starter, the most losses by a Diamondback (he won 7 games).
*played for a team that only won 51 games in 2004
*was ejected from his first game on September 17, 2004, by home plate umpire Jerry Layne after hitting St. Louis Cardinals' starter Woody Williams with a pitch. Has not been ejected since. [cite web |url=http://diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20040917&content_id=862085&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari |title=D-Backs' win streak ends at three |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work=MLB.com |publisher= |date= ]

2005 Season

In 2005, he posted a 14-12 record and an ERA of 3.54. After the season, he signed a four-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $19.5 million and a team option for the 2010. [cite web |url=http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060113&content_id=1295181&vkey=news_ari&fext=.jsp&c_id=ari |title=D-Backs ink Webb to extension Righty could be in an Arizona uniform through 2010 |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work=MLB.com |publisher= |date= ]

2006 Cy Young Award

Through his first 13 starts of the by|2006 season, Webb had an unbroken 8-0 record. He suffered his first losing effort of the season on June 10, in a 5-0 loss to the New York Mets. An early contender to win the National League Cy Young Award, Webb pitched in the 2006 Major League All-Star Game, recording a hitless inning.

Webb struggled in the second half of the season in part due to elbow soreness. Webb did score a win in an emotional outing versus the San Diego Padres on August 28, pitching seven effective innings. The win came a day after close friend and former UK teammate Jon Hooker and his new bride were among the victims of the doomed Comair Flight 5191 leaving Lexington.

Webb went on to finish the 2006 season with a record of 16-8 and an ERA of 3.10, and was recognized with the NL Cy Young Award. His 16 wins tied five other pitchers for the most victories in the National League. Webb's win total marked the lowest for a starting pitcher who won the Cy Young in a full season. [cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061114&content_id=1740358&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Webb takes home NL Cy Young |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work=MLB.com |publisher= |date= ] His 3.10 ERA was the fourth best in the majors.

2007 Scoreless Innings Streak

As of the conclusion of his start on August 17, 2007 Webb had logged an Arizona Diamondbacks franchise record with 42 1/3 scoreless innings including three straight complete game shutouts. This is the twelfth longest such streak in major league history, and the fifth longest since 1940, surpassed only by Orel Hershiser (59), Don Drysdale (58), Bob Gibson (47) and Sal Maglie (45). His three consecutive complete game shutouts during the streak was the longest streak since Roger Clemens accomplished the same with Toronto in 1998. This streak came to an end when the Milwaukee Brewers scored in the first inning of his start on August 22, 2007.

In December, 2007, the City of Ashland, KY re-named a section of Highway 60 the "Brandon Webb Highway" in honor of their local hero. The bill was sponsored by Kentucky Rep. John Vincent (R). [cite web |url=http://www.dailyindependent.com/local/local_story_348235852.html |title=Community honors its baseball hero |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work=dailyindependent |publisher= |date= ]

2008 Season

On May 15, 2008, Webb won his ninth game in as many starts. Webb became the first pitcher in the Majors to win his first nine starts of the season since Andy Hawkins won ten in his first ten starts in 1984. Near the end of June, Webb was leading the major leagues in wins. He was 13-4 with an ERA of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.13. He made the All-Star team and threw a scoreless 14th inning with two strikeouts at Yankee Stadium. Brandon Webb was currently as of August 22, 2008 at a league-leading 19-4. He tried twice to become the first pitcher in MLB history to net 20 wins before the end of August, but he lost both of those chances, and eventually, he was edged out of the league lead in wins by Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee, who got his 20th win on Sept. 1 in a 5-0 complete game shutout of the Chicago White Sox. As of September 22nd, Webb is 22-7 and tied for first in the major leagues with Cliff Lee.

ee also

* List of Major League Baseball wins champions
* Arizona Diamondbacks all-time roster

References

External links

*Baseballstats |mlb=425630 |espn=5455 |br=w/webbbr01 |fangraphs=1692|cube=W/brandon-webb
* [http://tsf.waymoresports.thestar.com/thestar/baseball/player.cgi?3593 Toronto Star]
* [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7121 Yahoo Sports]
* [http://www.ashlandalliance.com]

succession box
title = Baseball America Rookie of the Year
years = by|2003
before = Eric Hinske
after = Khalil Greenesuccession box
title = National League Wins Champion
years = 2006(with Harang, Lowe, Penny, Smoltz & Zambrano)
2008
before = Dontrelle Willis
Jake Peavy
after = Jake Peavy
"none"succession box
title = National League Pitcher of the month
years = April 2008
before = Jake Peavy
after = Todd Wellemeyer
###@@@KEYEND@@@###