Alan Embree

Infobox MLB player
name = Alan Embree


width = 300
caption =
team = Oakland Athletics
number = 41
position = Relief pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1970|1|23
birthplace = city-state|The Dalles|Oregon
bats = Left
throws = Left
debutdate = September 15
debutyear = 1992
debutteam = Cleveland Indians
statyear = 2008 season
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 37-43
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 4.55
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 679
teams =
*Cleveland Indians (by|1992, by|1995–by|1996)
*Atlanta Braves (by|1997–by|1998)
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|1998)
*San Francisco Giants (by|1999–by|2001)
*Chicago White Sox (by|2001)
*San Diego Padres (by|2002)
*Boston Red Sox (by|2002–by|2005)
*New York Yankees (by|2005)
*San Diego Padres (by|2006)
*Oakland Athletics (by|2007–present)
awards =
*World Series champion in 2004

Alan Duane Embree (born January 23, 1970 in The Dalles, Oregon) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. Previously, Embree played with the Cleveland Indians (mlby|1992–mlby|1996), Atlanta Braves (mlby|1997–mlby|1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998), San Francisco Giants (mlby|1999–mlby|2001), Chicago White Sox (2001), San Diego Padres (mlby|2002 & mlby|2006), Boston Red Sox (2002–mlby|2005) and New York Yankees (2005). He bats and throws left-handed and has been used as a left-handed specialist.

High school years

Embree attended Prairie High School in city-state|Brush Prairie|Washington and was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball. In baseball, he won All-Conference honors.

Professional career

Embree relies primarily on two pitches: a 90 to 95 MPH four-seam fastball, and a sharp slider that is very effective when he can keep it down. He is particularly difficult for left-handed hitters, and he is not afraid to throw inside. An excellent fielder, he has a good move to first that keeps runners close.

From 1992 through 2004, Embree had posted a 28-28 record with a 4.38 ERA and seven saves in 568 games. [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4958/career;_ylt=Aq0aWSPLL1HTI3cObSecjl2FCLcF Alan Embree - Oakland Athletics - Career Statistics - MLB - Yahoo! Sports ] ]

He holds the longest streak since mlby|1957 (and possibly the longest ever) for most consecutive outings without allowing an extra-base hit, which he set at 47 games. Dmitri Young broke the streak with a double on May 11, 1998.Fact|date=April 2008

In 2004, Embree recorded the final out against the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series and Embree received his World Series Championship ring on Opening Day, 2005.

In 2005 with the Boston Red Sox, Embree's record was 1-4 with a 7.65 ERA in 43 outings. As a result of these sub-par numbers, Embree was designated for assignment in mid-July. He was signed by the New York Yankees on July 30 to replace Buddy Groom who was designated for assignment.

On December 6, 2006 it was announced that Embree agreed to a two-year deal with the Oakland Athletics including an option for the mlby|2009 season. Embree spent the bulk of his time serving as the team's closer while Huston Street was injured for a prolonged period.

According to Vin Scully, Embree has a clause in his contract that gives him a $50,000 bonus if he is selected as the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game..Fact|date=October 2008

tatistics

References

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=4958 ESPN] - profile and daily updates
*baseball-reference|id=e/embreal01
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=113833 MLB.com player info page]
* [http://thebaseballcube.com/players/E/Alan-Embree.shtml The Baseball Cube player page]
* [http://www.tireball.com/behindthedugout/profiles/alan-embree/ Alan Embree: Behind the Dugout]