Jeremy Bonderman

Infobox MLB player
name = Jeremy Bonderman

---

width = 250
caption =
team = Detroit Tigers
number = 38
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|10|28
birthplace = city-state|Kennewick|Washington
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 2
debutyear = 2003
debutteam = Detroit Tigers
statyear = September 13, 2008
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 59–66
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 4.74
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 812
teams =
*Detroit Tigers (by|2003-present)

Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982 in city-state|Kennewick|Washington) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Bonderman is six feet and two inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed. He is known for throwing a slider as well as a four-seam fastball and a change-up.

High school

Bonderman attended Pasco High School in Pasco, Washington. In his last year of high school baseball, he went 5–2 and recorded a 3.60 ERA. He is the only high school junior ever to be drafted in baseball history. He was held back a year early in his schooling, and passed his GED to earn his diploma.

Professional career

The draft

Bonderman was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in his junior year of high school with the 26th pick in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft.

The trade

On July 6, by|2002, Bonderman was involved in a three team deal. The Athletics had sent Carlos Peña, a player to be named later (who later became Bonderman), and Franklyn Germán to the Detroit Tigers. The New York Yankees sent Ted Lilly, John-Ford Griffin, and Jason Arnold to the Athletics. The Tigers sent Jeff Weaver to the Yankees and cash to the Athletics.

Detroit Tigers

He debuted in the major leagues when he was 20 years old. Bonderman’s major league debut came against the Minnesota Twins, who battered him for six runs in four innings. While many felt this was a bad move by the Tigers, Bonderman seemed ready and the Tigers didn't have much to look forward to as they were in a rebuilding stage. Considering how well he worked out in the end, many feel the Tigers should have delayed his arbitration clock, thereby getting more of his prime years at a low price.

In his first season, he had a 6–19 record. He was benched for the final week of Detroit's famously awful mlby|2003 season to avoid becoming the first pitcher in 23 years to lose 20 or more games in a single season. However, the feat was accomplished by his teammate Mike Maroth. Appropriately, it was a season in which the Tigers themselves missed the modern record for losses in a season by one.

He did better in mlby|2004 by going 11–13 with a 4.89 ERA. Bonderman had a season of contrasts due to injury in mlby|2005, as evidenced by his season splits, but on the year showed improvement with a 14-13 record and a 4.57 ERA.

Bonderman was the Tigers' Opening Day starter for the 2005 season. At 22 years old, he was the youngest pitcher to start on Opening Day since Dwight Gooden started for the New York Mets at the age of 20 in the mlby|1986 season.

In mlby|2006, he posted a career best 14–8 record and a 4.08 ERA. He started Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees. He pitched five perfect innings before giving up a hit. He then pitched 3.1 more innings, surrendering only one run. Bonderman was the winning pitcher in the game that gave the Tigers the series. He pitched again in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, pitching six innings and giving up three runs before being pulled. The Tigers would go on to win the game and series for the American League Pennant. In the World Series, he pitched six innings giving up only two runs. He left the game with the Tigers in the lead. However, the Tigers would ultimately lose the game, as well as the series the following day.

Bonderman finished second in the mlby|2007 All-Star Game Final vote. [ [http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070705&content_id=2069009&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News ] ]

Bonderman missed most of the mlby|2008 season because he had procedures done to remove a blood clot in his axillary vein.

References

External links

*