John Halama

Infobox MLB player


width = 150px
name=John Halama
position=Pitcher
team=Cleveland Indians
number=--
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1972|2|22
birthplace=city-state|Brooklyn|New York
debutdate=April 2
debutyear=1998
debutteam=Houston Astros
statyear=2007
stat1label=Win-loss
stat1value=56-48
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=4.65
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=492
formerteams=
*Houston Astros (by|1998)
*Seattle Mariners (by|1999–by|2002)
*Oakland Athletics (by|2003)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|2004)
*Boston Red Sox (by|2005)
*Washington Nationals (by|2005)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|2006)

John Thadeuz Halama (born February 22, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Cleveland Indians organization. Previously, Halama played with the Houston Astros (by|1998), Seattle Mariners (by|1999-by|2002), Oakland Athletics (by|2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|2004), Boston Red Sox (by|2005), Washington Nationals (2005), and Baltimore Orioles (by|2006). He bats and throws left-handed.

A native from Brooklyn, New York, Halama has a resilient arm that lends itself to starting or long relief. He relies basically on a sinking fastball that tops out in the mid-80's with an occasional slider and change-up mixed up. When his sinker is working, Halama doesn't need much else. He is one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in baseball.

Halama made his debut with the Astros in 1998. At midseason, he was sent to Seattle along with Freddy García and Carlos Guillén in the same trade that brought Randy Johnson to Houston. Halama won 41 games for the Mariners in a four-year span, with a career high 14 victories in by|2000. In 2004, Halama went 7-6 with a 4.70 ERA in 34 appearances, including 14 starts for the Rays. He was signed by Boston as a free agent at the end of the season. He was later released by Boston and ended up with the Washington Nationals.

Spanning a career of seven-plus seasons in the Major Leagues, Halama has compiled a 53-44 record with 469 strikeouts and a 4.60 ERA in 860.1 innings pitched.

In by|2001, Halama threw one of only 8 perfect games in the history of the Pacific Coast League.

Halama pitched for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League in by|2007 and was selected by the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the by|2008 expansion draft.

On June 5, 2008, Halama signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, and was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.

External links

*John Halama at:
** [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5943 ESPN (profile and daily update)]
** [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/halamjo01.shtml Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis)]