John Lannan

Infobox MLB player

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width = 250
caption = Lannan with the Nationals in 2008
name=John Lannan
position=Starting Pitcher
team=Washington Nationals
number=31
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1984|9|27
birthplace=city-state|Long Beach|New York
debutdate=July 26
debutyear=2007
debutteam=Washington Nationals
statyear=2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=11-17
stat3label=Earned Run Average
stat3value=3.95
stat4label=Strikeouts
stat4value=127
teams=
*Washington Nationals (by|2007-present)

John E. Lannan (born September 27, 1984 in Long Beach, New York) is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization.

Following his time as captain of the Chaminade High School baseball team, Lannan was selected by the Washington Nationals out of Siena College in the 11th round (324th overall) of the by|2005 Major League Baseball draft.

He pitched for the low Single-A Vermont Expos in 2005 and the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats in by|2006, compiling ERA's of 5.26 and 4.76 respectively. In by|2007, however, he blazed through the minors. He began the year for the high-A Potomac Nationals going 6-0 with an ERA of 2.13 and was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg. He went 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA and got bumped up to Triple-A Columbus, where he started six games, and went 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA -- and all of this before July ended.

The Nationals, decimated by starting injuries to their pitching staff, purchased Lannan's contract on July 26, 2007, for Lannan to start against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his debut, behind 3-2 with one out in the fifth inning, Lannan hit Chase Utley with a fastball (breaking Utley's hand) and then hit Ryan Howard on the next pitch, whereupon umpire Hunter Wendelstedt immediately ejected Lannan from the game; Lannan was the first Major Leaguer in a decade to be tossed from his debut. [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=2110881&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_mlb&ymd=20070726] Lannan picked up his first Major League win, in his second start, six days later, in which he held the Cincinnati Reds hitless through three and scoreless through five inning before allowing two runs in the sixth.

On August 6, 2007, Lannan, in just his third major league start, found himself on the national stage as he faced the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in Barry Bonds's first start after tying Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball's home run record. The 22-year old Lannan held Bonds to no hits; in four plate appearances Bonds fouled out to third, walked, grounded into a double play, and, as Lannan's last batter, struck out on a 3-2 curveball with two out and one on in the seventh. [cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2007/08/07/standup_guy_lannan_keeps_bonds_at_bay/ | title=Standup guy Lannan keeps Bonds at bay | author=Nick Cafardo | publisher= Boston Globe | date=August 7, 2007] Lannan finished with seven innings of one-run ball pitched, although the Nats went on to lose 3-2 in 11 innings.

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