Jake Westbrook

Infobox MLB player
name = Jake Westbrook

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width = 300
caption =
team = Cleveland Indians
number = 37
position = Starting pitcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1977|9|29
birthplace = Athens, Georgia
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = June 17
debutyear = 2000
debutteam = New York Yankees
statyear = 2008 season
stat1label = Win-Loss
stat1value = 63-64
stat2label = Earned run average
stat2value = 4.31
stat3label = Strikeouts
stat3value = 583
teams =
*New York Yankees (by|2000)
*Cleveland Indians (by|2001–present)
awards =
*All-Star selection (by|2004)

Jacob Cauthen Westbrook (born September 29, 1977 in Athens, Georgia) is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.

Westbrook's repertoire features a cut fastball, a changeup, a slider, and a sinker.

Jake was the 21st overall pick in the 1996 Major League first-year player draft out of Madison County High School by the Colorado Rockies. He tossed 5 no-hitters and one perfect game in his high school career.

As a minor league pitcher in the Rockies organization, Westbrook was part of a trade in by|1997 with the Montreal Expos that sent Mike Lansing to the Rockies.

In by|1999, he was traded from the Expos along with Ted Lilly to the New York Yankees for pitcher Hideki Irabu. He appeared in three games for the Yankees as a rookie. Less than a year later, the Yankees parted ways with Westbrook, Zach Day, and Ricky Ledee in exchange for David Justice of the Indians.

Westbrook was named to the All-Star team in by|2004, when he won 14 games with an earned run average of 3.38. After becoming a full-time starter in 2004, the sinkerballer won at least 14 games in three consecutive seasons.

In April by|2007, Westbrook signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Indians, which will keep him in Cleveland through the 2010 season.

On March 28, 2008, Westbrook appeared at his high school alma-mater, Madison County High School in Danielsville, Georgia, to speak and give thanks as they retired his high school #12 jersey during a home baseball game.

After being placed on the 15 day DL in April by|2008, Westbrook came back to pitch his first game for the Indians on May 28. After the start, Westbrook began to feel soreness in his elbow, but was optimistic that he would be able to make his next start. It was announced on June 7, 2008, that he would be undergoing Tommy John Surgery and will be out of action for 10-14 months, ending his 2008 season.

Career Statistics

External links