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Carl Pavano

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Carl Pavano
Pavano with the Minnesota Twins in 2010
Pitcher
Born: (1976-01-08) January 8, 1976 (age 48)
New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 23, 1998, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
June 1, 2012, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record108–107
Earned run average4.39
Strikeouts1,091
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Carl Anthony Pavano (born January 8, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Pavano played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2012 for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Minnesota Twins. He was a member of the 2003 World Series champion Marlins and appeared in the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He signed with the Yankees in 2005, with whom he became known for frequent injuries during his four-year stint with the team.

Amateur career

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Born in New Britain, Connecticut, Pavano graduated from Southington High School in Southington, Connecticut, the alma mater of former major league pitcher Rob Dibble. Pavano's retired jersey (number 14) still hangs (unretired as of 2011). At Southington, Pavano led the baseball team to a state championship in 1994.[1] Pavano initially committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State.[2]

Professional career

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Boston Red Sox

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Pavano was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round (355th overall) of the 1994 amateur draft.[3] In 1996, with the A level Michigan Battle Cats, he was 6–6 with a 3.44 ERA in 22 starts.[4] This earned him a number of honors including Baseball America first team Minor League All-Star, Double-A All-Star, Eastern League All-Star & Pitcher of the Year and Red Sox minor league player of the year. In 1997, with the AA Trenton Thunder, he was 16–5 with a 2.63 ERA in 26 starts and was selected as a Triple-A All-Star.

Montreal Expos

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In November 1997, the Red Sox sent Pavano to Montreal, along with pitcher Tony Armas Jr., in a trade that brought Pedro Martínez to Boston.[5] Pavano made his Major League debut on May 23, 1998 by starting and pitching seven strong innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. He allowed one run and struck out six while allowing no walks.[6] He recorded his first win on June 2, 1998 when he pitched 7.1 innings, also against the Phillies.[7] Pavano is well known for giving up Mark McGwire's 70th home run in the 1998 season.[8] He pitched four and one-half seasons for the Expos, making 78 starts and had a record of 24–35 and an ERA of 4.83.

Florida Marlins

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The Expos traded Pavano to the Florida Marlins in the middle of the 2002 season (with Graeme Lloyd, Mike Mordecai and Justin Wayne) for Cliff Floyd, Wilton Guerrero, and Claudio Vargas.[9]

Despite being plagued by injuries, Pavano became an important part of Florida's starting rotation and had a highly successful postseason in 2003 for the World Series champion Marlins. He started Game 4 of the Series against the Yankees, holding New York to one run over eight innings in a game the Marlins would go on to win, 4–3, in extra innings.[10]

Pavano followed up his playoff exploits with his best season to date in 2004, posting an 18–8 record and a 3.00 ERA.

New York Yankees

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Pavano became a free agent following the season and, despite receiving bigger offers from Boston, Detroit, and Cincinnati, chose to accept a four-year contract worth $39.95 million with the New York Yankees on December 20, 2004.[11][12]

Pavano during his tenure with the New York Yankees in 2008.

Pavano began the 2005 season with quality starts in seven of his first 10 appearances, compiling a 4–2 record and a 3.69 ERA. However, in June of that year, he injured his right shoulder and went on the disabled list. Pavano made 17 starts and finished 4–6 with a 4.77 ERA. The Yankees expected him to be healthy for the 2006 season, but Pavano began the season on the disabled list after bruising his buttocks in a spring training game. He did not pitch at all in the Majors in 2006, making only minor league rehab starts. On August 15, 2006, Pavano broke two ribs in an automobile accident after he hit another vehicle with his Porsche in West Palm Beach, Florida.[13] His girlfriend at the time, Gia Allemand, was with him in the car.[13] However, he did not tell the Yankees about the incident until August 28, the day they informed him that they planned for him to come off the disabled list to play that Thursday.[14]

During spring training in 2007, Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina said that Pavano needed to prove that he wanted to pitch for the team, and that he did not believe he was the only Yankee who felt this way. "It didn't look good from a player's and teammate's standpoint," Mussina said of Pavano's injuries. "Was everything just coincidence? Over and over again? I don't know." Manager Joe Torre explained that the amount of work Pavano needed to do in repairing his clubhouse image was "sizable." [15] Later that season, after ace Chien-Ming Wang injured his right hamstring late in spring training, the Yankees chose Pavano to start on Opening Day against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Yankee Stadium.[16] On April 15, 2007, Pavano was placed on the 15-day DL with what was described as an "elbow strain".[17] On May 23, 2007, it was reported that Pavano would opt for Tommy John surgery on his elbow.[18]

In December 2007, the Yankees asked Pavano to accept a minor-league contract to clear space on their 40-man roster. Pavano's agent, Tom O'Connell, stated that Pavano would consider the request, but he later turned it down. O'Connell also stated that Pavano's rehabilitation was going faster than expected and he might be available to pitch at the Major League level by mid-summer 2008.[19]

On July 29, 2008, Pavano made his first rehab start since his Tommy John surgery for the Charleston RiverDogs, allowing one hit and one walk in two scoreless innings.[20]

Pavano made his first start of the 2008 season during the Yankees’ series against the Baltimore Orioles on August 23, 2008, pitching five innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits, one walk and five strikeouts in the 5–3 Yankees win.[21][22] He made his second start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 29 and was victorious, pitching six strong innings in the Yankees' 2–1 win.[23]

Since his first stint on the disabled list, Pavano did not endear himself to his Yankee teammates, and he stated that he would not visit the team when they played in Tampa Bay, near where he was rehabilitating. Meanwhile, Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell believed that Pavano would still be a desired commodity on the free-agent market that winter, even with his injury history. "Carl's a 1–2 starter. Those guys don't grow on trees. Those guys are very rare, 200-inning guys are very rare in this game, and they're the ones that make the money. And he did it two years in a row, before he got hurt, and I'm sure he's going to do it again," O'Connell said.[24]

During a game Pavano started on September 14, he allowed three earned runs and five hits before leaving the mound in the sixth inning following a visit by the trainer and manager Joe Girardi. Pavano was pitching to Eric Hinske with one out and a runner on first when he got the mound visit. After a short discussion, Pavano walked off the field as the sellout crowd showered him with boos. It was reported as a "left hip injury."[25]

Due to his repeated injuries with the Yankees, the New York media began derisively referring to Pavano as "American Idle." During his time with the Yankees, he pitched a combined 26 MLB games over four seasons, compared to 31 with the Marlins in 2004.

Cleveland Indians

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On January 6, 2009, Pavano signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians worth $1.5 million with a possible $5.3 million in incentives.[26]

Minnesota Twins

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On August 7, 2009, Pavano was traded to the Minnesota Twins,[27] for whom he lost the clinching third game against the Yankees in the 2009 American League Division Series (ALDS).[28]

Following the season, Pavano filed for free agency, but later accepted the Twins' offer through salary arbitration.[29] He ended up having his best season since 2004. During the stretch from May 29 to August 13, Pavano compiled a record of 11–2 with an ERA of 2.79, including twice throwing back-to-back complete games in which one was also a shutout. He went 17–11 with an ERA of 3.75 over the course of the season (in which he also threw 221 innings) and helped the Twins run away with the Central Division title. However, in the playoffs Pavano lost Game 2 of the 2010 ALDS to the Yankees at Target Field 5–2, and the Twins were swept in three games to end the season.

For 2010, Pavano was named the Twins' Pitcher of the Year, receiving the Joseph W. Haynes Award.[30]

On January 19, 2011, Pavano agreed to a two-year, $16.5 million contract with the Twins. He was paid $8 million in 2011 and $8.5 million in 2012, along with up to $500,000 in incentives.[31]

Pavano was the Opening Day starter for the Twins on April 1, 2011, giving up seven earned runs over 4+ innings in a 13–3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.[32]

On May 1, 2011, after performing poorly against the Kansas City Royals, Pavano took a bat to a trashcan in the Minnesota Twins dugout after being removed in the sixth inning of a 10–3 loss. Pavano responded by saying "That's as frustrated as I can get. It actually felt pretty good. I just kept whaling away with it. The (bat) wouldn't break. I couldn't break a bat in the dugout and I couldn't break any out there (on the mound). It was embarrassing."[33] Pavano's stats as of his May 8 start were 2–4 and an ERA of 6.64, the highest of any Twins pitcher at this point in the season.[34] However, on May 13, 2011, Pavano threw 5+1⁄3 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays but got the no decision in the Twins 2–0 loss.[35] His pitching continued to improve through late May and early June. Pavano recorded his 100th win in a complete game two-run performance on June 3 against Kansas City,[36] and he pitched another complete game win 12 days later against the White Sox.[37] Pavano continued the season with mixed success. He finished with a 9–13 record and a 4.30 ERA, closing out the Twins' season with a shutout of Kansas City Royals. Of the five starting pitchers for the Twins in 2011, Pavano was the only one who remained in the rotation for the entire season. Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn, and Scott Baker all missed starts due to injuries.

Pavano was again the opening day starter for the Twins in 2012. He took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in seven innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.[38]

He announced his retirement from baseball on February 26, 2014.[39]

Analyst

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Pavano served as an analyst for Fox Sports Florida for Miami Marlins pre- and postgame shows starting with the 2014 season.[40] He was dropped in 2017.[41]

Pitching style

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Pavano was a sinkerballer. He threw his sinker and less-used four-seam fastball in the mid-to-upper 80s. He also had a slider and changeup, the former primarily used against right-handed hitters and the latter primarily against lefties.[42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vallee, Jason (March 30, 2012). "Pavano's Roots Made Him the Pride of the Community". Patch Media. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Hayes, Kevin F. (May 31, 1994). "Yet Another Wait For Young Pitcher". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  3. ^ "13th Round of the 1994 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "Carl Pavano Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Ulman, Howard (November 19, 1997). "Montreal Expos Trade Cy-Young-Award-Winner Pedro Martinez to Boston Red Sox". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "Phillies, Schilling Drop One To Expos". CBS News. May 24, 1998. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Montreal Expos at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, June 2, 1998". Baseball-Reference. June 2, 1998. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  8. ^ Justice, Richard (September 28, 1998). "MCGWIRE ENDS WITH A BANG: 69, 70". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Marlins deal Floyd to Expos, Dempster to Reds". ESPN. Associated Press. July 11, 2001. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  10. ^ "Retrosheet Boxscore: Florida Marlins 4, New York Yankees 3". Retrosheet. October 22, 2003. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Hoch, Bryan (March 9, 2007). "Pavano excused from Friday's start: Team announces right-hander left camp for personal reasons". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "Pavano tells agent he wants to be a Yankee". CBS Sports. December 11, 2004. Archived from the original on August 28, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  13. ^ a b Lauinger, John; Brosh, Brendan; Lisberg, Adam (September 17, 2006). "Gia Speaks Out. Porsche Pinup Stands By Her Yankee". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  14. ^ Mink, Ryan (August 30, 2006). "Extent of Pavano's injury unknown". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  15. ^ Mink, Ryan (February 15, 2007). "Pavano's desire questioned by Mussina". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "An unlikely pick for opening day, Pavano hopes to start over". ESPN. April 1, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  17. ^ "Yanks' Pavano undergoes MRI, finds elbow strain". ESPN. April 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  18. ^ "Pavano opts for surgery, Yankees career likely over". ESPN. May 23, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  19. ^ "Yanks ask Pavano to go on minor league roster". ESPN. Associated Press. December 11, 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  20. ^ Davis, Bill (July 30, 2008). "Pavano and Hughes on Road to Recovery". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  21. ^ "Savior? Pavano Could Pitch For Yanks Saturday". WCBS-TV. Associated Press. August 18, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  22. ^ Comak, Amanda (August 23, 2008). "Giambi powers Pavano past O's". New York Yankees. MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ^ Skretta, Dave (August 30, 2008). "Yankees get money's worth from Pavano". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  24. ^ Kennelly, Lisa J. (April 16, 2008). "Pavano can't rehab his image". Newark Star Ledger. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  25. ^ Hale, Mark (September 15, 2008). "PAVANO TOO HIP TO FINISH SIXTH". New York Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  26. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (January 6, 2009). "Indians, Pavano reach one-year deal". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ^ Ondrey, Thomas (August 7, 2009). "Cleveland Indians trade pitcher Carl Pavano to Minnesota Twins; Justin Masterson to start". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  28. ^ Cafardo, Nick (October 11, 2009). "Chance for Pavano to fire back at NY". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  29. ^ Rosenthal, Ken (December 7, 2009). "Pavano accepting arbitration looks like done deal". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. ^ Thesier, Kelly (November 3, 2010). "Mauer leads Twins' Diamond Award winners". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  31. ^ Thesier, Kelly (January 19, 2011). "Twins agree to terms with Carl Pavano on a two-year, $16.5 million contract". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  32. ^ "Blue Jays whips (sic) Twins on Opening Night". TSN. The Canadian Press. April 2, 2011. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  33. ^ "Twins drop to MLB cellar". Jamestown Sun. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  34. ^ Gates, Christopher (May 8, 2011). "Pavano Pounded Again As Twins Drop Second Straight - SB Nation Minnesota". SB Nation. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  35. ^ "Fantasy Baseball Breaking News". Rotoworld. May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  36. ^ "Carl Pavano earns 100th career win as Twins defeat Royals". ESPN. Associated Press. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  37. ^ "Pavano pitches Twins past Floyd, White Sox 4-1". Deseret News. June 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Ginsburg, David (April 6, 2012). "Twins lose opener to Orioles, 4-2". MPR News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  39. ^ "Carl Pavano retires after 14 seasons". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2014. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  40. ^ "Carl Pavano named new on-air analyst for Miami Marlins TV broadcasts". Fox Sports. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  41. ^ Jackson, Barry (February 23, 2017). "Another broadcast legend changes role; Heat ratings down; Marlins media change". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  42. ^ "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool - Player Card: Carl Pavano". Brooks Baseball. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
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