Kyle Farnsworth
| Kyle Farnsworth | |
|---|---|
| File:Farnsworth mugshot.jpg | |
| New York Yankees – No. 48 | |
| Pitcher | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| April 29, 1999, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Career statistics (through 2005) | |
| ERA | 4.45 |
| Win - loss | 23 38 |
| Strikeouts | 554 |
| Former teams | |
Kyle Lynn Farnsworth (born April 14, 1976 in Wichita, Kansas) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Yankees.
Kyle Farnsworth attended high school in Alpharetta, Georgia and played college baseball at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Prior to becoming a Yankee, Farnsworth played for the Chicago Cubs (1999-2004) and the Detroit Tigers (2005). On July 31, 2005, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Zach Miner and Roman Colón.
In his last 58 appearances in the 2005 season Farnsworth posted a 1.62 ERA and held opponents to a .162 average. He converted 16 straight save opportunities after failing to convert his first 2. Following the season, Farnsworth signed with the New York Yankees, replacing Tom Gordon as the team's primary set-up man, joining a revamped Yankees bullpen that also included newcomers Octavio Dotel and Ron Villone to help bridge the gap to closer Mariano Rivera. The deal, worth $17 million over 3 years, was the second highest offer Farnsworth received. The Texas Rangers reportedly offered 25 million over four years and the closer job. However, he only learned of the Rangers interest when he was taking his physcial for the Yankees. Farnsworth also decided against re-signing with the Braves, whom he grew up rooting for, where he also would have been a closer rather than a set-up man. He felt the Yankees would give him the best chance to win a championship and decided to sign with them.
Farnsworth is known for having a fastball that tops out around 101MPH and can be thrown consistently in the high 90s. He also throws a sharp, hard-breaking slider. He is also somewhat infamous for a brawl that occurred in the 2003 season when his former team, the Chicago Cubs, was playing the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park. Reds pitcher Paul Wilson charged the mound after being hit by a pitch, and Farnsworth trotted towards Wilson and violently body slammed him to the ground. He was suspended 3 games for his actions.
Farnsworth also was involved in a bench-clearing fight in the 2005 season while playing against the Kansas City Royals with the Detroit Tigers. After having 3 batters on both teams had been hit by pitches, Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen approached the mound after he was hit by a pitch in the head. Both benches and bullpens cleared. After order appeared to have been restored, Farnsworth charged Royals pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and tackled him to the ground in a similar fashion as he did with Paul Wilson. He was ejected from the game. Beginning on August 9, 2005, Farnsworth served a 5-game suspension for his role in the altercation.
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