Hunter Strickland

Hunter Drew Strickland (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, and New York Mets.

Hunter Strickland
Strickland pitching for the San Francisco Giants in 2015
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1988-09-24) September 24, 1988
Thomaston, Georgia
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2014, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through August 31, 2020)
Win–loss record16–16
Earned run average3.23
Strikeouts233
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Strickland was born in Thomaston, Georgia.[1]

Career

Boston Red Sox

Strickland was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 18th round, 564th overall pick, of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 22, 2009, he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Argenis Díaz in a trade with the Red Sox in exchange for Adam LaRoche.[2]

In November 2012, the Pirates added Strickland to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[3]

San Francisco Giants

On March 27, 2013, Strickland was designated for assignment by the Pirates, and on April 2, the San Francisco Giants claimed Strickland off waivers.[4] Strickland underwent Tommy John surgery in May and was designated for assignment in July and re-signed to a minor league contract with the Giants.[5] He was re-added to the Giants' 40-man roster on November 20, 2013.[6]

2014

Strickland was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2014.[7] He pitched one scoreless inning of relief against the Colorado Rockies later that day.[8] In the 2014 regular season, Strickland appeared in 9 games, allowing 5 hits and no runs in 7.0 innings pitched.[9]

In Game 1 of the 2014 National League Division Series versus the Washington Nationals, Strickland entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning and struck out Ian Desmond to preserve the Giants' lead.[10] In Game 2, Strickland recorded the save in the longest (by time, tied for longest in innings) playoff game in Major League history,[11] as the Giants defeated the Nationals 2–1 in 18 innings.[12] However, Strickland set a postseason record for a reliever by allowing six home runs,[13] even though the Giants went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 World Series.

2015

Strickland started the 2015 season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, posting a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings, before being called up on May 24, 2015.[14][15] Strickland did not yield a home run until August 3, a string of 188 batters between Triple-A and the majors.[16] In 2015, Strickland appeared in 55 games, recording a 2.45 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. Strickland's 0.857 WHIP was the third-lowest among relievers with at least 50 innings pitched.[17]

2016

In 2016, Strickland was named to the opening day Major League roster for the first time in his career.[18][19] He remained in the Giants bullpen throughout the season, collecting an ERA in the low 3's.

2017

In a May 29, 2017, game against the Washington Nationals, Strickland hit Bryce Harper's right hip with a 98-mph fastball, which resulted in a benches-clearing brawl. Strickland had to be physically removed from the field by teammates after exchanging several punches with Harper. He received widespread criticism for his role in starting the brawl, as sports analysts and Harper have suggested that the intentional hit-by-pitch was the result of a grudge from the two home runs by Harper against him in the 2014 National League Division Series, a series the Giants ended up winning in 4 games en route to a World Series championship.[20] The next day, on May 30, he was suspended for six games.[21]

2018

With Mark Melancon heading to the disabled list at the beginning of the season, Strickland was named the Giants closer. He earned his first save in a 1-0 victory on Opening Day against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[22] While playing against the Miami Marlins on June 18, Strickland allowed three runs, blowing a save, and the Giants lost 5–4. Shortly after a pitching change, Strickland punched a door out of frustration, which wound up fracturing his right hand. Strickland underwent surgery the very next day, where the pinkie finger on his right hand was repaired. Strickland was ruled out for 6-8 weeks.[23]

Seattle Mariners

On January 24, 2019, Strickland signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners.[24] On March 30, Strickland suffered a Grade 2 right lat strain, which put him out for a couple of months.[25]

Washington Nationals

On July 31, 2019, the Mariners traded Strickland and Roenis Elías to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Aaron Fletcher, Taylor Guilbeau, and Elvis Alvarado.[26] In 24 games with the Nationals, Strickland went 2-0 with a 5.14 ERA. Overall in 2019, combined with both teams, Strickland made 28 total relief appearances with a 2-1 record and a 5.55 ERA. The Nationals finished the 2019 year with a 93-69 record, clinching a wild card spot, and eventually went on to win the 2019 World Series over the Houston Astros, their first championship in franchise history. It was also the second time Strickland won a World Series in his career.[27] During the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he gave up his 9th career postseason home run, a record for relief pitchers. He was released by the Nationals on March 14, 2020.[28]

New York Mets

On June 29, 2020, Strickland signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets organization. On July 23, it was announced that Strickland had made the Opening Day roster for the Mets. On July 30, Strickland was designated for assignment when Brian Dozier was added to the roster. He was outrighted on August 2. On August 31, 2020, Strickland was selected back to the active roster.[29] Strickland's contract was selected on August 31 adding him to the active roster. That night he threw a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts, but was designated for assignment again the next day.[30] Strickland elected free agency on October 15, 2020.

Personal life

Strickland married Shelley Todd in November 2011. The couple had their first child, a daughter, in April 2017.[31]

References
  1. "Hunter Strickland | #60". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  2. "Pirates trade LaRoche to Red Sox". ESPN.com. July 23, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  3. "Pirates set 40-man roster". MLB.com (Press release). November 20, 2012.
  4. Links, Zach (April 2, 2013). "Giants Claim Hunter Strickland". MLB Trade Rumors.
  5. Adams, Steve (August 1, 2013). "Giants Re-Sign Hunter Strickland". MLB Trade Rumors.
  6. "SF Giants Roster Transactions". SFGiants.com. November 2013.
  7. Haft, Chris (September 1, 2014). "Comeback from surgery motivates Strickland". MLB.com. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  8. Pavlovic, Alex (September 1, 2014). "POSTGAME NOTES: Hudson can't beat Coors; Strickland hits 100 in debut; The other Hunter extends streak". San Jose Mercury News.
  9. "Hunter Strickland 2014 Pitching Gamelog". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. Kawahara, Matt (October 3, 2014). "Giants' Strickland makes an impression in postseason debut". The Sacramento Bee.
  11. Schulman, Henry (October 4, 2014). "Brandon Belt's homer gives SF Giants epic, 18-inning victory". Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  12. "Box Score". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  13. Toman, Chris (October 28, 2014). "Giants' Strickland allows postseason-record 6th homer". theScore.com.
  14. "Hunter Strickland Minor League Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
  15. Pavlovic, Alex (May 24, 2015). "Giants sticking with Strickland as 13th pitcher". Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  16. Baggarly, Andrew (August 3, 2015). "UPDATED: Huge power display, six-run lead, uplifting debut from Tomlinson not enough as Giants lose stunner in 12th to Braves". San Jose Mercury News.
  17. "2016 Outlook: Hunter Strickland". CBS Sports. January 17, 2016.
  18. "Giants set 2016 Opening Day roster" (Press release). MLB.com. April 2, 2016.
  19. Cosman, Ben. "This photo of Hunter Strickland leading Giants pitchers from the bullpen is MLB's new meme". MLB. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  20. Collier, Jamal (May 29, 2017). "Giants, Nats scrap after Harper hit by pitch". Major League Baseball. MLB.com. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  21. Kelly, Matt. "Hunter Strickland, Bryce Harper suspended for brawl". MLB. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  22. https://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Giants-blank-Dodgers-on-Opening-Day-win-on-Panik-12792677.php
  23. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23846007/hunter-strickland-san-francisco-giants-6-8-weeks-breaking-hand-punching-door
  24. Johns, Greg (January 27, 2019). "Mariners make 1-year deal with Strickland official". MLB.com. MLB. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  25. Johns, Greg (March 31, 2019). "Mariners closer Strickland out 'a couple of months'". MLB.com. MLB. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  26. Jesse Dougherty (July 31, 2019). "Nationals bolster bullpen at trade deadline, but division-leading Braves load up, too". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  27. "Washington Nationals win 2019 World Series". MLB. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  28. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/03/nationals-release-hunter-strickland.html
  29. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/08/mets-select-hunter-strickland-juan-lagares-elects-free-agency.html
  30. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/mets-designate-hunter-strickland.html
  31. "Giants place Hunter Strickland on paternity list". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
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