John Lackey
John Derran Lackey is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. A three-time World Series champion with three different teams, Lackey is regarded as a key figure in his clubs' postseason success, winning the title-clinching games of two out of the three Series. Selected to the MLB All-Star Game in 2007, he won that year's American League earned run average title. After missing the 2012 season due to ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery in his pitching elbow, and helping the Red Sox win the 2013 World Series, Lackey was named the winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award.
A right-handed pitcher and batter, the Anaheim Angels selected Lackey from Grayson County College in Texas in the 1999 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in 2002 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title that year. After winning more than 100 games with the Angels, Lackey signed with Boston in free agency prior to the 2010 season. Declining performance and elbow injuries in 2011 led him to allow the most earned runs in the American League before missing the next season due to elbow surgery. Lackey rebounded in 2013 to win his second championship. Boston traded him to St. Louis in July 2014, and prior to the 2016 season, he signed with Chicago as a free agent. Lackey earned his third World Series championship in 2016 with the Cubs.
Known for his intense competitiveness and overall durability, Lackey reached at least 200 innings pitched six times in his career, and in five seasons was in the top ten in games started. With the exception of his rookie season in 2002, he reached at least 10 wins every season of his career. In ten of his 15 seasons, he registered an ERA below 4.00 − once below 3.00 − and four times was in the top ten in ERA. He also twice reached the top ten in both wins and strikeouts. He appeared in ten postseasons overall, recording a career 8–6 record and 3.44 ERA over 144 innings. In 2007 and 2015, he received votes for the Cy Young Award.
Early life
Lackey was born in Abilene, Texas to Derran and Sharon Lackey. Before Lackey was in high school, he played at Dixie Little League in Abilene. Lackey attended Abilene High School, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he was a two-time first team All-District honoree and as a senior, he was also an All-State selection.College career
He played one season of baseball at the University of Texas at Arlington, playing first base and sometimes moonlighting as a relief pitcher. The first summer after attending UTA, Lackey first learned to pitch in the Kansas Jayhawk Summer League. In, he played on the Junior College World Series champion Grayson County College team in Denison, Texas, which went 50–13. In 100 innings pitched, he posted a 10–3 record with a 4.23 earned run average and 88 strikeouts. At the plate, he batted.428 with 15 home runs and 81 runs batted in. In the World Series, he tallied eight hits, two HR, and seven RBI.Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The Anaheim Angels selected Lackey in the second round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft as the 68th overall. He began his professional career with the Boise Hawks in the Short Season Class A Northwest League, posting a 6–2 record and a 4.98 ERA. Already in his first year, Lackey became known for his competitiveness. According to MLB.com, Tom Kotchman, the veteran manager, recalled "one particular game when he tried to replace Lackey only to have the tall Texan tell him otherwise. Sure enough, Kotchman trotted back to the dugout and Lackey kept dominating, as if to say, 'See? I'm not done yet.'"In, Lackey split his time between the Single-A Cedar Rapids Kernels, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, and Double-A Erie SeaWolves. Because of his quick ascent up the minor league ladder, he was named the Angels' Minor League Pitcher of the Year, posting a combined 15–9 record with a 3.15 ERA. He began with Double-A Arkansas before being promoted in July of that year to the Triple-A Salt Lake Stingers, where he struggled a bit, posting a 3–4 record and a 6.71 ERA. He recovered in the season, being named Best Pitching Prospect of the Pacific Coast League and accumulating an 8–2 record with a 2.57 ERA.
Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2002–2009)
2002
The Angels called Lackey up to the major leagues on June 24, 2002, dropping his first major league start against the Texas Rangers. He was optioned back to Salt Lake, only to be recalled on June 28 to replace pitcher Al Levine. Two days later, he replaced Scott Schoeneweis in the Angels' rotation and gained his first victory against the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Lackey was also the winning pitcher for the American League Wild Card-clinching victory against Texas on September 26.With the AL Wild Card in hand, the Angels began their march through the 2002 postseason, facing the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. He made his relief and postseason debut in Game 3, allowing two earned runs in the midst of an Angels rally to win 9–6. He gained his first postseason victory against the Minnesota Twins in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, pitching seven innings while allowing only three hits and striking out seven.
With their victory in five games over the Twins, the Angels earned their first AL pennant and trip to the World Series. After starter Kevin Appier was pulled after two-plus innings in Game 2, Lackey pitched two innings giving up two earned runs on two hits, receiving a no-decision in the eventual 11–10 Angels victory over the San Francisco Giants. He started Game 4 of the Series, pitching four scoreless innings, but gaining a no-decision after allowing three hits and three earned runs in the 5th inning in the eventual Angels loss.
However, in Game 7 of the World Series on October 27, 2002, Lackey allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out four in five innings, allowing the Angels to hold an early 4–1 lead to hand over to their bullpen trio of Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodríguez, and Troy Percival to seal their World Series title. Lackey became only the second rookie in World Series history to start and win Game 7, the other being Babe Adams of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the first of two Series title-clinching games in which he received credit as the winning pitcher.
2003–2006
announced that Lackey would start on Opening Day 2003, replacing injured ace Jarrod Washburn. Lackey struggled his sophomore year, compiling a 10–16 record with a 4.63 ERA while leading the team in hits and earned runs allowed, and wild pitches. He finished with a record of 14–13 and a 4.67 ERA, helping the Angels win their first division title since. The campaign saw Lackey mature further, working into the sixth inning in 30 of his 36 starts, earning a 14–5 record with a 3.44 ERA. He ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings and third in strikeouts. However, he finished with the third most wild pitches in the league.He participated in the MLB 2006 All-Star Series in Japan. After the Angels placed 2005 Cy Young winner Bartolo Colón on the disabled list in, Lackey emerged as the team's ace, and skipper Mike Scioscia made him the number one starter after the All-Star break. On July 7, 2006, Lackey retired 27 consecutive batters after Mark Kotsay of the Oakland Athletics led off the first inning with double. He threw a career high 30 scoreless innings from July 2 through July 19, 2006, when he gave up a fifth-inning home run to Ben Broussard of the Cleveland Indians, leaving his scoreless streak 5 innings short of the club record, set by Jim McGlothlin in 1967. He was later named American League Pitcher of the Month for July 2006.
2007–2009
On June 13,, Lackey became the first pitcher to win 10 games for the 2007 season. On July 1, Lackey was named as one of three Angels to represent the club and the American League at the 2007 All-Star Game. Lackey finished the 2007 season with an American League leading 3.01 ERA. He finished in third place for that season's Cy Young Award voting.On July 10,, Lackey allowed six runs on 15 hits in 5 innings. The 15 hits tied an all-time Angels' franchise record for hits allowed by a starter in a single game.
On July 18, 2008, Lackey recorded his 1000th career strikeout, against Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox. Lackey was the sixth Angels pitcher to accomplish that feat. On July 29, 2008, Lackey pitched against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He came within two outs of a no-hitter before Dustin Pedroia singled to left to spoil it. The next batter, Youkilis, hit a two-run homer to break up the shutout. Lackey still finished the game and the Angels won 6–2.
In Game 1 of the 2008 ALDS, he gave up a two-run home run to Jason Bay of the Red Sox, and was charged with the Angels' first loss in the series.
In his first start of 2009, on May 16, Lackey was ejected after his first two pitches of the season in a game against the Texas Rangers. Lackey threw his first pitch behind Ian Kinsler's head, and hit Kinsler in the side with his second pitch. Home plate umpire Bob Davidson immediately ejected Lackey. Since Kinsler scored, Lackey was charged with an earned run, giving him an ERA of infinity. Kinsler had hit two home runs against the Angels the night before.
On August 30, 2009, Lackey earned his 100th career win against the Oakland Athletics, giving up one run through eight innings.
Lackey is one of only six major league pitchers who won at least 11 games in each year from 2004 to 2009, the others being CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, Johan Santana, Javier Vázquez, and Jason Marquis.
At the end of the 2009 season Lackey became a free agent, widely regarded as the best free agent starting pitcher on the 2010 market. Baseball Prospectus declared, "Lackey stands alone as the best of the best, a relatively young righty who carries significantly less risk than the other high-upside hurlers", additionally noting he faced a tough division and tougher league and his statistics would likely be even better if he were a National League pitcher. As one of the top free agent starters on the market, he was predicted to command a deal worth around $70 to $80 million, similar to the deal A. J. Burnett received from the Yankees. Lackey drew interest from many teams, including the Seattle Mariners, the Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, the Boston Red Sox, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He formally declined the Angels' offer of salary arbitration on December 8.