Paul Maholm
Paul Gurner Maholm is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Early life
Paul Gurner Maholm was born on June 25, 1982, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played golf at the Holly Springs Country Club as a teenager.Maholm graduated from Germantown High School in Germantown, Tennessee. He was a three-year letterman while pitching at Mississippi State University for the Bulldogs.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Pirates
Maholm was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 2003 draft.While playing in the minor leagues in 2004, Maholm was struck in the face by a line drive. This resulted in a badly broken nose and a shattered left orbital, requiring surgery to repair the damage.
Maholm made his major league debut as a starter, on August 30, 2005, against the Milwaukee Brewers and pitched eight shutout innings, earning his first career win. Maholm compiled a 3–1 record in six games with a 2.18 ERA in the 2005 season.
In 2006, Maholm made 30 starts for the Pirates, going 8–10 with a 4.76 ERA in 176 innings. He struck out 117 while walking a career high 81 and hitting 12 batters.
Maholm pitched his first shutout, while giving up three hits in a 3–0 victory over the Houston Astros on April 24, 2007. The rest of his season went sour, finishing 10–15 in 29 starts. He minimized his walk total from the previous year, inducing just 49 walks in 177.2 innings.
The 2008 season proved to be one of Maholm's best as a starting pitcher. Despite not reaching double digit wins in 31 starts, he lowered his ERA by more than a run from the previous year, finishing with a 3.79 ERA in a career-high 206.1 innings. In a spring training game against the Yankees that year, he faced Billy Crystal in the comedian's lone at-bat. Crystal fouled off the second pitch down the first-base line, but ultimately struck out.
After the 2008 season, Maholm signed a three-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $14.5 million, with a team option for 2012.
In 2009, Maholm hit his first major league home run, off the Mets' John Maine. He finished 2009 with a record of 8–9, 4.44 ERA, 14 home runs allowed, six hit batsmen, 60 walks, 119 strikeouts,.290 average against, a 1.44 walks and hits per innings pitched, in 194.2 innings pitched.
Maholm reverted to his 2007 performance in 2010, finishing with a record of 9–15 with a career high 5.10 ERA.
In 2011, Maholm had a stint on the DL, missing more than three starts on the season. He finished 6–14 despite having an ERA of 3.66 and allowing just 11 home runs. He became a free agent following the season.