Derek Lowe

From SoSH

Derek Christopher Lowe was born on June 1, 1973, in Dearborn, MI.

Contents 1 Overall Career 1.1 Seattle 1.2 Boston 2 Moments in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Achievements 5 Trivia 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

In what may have been then-GM Dan Duquette's shrewdest move, Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek were acquired from Seattle for Heathcliff Slocumb at the trade deadline in 1997; the Red Sox were then out of the race and selling useful parts in return for prospects. Derek Lowe saw time as a successful starter and successful reliever with the Boston Red Sox, and was at times outstanding in each role. He is one of the most extreme groundball pitchers of all time.

Seattle

Derek Lowe pitched in 12 games (9 starts) with Seattle in 1997 making his Major League debut on April 26 in Toronto pitching in relief of Bob Wolcott. Lowe pitched 3.1 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs, he struck out 2 batters. The Derek Lowe face made it's debut in Seattle on May 3rd, 1997. In relief of Jeff Fassero he would allow a solo homer to the first batter he faced, Matt Mieske. Mark Loretta was 0-1 aganist Lowe in this game. Lowe made his first career start on May 27th @ Minnesota. Lowe pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits and 4 earned runs to go along with 6 K's. Lowe's finest outing as a Mariner occured on June 1st vs Detroit where Derek went 7 innings 3 hits and 6 strikeouts to go with 2 Walks. However Lowe had a no decision due to a 4th inning HR by Bobby Higginson.

Derek Lowe from that point struggled and never really found his groove. He finished his Seattle career going 2-4 with a 6.96 ERA and a WHIP of 1.49

Boston

Lowe pitched for the Red Sox from 1997-2004, and his timeline with the team was an interesting one.

• 1997

Came up for a cup of coffee with the big club, pitching in 8 appearances out of the pen.

• 1998

Lowe started the season as a spot-starter/long-reliever, but struggled mightily as a starter, to the tune of a 5.81 ERA. By July he was converted to a full-time reliever, where he was very successful. Setting up Tom Gordon (46 saves), Lowe posted a 2.88 ERA in 75 innings of relief during the 1998 season.

• 1999

Lowe had now become one of the most dependable relief pitchers in the American League. He was so valuable as a middle reliever and setup man, often pitching multiple innings, that when Tom Gordon was injured, the Red Sox made Tim Wakefield their closer so that Lowe could remain in middle relief. Wakefield and Lowe collected 15 saves each in 1999.

• 2000

Converted to a closer, Lowe was arguably the best reliever in the AL. He pitched for a 2.56 ERA over the season, and tied for the league lead in saves (Todd Jones) with 42.

• 2001

His second full season as closer was much less successful. He had an awful April, blowing two saves and collecting four losses. Lowe settled down in the following months, but most people remember Lowe's 2001 season for some excruciating blown saves, including the nail in the coffin for Lowe's career as a reliever, on August 31 against the Yankees at Fenway. Frank Castillo excelled himself that day in a pitcher's duel with Roger Clemens, leaving after seven scoreless innings with the Red Sox clinging to a 1-0 lead. Brought in to complete a 2-inning save, Lowe faltered in the eighth, giving up five hits including a 2-run homer to Jorge Posada, and was lucky to escape with that little damage. Allen McDill pitched the ninth, and the Red Sox lost 3-1. The Red Sox soon fell out of the race, and converted Lowe to a starter near the end of the season. Lowe made three impressive starts to finish his 2001 season.

• 2002

Now a full-time starter, Lowe went 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA and had arguably the best season of any AL pitcher. (Lowe split that year's Cy Young Award votes with teammate Pedro Martinez, and the award went to Barry Zito.) Despite having two of 2002's best starting pitchers, the Red Sox failed to make that year's playoffs.

• 2003

Lowe's 2003 season was marred by his uncanny inability to pitch on the road, which persisted all season. He was 11-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 17 starts at home, and 6-5 (with a lot of run support) with a 6.11 ERA in 16 starts on the road. His 2003 season ended on a high note, however (and on the road, mind you . . . see Moments in the Sun).

• 2004

In 2004 Lowe struggled no matter what the ballpark, posting a 5.42 ERA for the season. This season ended on a high note for Lowe, too, however (see Moments in the Sun). He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent during the offseason.

• 2005

Lowe bounced back from his 2004 regular season woes, posting a 12-15 record and a 3.61 ERA during his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Derek was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal Dodger season that saw L.A. finish 71-91. Right-handed batters were nearly helpless against Lowe, posting just a .219 batting average and a 600 OPS. His best start was in Wrigley Field on August 31, where he pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs.

Moments in the Sun

• Lowe pitched a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at home on April 27, 2002. He walked only one and struck out 6. Rumor has it, he never shook Varitek off even once the whole game, and the Red Sox won 10-0.

• Lowe was relegated to bullpen duty for the 2003 playoffs. On October 6, in the fifth and final game of the ALDS, the Red Sox carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland Coliseum. The Red Sox had seen seven solid innings of work by Pedro Martinez and an inning of relief split between Alan Embree and Mike Timlin, but afterGrady Little summoned Scott Williamson to close out the ninth, Williamson walked the first two batters. Hoping for a groundball double play, Little went to Lowe. After a sacrifice bunt, leaving runners at second and third with one out, Lowe struck out pinch-hitter Adam Melhuse looking; and after loading the bases with a walk, Lowe struck out pinch-hitter Terrence Long looking. The Red Sox won the game 4-3 and the series 3-2, capping a remarkable comeback from a 0-2 series deficit. Both of Lowe's legendary strikeouts that inning were two-seam sinking, tailing fastballs that started out looking as if they were going to hit the hips of the left-handed batters, and ended up dropping into the strike zone like screwballs.

• Lowe was once again relegated to bullpen duty for the playoffs in 2004. The Red Sox carried a 2-0 series lead in the ALDS to Fenway Park for game 3 against the Anaheim Angels on October 8. They used nearly the entire bullpen in the first nine innings, and the game was tied 6-6 heading to the tenth. The last option in the bullpen, Lowe pitched a scoreless tenth inning, and David Ortiz ended the game and the series with a walkoff two-run homer into the monster seats to make Lowe the winning pitcher.

• On October 20, 2004 the Red Sox were at Yankee Stadium for game 7 of the ALCS. Lowe had started game 4 and gone 5.1 innings, but started game 7 on only two days rest because the entire pitching staff had been decimated by the extra innings in games 4 and 5. Miraculously, Lowe pitched six innings while only allowing one run on one hit, while the Red Sox blew out the Yankees 10-3, capping the (at that time) "greatest victory in team history" as called by Joe Castiglione.

• On October 27, 2004, the Red Sox carried a 3-0 series lead, and it was Derek Lowe's turn to start, with a chance to close the deal against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched spectacularly, going seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits while walking one and striking out four. The Red Sox won the game 3-0, the series 4-0, and after a horrid regular season, Derek Lowe was the winning pitcher in all three series-deciding games in the 2004 playoffs.

Awards

• 2-time American League All-Star (2000, 2002)

Achievements

• 2006 National League Wins Leader (16)
• 2000 American League Saves Leader (42)

Trivia

• Derek Lowe was the first pitcher in major league history to record at least 20 wins the season after recording at least 20 saves. He is also the first pitcher to record 40 saves in a season and later win 20 games. Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz did it the other way around.

• Perhaps unfairly, Derek Lowe has also gained recognition for the Derek Lowe Face (illustrated above). Displayed after some unfortunate pitching event, this show of pain and disgust is thought, by detractors, to presage some further bad pitching in the next few minutes.

• Served as Boston's official spokesperson for the Massachusetts Teachers Association Literacy Day.

Transactions

• June 3, 1991: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 8th round of the 1991 amateur draft. Player signed June 7, 1991.
• July 31, 1997: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with Jason Varitek to the Boston Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb.
• November 1, 2004: Granted Free Agency.
• January 11, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Derek Lowe at ESPN.com