Andy Ashby
Encyclopedia
Andrew Jason Ashby is a former Major League Baseball
starting pitcher
who played for the Philadelphia Phillies
(-), Colorado Rockies
, San Diego Padres
(1993-), Atlanta Braves
(2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers
(-). He batted and threw right-handed.
Ashby attended Park Hill High School
in Kansas City
, Missouri
and played baseball at Crowder College
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent
in by the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he made his major league debut in 1991. On June 15, 1991, Ashby struck out three batters on nine pitches in the fourth inning of a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds
; Ashby became the 15th National League
pitcher and the 24th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. He was acquired by the Colorado Rockies in the 1993 expansion draft, but after compiling an 0-4 record with an 8.50 ERA
, he was dealt to the San Diego Padres at the end of the season.
Despite injuries to his shoulder, elbow and back, Ashby saw the greatest success of his career with the Padres. His most productive season came in , when he helped the Padres reach the World Series
with a 17-9 record and a 3.34 ERA. He was also a member of the 1998 and 1999 National League All-Star team. In eight seasons with the Padres, Ashby compiled a 70-62 record with a 3.59 ERA.
Prior to the season, the Padres dealt him to the Phillies, the team with whom his career began. Ashby had been touted as a potential ace for the struggling Phillies pitching staff. However, he pitched poorly, going 4-7 with a 5.68 ERA. He was later sent to the Atlanta Braves midseason, where he helped the team reach the playoffs with an 8-6 record and a 4.13 ERA.
Ashby spent the next three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 14-23 while posting a 4.31 ERA. At the end of , he underwent Tommy John surgery
. He made a brief two game return stint as a reliever
with San Diego in and was signed by the team before the season, but he was released during spring training
and retired.
In a 14-season career, Ashby posted a 98-110 record with 1173 strikeout
s and a 4.12 ERA in 1810-2/3 innings pitched
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
who played for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(-), Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(1993-), Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(-). He batted and threw right-handed.
Ashby attended Park Hill High School
Park Hill High School
Park Hill High School is one of two high schools in the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Missouri. The current principal is Dr. Brad Kincheloe. The school is located on Barry Road in southern Platte County. The school was founded in 1952 with the original building located along 72nd street...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and played baseball at Crowder College
Crowder College
Crowder College, established in 1963 on the grounds of the former Fort Crowder, is a two-year community college serving the Junior College District of Newton and McDonald counties in southwestern Missouri and other outlying areas, granting certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees...
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in by the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he made his major league debut in 1991. On June 15, 1991, Ashby struck out three batters on nine pitches in the fourth inning of a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
; Ashby became the 15th National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pitcher and the 24th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning. He was acquired by the Colorado Rockies in the 1993 expansion draft, but after compiling an 0-4 record with an 8.50 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, he was dealt to the San Diego Padres at the end of the season.
Despite injuries to his shoulder, elbow and back, Ashby saw the greatest success of his career with the Padres. His most productive season came in , when he helped the Padres reach the World Series
1998 World Series
The 1998 World Series, the 94th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, matched the New York Yankees against the San Diego Padres . The Yankees swept the Series in four games to capture their second championship in three years, and their 24th overall...
with a 17-9 record and a 3.34 ERA. He was also a member of the 1998 and 1999 National League All-Star team. In eight seasons with the Padres, Ashby compiled a 70-62 record with a 3.59 ERA.
Prior to the season, the Padres dealt him to the Phillies, the team with whom his career began. Ashby had been touted as a potential ace for the struggling Phillies pitching staff. However, he pitched poorly, going 4-7 with a 5.68 ERA. He was later sent to the Atlanta Braves midseason, where he helped the team reach the playoffs with an 8-6 record and a 4.13 ERA.
Ashby spent the next three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 14-23 while posting a 4.31 ERA. At the end of , he underwent Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
. He made a brief two game return stint as a reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
with San Diego in and was signed by the team before the season, but he was released during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
and retired.
In a 14-season career, Ashby posted a 98-110 record with 1173 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 4.12 ERA in 1810-2/3 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
See also
- Pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches
- Park Hill High SchoolPark Hill High SchoolPark Hill High School is one of two high schools in the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Missouri. The current principal is Dr. Brad Kincheloe. The school is located on Barry Road in southern Platte County. The school was founded in 1952 with the original building located along 72nd street...
External links
- Baseball Library - biography and chronology