Noah Lowry
Encyclopedia
Noah Ryan Lowry is a free agent left-handed starting pitcher
formerly of the San Francisco Giants
of Major League Baseball
.
, by the Texas Rangers
in the nineteenth round of the 1999 MLB Draft
, but instead opted to attend Pepperdine University
. At Pepperdine, Lowry went 14-2 with a 1.71 ERA
as a junior.
Following a September call-up in 2003, Lowry enjoyed a very successful partial rookie year for the Giants in , going 6-0, and finishing with a 3.82 ERA
in fourteen starts. He was named the National League's Player of the Week
for the week of August 9. With an early victory to start off the 2005 season, Lowry began his career with a 7-0 record, the longest winning streak for any pitcher in San Francisco Giants history (and the second longest in Giants franchise history, behind Hooks Wiltse
's 12-0 start in 1904).
In eighteen starts before the 2005 All-Star
break, Lowry posted an ERA of 5.07. He had an 8-4 record and a 2.43 ERA after the break. Lowry's best month came in August, when he went 5-0 with a 0.69 ERA, which earned him Pitcher of the Month
honors. He finished the season with a 13-13 record, 3.78 ERA, and 172 strikeout
s in 204⅔ innings.
Prior to the 2006 season, the Giants signed Lowry to a four-year deal with an option for a fifth year, valued at $9.25 million. At the time, it was the second largest contract for a pitcher with only one full season of big league service. Lowry received a $1 million signing bonus and $385,000 salary for 2006. The contract guarantees him totals of $1.115 million for 2007, $2.25 million for 2008, and $4.5 million for 2009. The contract includes a 2010 option for $6.25 million that will be activated automatically if a certain number of starts, innings and Cy Young Award
vote placement is achieved. The 2010 option also includes another $1.5 million in incentives.
Injuries hampered his performance right from the beginning of the 2006 season. In his first start of 2006, Lowry was removed from the game in the second inning due to an oblique
strain, forcing him to miss the first month of the season. Lowry also suffered from an elbow injury in September.
Despite a losing season for the Giants in 2007, and a season cut short by a forearm injury, Lowry managed to win a career high 14 games, the most for any pitcher on the Giants staff. He finished the season with a 14-8 record and a 3.92 ERA.
Lowry was slated as the number three starter for the Giants in 2008, but the forearm injury that shut him down in 2007 kept him out of the 2008 season. After having trouble throwing strikes early on in spring training, Lowry was diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome and had surgery on his left forearm.
In May 2009 Lowry had rib removal surgery to relieve the continued pain in his shoulder and neck associated with his recent diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome
. The new diagnosis brings the original diagnosis of exertional compartment syndrome into question along with the necessity of his 2008 surgery.
Lowry had surgery for a rare neuromuscular problem in his left forearm, at the time diagnosed by the San Francisco Giants' medical staff as exertional compartment syndrome, on March 7, 2008, and then had an arthroscopic procedure to remove a bone spur from his left elbow in September that year. But that was just the start of a complicated situation that led to a back and forth between Lowry's camp and the Giants about whether the team had misdiagnosed Lowry's original condition. The Giants denied any wrongdoing. Lowry had been experiencing regular tingling in his forearm because of the nerve problem. He was later diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Lapa told ESPN.com last spring that the Giants' medical staff misdiagnosed the forearm injury 14 months earlier, subjecting Lowry to an unnecessary arm operation and turning a potential short-term recovery into a lengthy medical ordeal. Lapa said Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Greg Pearl confirmed the diagnosis in separate consultations with Lowry. Lapa said the circulatory issue was the source of Lowry's forearm tightness in August 2007 and a mysterious control meltdown in spring training 2008, but that the Giants' medical staff failed to identify the problem. In Feb 2010, Lowry was working out under the direction of noted personal trainer Brett Fischer at Fischer Sports Physical Therapy & Conditioning in Phoenix.
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....
formerly of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
of Major League Baseball
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...
.
College and the MLB Draft
Lowry was first drafted out of Nordhoff High School, in Ojai, CaliforniaOjai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
, by the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in the nineteenth round of the 1999 MLB Draft
1999 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...
, but instead opted to attend Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. At Pepperdine, Lowry went 14-2 with a 1.71 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...
as a junior.
Major league career
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...
in fourteen starts. He was named the National League's Player of the Week
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week award is a Major League Baseball award named by each of the American and National Leagues each week of the regular season...
for the week of August 9. With an early victory to start off the 2005 season, Lowry began his career with a 7-0 record, the longest winning streak for any pitcher in San Francisco Giants history (and the second longest in Giants franchise history, behind Hooks Wiltse
Hooks Wiltse
George Leroy "Hooks" Wiltse was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1915. He was the brother of pitcher Snake Wiltse....
's 12-0 start in 1904).
In eighteen starts before the 2005 All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
break, Lowry posted an ERA of 5.07. He had an 8-4 record and a 2.43 ERA after the break. Lowry's best month came in August, when he went 5-0 with a 0.69 ERA, which earned him Pitcher of the Month
Pitcher of the Month
The Pitcher of the Month award is a Major League Baseball award named by each league for each month of the regular season. The National League started recognizing the award in . The American League followed in...
honors. He finished the season with a 13-13 record, 3.78 ERA, and 172 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 in 204⅔ innings.
Prior to the 2006 season, the Giants signed Lowry to a four-year deal with an option for a fifth year, valued at $9.25 million. At the time, it was the second largest contract for a pitcher with only one full season of big league service. Lowry received a $1 million signing bonus and $385,000 salary for 2006. The contract guarantees him totals of $1.115 million for 2007, $2.25 million for 2008, and $4.5 million for 2009. The contract includes a 2010 option for $6.25 million that will be activated automatically if a certain number of starts, innings and Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
vote placement is achieved. The 2010 option also includes another $1.5 million in incentives.
Injuries hampered his performance right from the beginning of the 2006 season. In his first start of 2006, Lowry was removed from the game in the second inning due to an oblique
Oblique cord
The oblique cord is a ligament between the two ulnar and radius bones in the lower arm near its elbow. It takes the form of a small, flattened band, extending downward and lateralward, from the lateral side of the ulnar tuberosity at the base of the coronoid process to the radius a little below the...
strain, forcing him to miss the first month of the season. Lowry also suffered from an elbow injury in September.
Despite a losing season for the Giants in 2007, and a season cut short by a forearm injury, Lowry managed to win a career high 14 games, the most for any pitcher on the Giants staff. He finished the season with a 14-8 record and a 3.92 ERA.
Lowry was slated as the number three starter for the Giants in 2008, but the forearm injury that shut him down in 2007 kept him out of the 2008 season. After having trouble throwing strikes early on in spring training, Lowry was diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome and had surgery on his left forearm.
In May 2009 Lowry had rib removal surgery to relieve the continued pain in his shoulder and neck associated with his recent diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome is a syndrome involving compression at the superior thoracic outlet involving compression of a neurovascular bundle passing between the anterior scalene and middle scalene...
. The new diagnosis brings the original diagnosis of exertional compartment syndrome into question along with the necessity of his 2008 surgery.
Lowry had surgery for a rare neuromuscular problem in his left forearm, at the time diagnosed by the San Francisco Giants' medical staff as exertional compartment syndrome, on March 7, 2008, and then had an arthroscopic procedure to remove a bone spur from his left elbow in September that year. But that was just the start of a complicated situation that led to a back and forth between Lowry's camp and the Giants about whether the team had misdiagnosed Lowry's original condition. The Giants denied any wrongdoing. Lowry had been experiencing regular tingling in his forearm because of the nerve problem. He was later diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Lapa told ESPN.com last spring that the Giants' medical staff misdiagnosed the forearm injury 14 months earlier, subjecting Lowry to an unnecessary arm operation and turning a potential short-term recovery into a lengthy medical ordeal. Lapa said Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Greg Pearl confirmed the diagnosis in separate consultations with Lowry. Lapa said the circulatory issue was the source of Lowry's forearm tightness in August 2007 and a mysterious control meltdown in spring training 2008, but that the Giants' medical staff failed to identify the problem. In Feb 2010, Lowry was working out under the direction of noted personal trainer Brett Fischer at Fischer Sports Physical Therapy & Conditioning in Phoenix.