Brett Myers

Brett Myers
File:Brett Myers.jpg
Philadelphia Phillies – No. 39
Starting pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
July 24, 2002, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Career statistics (through 2008 season)
Win-Loss	69-60
Earned run average	4.37
Strikeouts	936
Saves	21
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Philadelphia Phillies (2002-present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2008)

Brett Allen Myers (born August 17, 1980, in Jacksonville, Florida) is a right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.

High school career

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, he, as a senior at Englewood High School, posted an 8–2 record and an 0.80 ERA in 78.0 innings pitched. He was an amateur boxer when he was a teenager. Myers attended Englewood High with Rashean Mathis, cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Major league career

2002–2003: Early career

Myers made his major league debut in the summer of 2002, starting on July 24 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He finished his rookie season 4–5 with an earned run average of 4.25, pitching 72 innings up to the end of the season. Myers also pitched the 2003 season with the Phillies, posting 14 wins in 32 starts. He threw his first career shutout in June of 2003 against the Boston Red Sox.

2004

Expectations for Myers were high entering the 2004 season; however, these were tempered somewhat by his 11–11 record. He pitched his second career shutout in May and recorded a five-game losing streak from June 22 to July 23, receiving minimal run support from the Phillies offense. 2004 was Myers' strongest year on offense, posting a .196 batting average and tying for the team lead in sacrifice hits with Randy Wolf.

2005

The 2005 season was a strong one for Myers, as he posted 13 wins and a career-low ERA of 3.72. He struck out 208 batters in 215⅓ innings and threw two complete games over the course of the season.

2006

Building on his performance from 2005, Myers was the Phillies' staff ace in 2006, leading the team in wins, ERA, starts, innings pitched, strikeouts, and winning percentage. He became the first pitcher to win a 1–0 game at Coors Field in Colorado, beginning a streak of ten consecutive games where he pitched at least six innings.

2007: Finding a new role

Myers, pictured before the 2007 postseason

On February 1, 2007, the Phillies announced they had agreed to a 3-year, $25.75 million contract extension with Myers. He was also slated to start Opening Day for the Phillies. However, because of general ineffectiveness and injuries to other pitchers, Myers was moved to the bullpen on April 18th, after only three starts. When then-closer Tom Gordon was sent to the disabled list because of rotator cuff inflammation on May 2, Myers took over in the closer role for the team. Following Gordon's return from the DL, Myers remained in the closer role due to his effectiveness in the position.

On May 25, 2007, Myers went on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a strained right shoulder. However, he returned in July to finish the year with 21 saves, remaining as the Philadelphia closer for the rest of the season. As the Opening Day starter and then the closer, Myers threw the first and last pitches of the 2007 season, and was on the mound as the Phillies clinched their first playoff spot in 14 years. He proved to be a successful reliever, going 5–5 with a 2.87 ERA in 48 relief appearances.

Media confrontation

On August 25, 2007, Myers was involved in an altercation with The Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Sam Carchidi after Myers gave up two home runs against the San Diego Padres. Comments made by both the player and the reporter sent Myers into a profanity-laced verbal tirade with Carchidi in which Myers threatened to knock him out, while other members of the Phillies and Philadelphia media tried to separate the two.

2007–08 offseason

In the off-season, the Phillies had announced that Myers would return to the rotation in 2008, since they had traded for all-star closer Brad Lidge. Though Myers expressed a desire to remain in the bullpen, he was willing to fulfill whatever role the team required.

"I liked having the chance to pitch every day or every other day as opposed to every fifth day," said Myers. "I'll do whatever the team needs. I've started my whole career so I'm ready to get back to it."

During spring training 2008, Myers spearheaded an elaborate prank on Kyle Kendrick involving a fake trade to Japan. The prank was notably successful, with manager Charlie Manuel, then-assistant general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., the Phillies clubhouse, Kendrick's agent, and the press corps all in on the joke. Kendrick was completely fooled until Myers jumped in from behind, shouting "You know what I say? You just got punk'd!"

2008: Struggles arise

Myers was the Opening Day starter for the Phillies in 2008. Myers opened the 2008 season weakly; though he pitched deep into games, he did not receive enough run support to cover the amount of runs he surrendered. Through the first two months of the season, Myers posted only three wins, as opposed to six losses. His statistics went into a downward spiral as the season progressed, posting a 3–2 record in March and April, a 1–4 record in May, and not winning a single game in June; he went nearly a month without notching a single victory. On July 1, Myers agreed to be optioned down to the minors to address his mechanical issues and focus on pitching. It was reported that he would make at least three starts for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He did make one start for the Phillies AA affiliate, the Reading Phillies, and one start for the class-A Clearwater Threshers, to maintain his five-day pitching schedule. He returned to the Phillies and started against the New York Mets on July 23, but did not factor in a decision until his second game back against the Washington Nationals on July 29, where he won his fourth game of the year. Myers pitched strongly through the second half of the season, posting a 7–2 record and a 1.80 ERA heading into the final month of the season. On September 19, he gave up five runs to the first five batters of the game. On October 2, Myers won his first playoff start by pitching seven innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving up two earned runs. Myers' next playoff start highlighted his batting skills, as he posted three RBIs and won the game. In the 2008 World Series, he lost his only start in Game 2.

2009: Injuries

Myers complained of pain in his right hip during a May 27 game against the Florida Marlins. Tests revealed a torn labrum in the hip, which required surgery. Myers underwent the procedure in June and was placed on the disabled list. As of July 28, 2009, Myers is expected to rejoin the Phillies as a bullpen pitcher in late August.

Domestic violence incident

On June 23, 2006, Myers was arrested and charged with assault after witnesses saw him punching his wife, Kim Myers, on a downtown Boston street, after an argument. The Phillies received criticism from some media members and women's organizations for not benching Myers. Myers took a short leave of absence from the team. During a pre-trial hearing on October 5, 2006, Kim Myers indicated that she did not want her husband prosecuted, and despite the prosecutor's insistence of filing charges, the case was dismissed. The couple has been in marriage counseling since the arrest.

External links

• Myers' statistics at Baseball Reference.
• Brett Myers Major and Minor League Statistics at The Baseball Cube.
• Brett Myers profile and statistics at ESPN.com.