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Brandon League

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Brandon League
League with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher
Born: (1983-03-16) March 16, 1983 (age 41)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 21, 2004, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 2014, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record27–35
Earned run average3.65
Strikeouts375
Saves74
Teams
Career highlights and awards
League pitching for the Seattle Mariners in 2010

Brandon Paul League (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. League has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a former closer and one-time All-Star.

Professional career

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Toronto Blue Jays

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He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Saint Louis School, and was signed on July 3, 2001.[1] He made his major league debut on September 21, 2004 against the New York Yankees as he pitched a solid inning and a third.[2]

Following League's breakout season in 2006, he engaged in strength conditioning during the offseason, and at the behest of the Blue Jays, did not pitch until spring training. As a result, he overdeveloped some shoulder muscles, resulting in a significant drop in his fastball velocity.[3] League was placed on the 60-day disabled list and missed the majority of the 2007 season. Both his velocity and effectiveness recovered the following season.

Seattle Mariners

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On December 22, 2009, League was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with minor-league outfielder Johermyn Chávez for pitcher Brandon Morrow.[4] He signed a one-year, $1.08 million contract for 2010.[5] Because of an injury to David Aardsma, League started the 2011 season as the Mariners' closer.[6] He was selected to his first All-Star game as a relief pitcher for the 2011 All-Star game. In a 2011 interview, veteran outfielder Coco Crisp named League as one of the four toughest pitchers he had ever faced.[7] On June 8, 2012, League was one of six Mariners to throw a combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Safeco Field.[8] After a series of blown saves, League was replaced by Tom Wilhelmsen as closer. In 21⁄2 seasons with the Mariners, League had converted a total of 52 saves in 69 chances with a 3.26 ERA.

Los Angeles Dodgers

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League pitching for the Dodgers in 2014

On July 30, 2012, League was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguers Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom.[9] He became the Dodgers closer in September after Kenley Jansen was sidelined with an irregular heartbeat. In 28 games with the Dodgers, he was 2–1 with a 2.30 ERA and six saves.[1] On October 30, the Dodgers re-signed League to a three-year, $22.5 million deal with a vesting option worth $7.5 million for 2016.[10] On June 11, League was demoted from the closer role after blowing his fourth save in 17 chances, and he was replaced by Jansen.[11] He was used primarily in low pressure situations the rest of the season. Overall, in 2013, he was 6-4 with a 5.30 ERA in 58 appearances, with 14 early season saves.[1] In 2014, the Dodgers used League primarily in middle relief. He finished the season with a 2–3 record and a 2.57 ERA in 63 games.[1]

League underwent an MRI during spring training in 2015 which revealed serious shoulder damage, causing him to miss the first couple months of the season.[12] After spending a month rehabbing in the minors, League was designated for assignment on July 2, 2015.[13][14] He was released on July 10.[15]

Kansas City Royals

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League did not play professional baseball at any level in 2016.[16] On January 7, 2017, League signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals that included an invitation to spring training.[17] He was released on March 19, 2017.[18]

New Britain Bees

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On April 20, 2017, League signed with the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[19] He became a free agent after the 2017 season. In 44 games 43.1 innings of relief he went 2-3 with a 4.57 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 1 save.

Pitching style

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League's main pitch is a very hard sinker averaging 96 mph. (In 2011, he had the hardest sinker of any relief pitcher, at 97.3 mph.)[20] He also has an upper-80s slider that he uses primarily early in the count to right-handed hitters. He also has a splitter that he uses as a strikeout pitch. The splitter has a whiff rate of 55%.[21]

Personal life

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League resides in Honolulu, and is hapa Yonsei. His maternal great-grandparents were born and raised in Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu Island in Japan.[22]

League's wife, Sasha League, attended Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, California. She holds a psychology major from the University of Hawaii. They have been married since 2005. Brandon and Sasha League are parents to four girls.[23]

After his playing career, League founded Parallel X League, a Southern California-based clothing line, in 2019.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Brandon League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  2. ^ "September 21, 2004 Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. September 21, 2004. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  3. ^ Bastian, Jordan (March 25, 2007). "Notes: League headed to Syracuse". Toronto Blue Jays. MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
  4. ^ Bastian, Jordan (December 23, 2009). "Jays get Morrow, send League to M's". Toronto Blue Jays. MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  5. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 20, 2010). "Felix Hernandez arrives in Seattle: deal done pending physical, press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  6. ^ "Aardsma Set to Pitch Again on Sunday". NBC Sports. April 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  7. ^ "Oakland Athletics' Coco Crisp Reveals The Toughest Pitchers He's Ever Faced". Bleacher Report. January 20, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  8. ^ "6 Mariners pitchers throw no-hitter". CBS News. Associated Press. June 9, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Shelburne, Ramona (July 31, 2012). "Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Brandon League from Seattle Mariners". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  10. ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 30, 2012). "Dodgers ink League to three-year deal". Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  11. ^ Saxon, Mark (June 11, 2013). "Dodgers change closers: League out, Jansen in". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Saxson, Mark (March 28, 2015). "Brandon League out two months". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  13. ^ Lempert, Jason (July 2, 2015). "Dodgers RP Brandon League designated for assignment". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  14. ^ Stephen, Eric (July 2, 2015). "Dodgers designate Brandon League for assignment". SB Nation. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Dodgers release reliever Brandon League". Sports Illustrated. July 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "Brandon League Register Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  17. ^ Wilmoth, Charlie (January 7, 2017). "Royals Sign Chris Withrow, Al Alburquerque, Brandon League To Minor League Deals". MLB Trade Rumors. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  18. ^ Eddy, Matt (March 29, 2017). "Minor League Transactions: March 18–24". Baseball America. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  19. ^ "BEES SIGN LEAGUE, ANNOUNCE 2017 OPENING DAY ROSTER". New Britain Bees. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  20. ^ "PitchFX Leaderboards". Baseball Prospectus. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  21. ^ "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool - Player Card: Brandon League". Brooks Baseball. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  22. ^ Sogi, Francis Y. (2004). Riding the Kona Wave: Memoirs of A Japanese American. New York, New York: The Cheshire Press. p. xiii, 1, 163. ISBN 0-9762575-0-5.
  23. ^ a b Shimabuku, Christian (July 18, 2020). "Former MLB All-Star and Saint Louis alum Brandon League holds Hawaii close to his heart with clothing line". KHON2. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brandon League.
Preceded by No-hit game
June 8, 2012
(with Millwood, Furbush, Pryor, Luetge, & Wilhelmsen) 		Succeeded by
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