Former Houston Astros’ reliever Brad Lidge set to hang up his shoes - MLB News
Former Houston Astros’ reliever Brad Lidge may soon be calling it a day. The pitcher, who has been playing in the Major League for 11 seasons, was a part of the Houston Astros for six of them.
Brad was drafted by the Astros in the first round of 1998 Major League Baseball Draft and was the Number 17 overall pick. The 35-year-old who made his debut in late August of 2002, had injury issues in his first four years of professional baseball, a period
in which he was primarily playing in the Astros’ Farm System.
He started a game in September the same year against the Milwaukee Brewers and pitched three scoreless innings before retiring due to an injury. This remains the only game of Lidge’s career as a starting pitcher.
Brad was born in Sacramento, California and raised in Englewood, Colorado. He attended Cherry Creek High School and played a number of sports. He played college ball for the University of Notre Dame and had a successful college pitching career as well.
In his Major League career, Brad pitched in 603 games, with a 26-32 win-loss record. He has made 225 saves during his career and also made 67 holds. The pitcher found a fair amount of success between 2004 and 2010, posting low ERA’s and making a good number
of saves for his team. In 2005 and 2008, he respectively made 42 and 41 saves.
Lidge’s 2012 season was a forgettable one. He posted a sky high 9.64 ERA with two saves in 11 games for the Washington Nationals, perhaps prompting the 25-year-old to hang up his shoes. He has generally been a dependable relief pitcher and 2012 seems an
exceptionally bad year for him.
The left-handed pitcher has two All-Star performances to his credit and also won a World Series Championship with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 along with numerous other awards. In all, he has represented three ball clubs, including the Houston Astros,
Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals.
Brad Lidge has been a decent relief pitcher and has done well for the most part of his career. There have been a few lows along the way but his overall consistency certainly outshines any short comings that he may have had. Brad has served the game well
and will be remembered for his good work once he retires.
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