Chad Michael Qualls (born August 17, 1978) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

Baseball career

Amateur career

Qualls attended Narbonne High School in

Harbor City, California Harbor City is a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, with a population upward of 36,000 people. Originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, the Harbor City was brought into Los Angeles a ...

Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a public community college in Wilmington, California. It is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles. LAHC serves mainly students from Harbor City, Carson, San Pedro, Ga ...

(LAHC) in Wilmington, California, and the

University of Nevada-Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12 ...

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

. After pitching for LAHC, he was drafted by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the 52nd round of the

1997 MLB Draft The 1997 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, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections ...

, but he did not sign. He transferred to the University of Nevada, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Nevada Wolf Pack The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada. Hi ...

's baseball team, competing in the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacifi ...

of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

's Division I. He was named to the Big West Conference's second team in 1999. In 2000, Qualls anchored the Wolf Pack's

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

with

Darrell Rasner Darrell Wayne Rasner, Jr. (born January 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Toh ...

and Matt Rainer. Qualls pitched seven

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s for the Wolf Pack.

Houston Astros

Qualls was drafted in the second round of the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

by the

. He began his career as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

with the

Michigan Battle Cats The Michigan Battle Cats were a Minor League Baseball team which began playing in the Midwest League in 1995 and called C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan, home. The franchise had previously been located in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1994 ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganiza ...

during the 2001 season. In 2002 and 2003, he pitched for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, which competed in the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He was converted to relief during the 2004 season while with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

. Qualls made his major league debut with Astros on July 22, 2004. He pitched the next three seasons for the Astros. He recorded six saves and a 3.39

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA). Qualls joined with

Dan Wheeler Daniel Michael Wheeler (born December 10, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians from 1999 ...

and

Brad Lidge Bradley Thomas Lidge (born December 23, 1976) nicknamed "Lights Out" is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lidge played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 2002–2012. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phi ...

to form a strong bullpen, as the Astros reached the

2005 World Series The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National ...

. Qualls served a three-game suspension for throwing a baseball into the stands.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 14, 2007, the Astros traded Qualls to the

, along with Chris Burke and Juan Gutiérrez, for

José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed ...

. Qualls replaced Brandon Lyon as the closer for the Diamondbacks in mid-September 2008 after Lyon struggled in the second half of the season. He became one of four pitchers who pitched in at least 70 games every season from 2004 through 2008. Qualls signed a $2.54 million contract with the Diamondbacks for the 2009 season. He became their closer at the start of the 2009 season. For the year, he recorded a 2–2

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

, a 3.63 ERA, and 24 saves in 29 opportunities. On August 30, 2009, he suffered a patellar dislocation on the final play of a winning effort against the Astros. He required surgery and missed the rest of the season. Qualls signed a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks for the 2010 season worth $4.185 million. However, he struggled with the Diamondbacks that season, pitching to an 8.29 ERA with 12 saves.

Tampa Bay Rays

On July 31, 2010, Qualls was traded to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. He pitched in 27 games for them with a 5.57 ERA.

San Diego Padres

Qualls signed with the Padres for the 2011 season and a $6 million team option for 2012. He finished the 2011 season with a 6–8 record and 3.51 ERA in a team-high 77 appearances.

Philadelphia Phillies

Qualls signed a $1.15 million, one-year contract with the

on January 31, 2012. On April 4, he was named to the opening day roster. He began the year as the primary set-up reliever to closer

Jonathan Papelbon Jonathan Robert Papelbon (; born November 23, 1980) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was an All-Star in four con ...

. With the Phillies, Qualls pitched to a 4.60 ERA in 35 games.

New York Yankees

On July 1, 2012, Qualls was traded to the

from the Phillies for a player to be named or cash. He replaced the struggling

Cory Wade Cory Nathaniel Wade (born May 28, 1983) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Amateur career Wade attended Broad Ripple High School. W ...

in the bullpen, as Wade was demoted to the minor leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 31, 2012, Qualls was traded from the Yankees to the

for Casey McGehee.

Miami Marlins

On Friday, January 25, 2013, Chad Qualls reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins. Following a game on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, between the Marlins and Mets, Qualls became an overnight social media viral sensation. Qualls punctuated his scoreless 7th inning stint in which he walked one, allowed one hit, and struck out two, with an attempted fist pump as he ran towards the dugout. Leaving the mound after strike-three against the Mets' Omar Quintanilla, Qualls punched the air in celebration as he headed toward the dugout. As he threw the punch, he snagged his right cleat in the grass and his own forward momentum sent him tumbling to the ground. Qualls was uninjured and bounced up quickly and continued to the dugout, where he covered his face in a towel and laughed with teammates."As soon as I saw the fist pump I put my head down," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "That's one of those if you win that game, you can watch it. But since we lost it's not quite as funny." The video quickly made the rounds via Twitter and other social media and made the front page of web sites including CBS Sports, Deadspin, SI, and The Big Lead.

Second stint with Astros

On December 7, 2013, Qualls signed a two-year contract, with an option for 2016, to return to the

. His return to the team marked the first time an Astro played two separate stints as both a National and an American League franchise. On November 3, 2015, the Astros declined their 2016 option on Qualls, making him a free agent. He was the last member of the 2005 World Series team to play for the Astros (or any other team for that matter).

Colorado Rockies

On December 8, 2015, Qualls signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the

. He was designated for assignment on June 30, 2017, and released five days later.

Pitching style

Qualls throws two main pitches: a heavy sinker in the low-to-mid 90s, and a hard

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

in the mid-to-upper 80s. He typically uses the sinker to get ahead in the count and the slider to get strikeouts. He also occasionally uses a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

against left-handed hitters.

References

External links

Chad Qualls
at Astros Daily * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qualls, Chad 1978 births Living people Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Houston Astros players Arizona Diamondbacks players Tampa Bay Rays players San Diego Padres players Philadelphia Phillies players New York Yankees players Pittsburgh Pirates players Miami Marlins players Colorado Rockies players Los Angeles Harbor Seahawks baseball players Nevada Wolf Pack baseball players Michigan Battle Cats players Round Rock Express players New Orleans Zephyrs players Indianapolis Indians players People from Lomita, California