Dennis Ryan Tepera (born November 3, 1987) is an American

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 ...

for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

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). He previously played for 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 ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He attended

Brazoswood High School Brazoswood High School is a public high school located in Clute, Texas, United States. It educates grades nine through twelve and is part of the Brazosport Independent School District. Its attendance boundary includes: - Compare to town limit ...

in Texas, and 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

Sam Houston State Bearkats The Sam Houston State Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white and their sports teams' nickname is the Bearkats. Sam Ho ...

Amateur career

After graduating from

in Clute, Texas, Tepera played

Blinn College Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. Brenham is Blinn's main campus, with dormitories and apartments. History Blinn was established as Mission Institute in 188 ...

before transferring to

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

. In 2009, his senior season, he went 2–1 with a 7.33 ERA over 43 innings.

Professional career

Minor league career

The Blue Jays selected Tepera in the 19th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He was assigned to the

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays i ...

, and made 11 appearances for the team, including 5 starts. Tepera posted a 3–1 win–loss record, 1.72 ERA, and 42 strikeouts in 36 innings. In 2010, he was promoted to the Class-A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field. The Midwest League came to Lans ...

, and pitched 120 innings over 24 appearances (22 starts). In total, Tepera earned a 9–6 record, 3.98 ERA, and 79 strikeouts. He played the 2011 season with the Advanced-A

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

, posting an 11–6 record, 4.43 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in a career-high 146 innings. Tepera started the 2012 season in Dunedin, and was later promoted to the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seaso ...

. He struggled during the year, and finished with an 8–6 record, 5.48 ERA, and 71 strikeouts. In the offseason, Tepera played with the

Salt River Rafters The Salt River Rafters are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick near Scottsdale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

, and made 6 starts, going 1–2 with a 6.75 ERA. Tepera played the entire 2013 season in Double-A New Hampshire, bouncing back with a 10–8 record, 4.50 ERA, and 105 strikeouts in 116 innings. 2014 saw Tepera make his first trip to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

, where he pitched exclusively as a reliever. In 51 games, he posted a 7–3 record, 3.66 ERA, and 67 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. The Blue Jays added Tepera to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

on November 20, 2014, to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He began the 2015 season with the

, and was promoted to the major leagues by the Blue Jays on May 8.

Major league career

Toronto Blue Jays

Tepera made his debut on May 10, 2015, against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. He pitched 2 innings in relief of

R. A. Dickey Robert Allen Dickey (born October 29, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Bra ...

, and did not allow a baserunner, while striking out 1. Tepera was optioned back to Buffalo on August 1, and recalled on September 1. He earned his first save on September 12, closing out a 9–5 win over the

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 ...

. Tepera was initially left off of the postseason roster, however he was added on October 10 after

Brett Cecil Brett Aarion Cecil (born July 2, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. Cecil was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2007 MLB dra ...

suffered a season-ending calf injury the day prior. After participating in 2016 Major League spring training, Tepera was announced on March 30 as one of the Blue Jays bullpen pitchers for

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

. However, shortly afterward the Blue Jays signed

Franklin Morales Franklin Miguel Morales (born January 24, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays. Professional career Colorado Rockies A ...

and optioned Tepera to Triple-A Buffalo. On April 27, Tepera was recalled from Buffalo. After taking the loss against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

on May 11, Tepera was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo. He was recalled on May 30, and optioned again on June 5. On July 24, Tepera was recalled after Drew Storen was designated for assignment. Tepera was returned to Buffalo on July 26. He was recalled on August 10, and optioned back to Buffalo on August 23. After the Major League roster expansion on September 1, Tepera was called up by Toronto. After spring training, Tepera made the 2017 Opening Day roster. On April 21, he earned his first career win after pitching three shutout innings against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

. Tepera finished the 2017 season with a 3.59 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 77 innings. He began the 2018 season as the setup man to closer

Roberto Osuna Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. (born February 7, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and ...

. He was placed on the disabled list on June 30 with elbow inflammation. Tepera finished the season with a 5–5 record in 68 games, striking out 68 in innings.

Chicago Cubs

Tepera was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on November 4, 2019. He elected free agency four days later. On December 20, he signed a one-year deal with the

. On November 12, 2020, Tepera received a single vote for

National League Most Valuable Player The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

, finishing in a tie for eighteenth place. Rick Hummel, the writer who cast the vote for Tepera, indicated that it was an input error: Hummel had intended to vote for

Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner ...

, but clicked the wrong name on the online form's

drop-down menu A drop-down list (abbreviated drop-down, or DDL; also known as a drop-down menu, drop menu, pull-down list, picklist) is a graphical control element, similar to a list box, that allows the user to choose one value from a list. When a drop-down ...

. On December 2, Tepera was nontendered by the Cubs. On February 26, 2021, Tepera re-signed with the Cubs on a one-year, $800K contract. On April 15, Tepera received a three-game suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch at pitcher

Brandon Woodruff Brandon Kyle Woodruff (born February 10, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Woodruff attended Wheeler High School in Wheeler, Mississippi and was drafted by the T ...

in a game against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. Tepera was named the NL Reliever of the Month for May. On June 24, 2021, Tepera pitched a combined

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

along with

Zach Davies Zachary Ryan Davies (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondba ...

, Andrew Chafin, and

Craig Kimbrel Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicag ...

Chicago White Sox

On July 29, 2021, Tepera was traded to the

in exchange for Bailey Horn. Between the Cubs and White Sox, in 2021 Tepera had a 2.79 ERA with 74 strikeouts in innings. Tepera pitched innings for the White Sox in the series, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts.

Los Angeles Angels

On March 19, 2022, Tepera signed a 2-year, $14M contract with the

. He made his Angels debut on April 7, 2022, against the Houston Astros, pitching one inning but surrendering consecutive solo home runs to

Alex Bregman Alexander David Bregman (born March 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a high school sophomore at Albuquerque Academy in 2010, Bregman became the ...

and

Yordan Álvarez Yordan Ruben Álvarez (born June 27, 1997) is a Cuban professional baseball designated hitter and left fielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019 for the Astros. Nicknamed "Air Yordan", Álv ...

. On April 11, 2022, he struck out the side in the 8th inning in a 6–2 win over the Marlins. On April 20, Tepera pitched 2.0

perfect inning This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. ...

s in a combined 1-hit 1-walk shutout in relief of starting pitcher

Shohei Ohtani , nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tepera, Ryan 1987 births American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Baseball players from Houston Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Lansing Lugnuts players Leones del Escogido players Living people Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Salt River Rafters players Sam Houston State Bearkats baseball players Toronto Blue Jays players