Brian Merritt Moehler (born December 31, 1971) is an American former

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 ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for 15 seasons. Moehler pitched for the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

. He was selected by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in the sixth round of the 1993 draft, and assigned to the Niagara Falls Rapids. After the 1993 season, Moehler moved on to the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

, where he pitched until late 1996, when he was called up by the Tigers. Moehler made his major league debut in 1996, pitching in 2 games for the Tigers. In 1997, Moehler went 11–12 in 31 starts, the following year he would have his best season of his career, going 14–13 with a 3.90 ERA and 4 complete games, including 3 shutouts. In 1999, he led the American league in losses with 16. In 1999, during his stint with Detroit, he was caught scuffing the baseball against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

, and was suspended for 10 games. He would rebound in the year 2000, going 12–9 for Detroit. 2001 and 2002 Moehler pitched just a combined 4 starts due to injury, he would later be traded in 2002 to the Cincinnati Reds. He was the starting pitcher for the Tigers' inaugural game at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...

in 2000. During his stint with the Tigers, he won both the last game at the old Tiger Stadium and the first game at the new

. In 2003, Moehler signed with the Houston Astros but pitched in just 3 games. After taking the 2004 season off, Moehler came back in 2005 pitching for the

Florida 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 team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

. He went 13–23 in two seasons with the Marlins, bouncing between the bullpen and the rotation. On January 19, 2007, Moehler signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros; at the end of spring training he earned a relief spot on the roster. On August 2, 2007, Moehler achieved his first save in a Major League game against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. On November 4, 2012, Moehler was hired as a Georgia area scout for 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moehler, Brian 1971 births Living people Baseball players from North Carolina Boston Red Sox scouts Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Corpus Christi Hooks players Greenville Braves players Gulf Coast Marlins players Houston Astros players Florida Marlins players Jacksonville Suns players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers New Orleans Zephyrs players Niagara Falls Rapids players Round Rock Express players Toledo Mud Hens players UNC Greensboro Spartans baseball players West Michigan Whitecaps players