Chad Griffin Durbin (born December 3, 1977), is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

, 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 the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, and

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 ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL), and the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

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, and

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 ...

of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

(NL). Durbin attended Woodlawn High School, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. He was drafted by the

, in the 3rd round, 79th overall, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. Durbin's major league debut came in a scoreless relief appearance, for the Royals, on September 26, 1999.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Durbin signed with the Tigers as a minor league

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

prior to the 2006 baseball season. He was a part of the 2006

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champion

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, while also making 3 late-season appearances with the Tigers. During 2007

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, Durbin was in the mix for one of the final spots in the Tigers

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

. However,

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 ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

soon went on the

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with a shoulder injury, and the Tigers turned to Durbin to fill his spot in the rotation. Durbin served as a starting pitcher for several stints, before ultimately joining the bullpen. Pitching in relief, Durbin served several roles, including long relief and setup. During a game on ESPN's

Sunday Night Baseball ''Sunday Night Baseball'' is an exclusive weekly telecast of a Major League Baseball game that airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN during the regular season. The games are preceded most weeks by the studio show '' Baseball Tonight: Sun ...

against the

, Durbin had a

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair o ...

for his first career RBI. He also recorded his first major league save in the same game. On December 12, 2007, Durbin was not offered a new contract by the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

and he became a free agent.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 20, 2007, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies to compete for a spot in their starting rotation. Though he lost out to Adam Eaton for a starting spot, Durbin enjoyed a strong season out of the bullpen for the eventual World Series Champions. In 2009, Durbin earned the first two postseason victories of his career, as he was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the NLDS against the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

and Game 5 of the

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against the

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. The latter clinched a second straight trip to the

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for the Phillies, where they'd lose to the

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in six games. Durbin spent one more season with the Phillies before rejoining the Indians as a free agent on March 1, 2011.

Washington Nationals

Durbin signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

on February 1, 2012. He was released from Nationals after Spring Training.

Atlanta Braves

He was then signed by the Atlanta Braves to a one-year contract. With the Braves, he posted an ERA of 3.10.

Second Stint with Phillies

On January 28, 2013, Durbin signed a one-year deal with the Phillies with a base salary of $1.1 million and possible incentives totaling $350,000. The signing did not work out; the Phillies released Durbin on May 31, 2013, following a series of poor outings during which he had an ERA of 9.00. Durbin retired on November 25, 2013.

Post-playing career

In March 2022, it was announced that Durbin would join the Phillies radio broadcast team as a part-time color analyst. Durbin did not return for the 2023 season.

Personal life

Durbin lives with his wife Crystal and sons Cade and Cavan and daughter Caris in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durbin, Chad 1977 births Living people Kansas City Royals players Cleveland Indians players Arizona Diamondbacks players Detroit Tigers players Philadelphia Phillies players Atlanta Braves players Lansing Lugnuts players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Royals players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players New Orleans Zephyrs players Toledo Mud Hens players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Bureau County, Illinois People from Spring Valley, Illinois Gulf Coast Royals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Omaha Golden Spikes players Clearwater Threshers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players 21st-century American sportsmen