Clayton Allen Hensley (born August 31, 1979) 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, ...

. He 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

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

, Florida Marlins, and

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

Early life

Hensley attended

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

, where he set a single season record with 127

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 100 innings.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Hensley was drafted by the

in the eighth round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. On May 3, 2003, he pitched a perfect game for the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

San Diego Padres

On July 13, 2003, Hensley was traded to the

in exchange for Matt Herges. On April 5, , he was suspended 15 games for testing positive for steroids while pitching in the minor leagues. Later that season, he was called up from the Triple-A Portland Beavers. He emerged as a vital figure in middle relief, not allowing a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

in innings pitched. In , Hensley made 29 starts for the

, with an

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 number ...

(ERA) of 3.71. Hensley began the season as the Padres' #5 starter, but was placed on the disabled list in May. After struggling in his minor league rehab starts, Hensley was optioned to the Triple-A Portland Beavers. On August 4, 2007, Hensley gave up

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

's 755th career home run, which tied Bonds with Hank Aaron for most all-time. The next day, Hensley was optioned to the minor leagues. Hensley was non-tendered by the Padres following the season, making him a

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 ...

Houston Astros

On December 23, 2008, Hensley signed a minor league contract with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

that included an invitation to spring training worth $550,000. In 6 games for the Triple-A

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

, he struggled to a 7.20 ERA with 5 strikeouts in 10 innings. On May 13, 2009, Hensley was released by the Astros organization.

Florida Marlins

On May 13, 2009, Hensley signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins. In 2010, Hensley took over the closer role from Leo Núñez. For the start 2011 season, Hensley was once again being used as a setup man. However, after injury problems to both himself and Marlins ace Josh Johnson, the Marlins promoted him to the starting rotation. He was designated for assignment on December 9, 2011, and became a free agent after being non-tendered by Miami on December 13.

San Francisco Giants (second stint)

On February 8, 2012, Hensley signed a non-guaranteed contract with the

that included an invitation to

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 ...

. He made the Giants' 2012

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 year ...

roster out of spring training. He became a free agent following the season.

Cincinnati Reds

On February 11, 2013, he signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Hensley was released from the Reds Triple-A affiliate the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

on May 20, thus becoming a free agent.

Milwaukee Brewers

On May 26, 2013, Hensley signed a minor league contract with the

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

. In 4 games for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, he posted a 3.38 ERA with 2 strikeouts over innings pitched. Hensley was released by the Brewers organization on June 11.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On August 11, 2013, Hensley signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He became a free agent following the season. In 14 games 14.1 innings of relief he went 2–0 with a 0.63 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 1 save. On January 24, 2014, Hensley 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 ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released prior to the start of the season on March 20. On April 11, 2014, Hensley signed again with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League. In 3 games (1 start) for the Skeeters, he struggled to a 13.50 ERA with 1 strikeout over innings pitched. Hensley announced his retirement from professional baseball on April 28.

Pitching style

Although Hensley lacked premium speed on his pitches, he used his upper-80s sinker to induce weak contact. To right-handed hitters, Hensley added a slider averaging about 80 mph and a big curveball averaging about 70 mph to the mix. To lefties, Hensley used the curveball and a changeup in the low 80s. He also occasionally threw a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch (baseball), pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is s ...

. He delivered his pitches with a nearly straight-overhead throwing motion.

Personal life

, Hensley is married and lives in Pearland.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Clay 1979 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players suspended for drug offenses American sportspeople in doping cases San Diego Padres players Florida Marlins players San Francisco Giants players Lamar Cardinals baseball players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players Hagerstown Suns players San Jose Giants players Lake Elsinore Storm players Mobile BayBears players Portland Beavers players Round Rock Express players Las Vegas 51s players Louisville Bats players Nashville Sounds players Sugar Land Skeeters players Sportspeople from Pearland, Texas Baseball players from Brazoria County, Texas Baseball players from Harris County, Texas Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Pearland High School alumni