Jesse Litsch
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Jesse Allen Litsch (born March 9, 1985) 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, ...
. After working as a batboy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was drafted in the 24th round 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
in , and played from 2007 to 2011, when his career was cut short by injuries. In March 2016, Litsch became the pitching coach for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the
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.


Professional career


2007

On May 15, 2007, Litsch made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays, filling in for the injured
Roy Halladay Harry Leroy Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, "Doc ...
. Over 8 innings (the most innings pitched by any Blue Jay in his debut), Litsch allowed only four hits, with two walks and one run while recording 21 of his 26 outs via groundouts. Litsch became the first Blue Jays pitcher to win his debut since Gustavo Chacín beat the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
on September 20, 2004. As a result of his performance, Litsch made three more starts with the Jays. He was demoted to Double-A after posting a 0–3 record with a 19.62 ERA in those three starts. After an injury to A. J. Burnett, the Blue Jays recalled Litsch and he started against Boston on July 15, 2007. He yielded one run on nine hits over 6 innings with two strikeouts and one walk, defeating Josh Beckett and 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 ...
2–1. He came home to Tampa Bay on July 31, pitching 6 scoreless innings, giving up seven hits while walking one and striking out two. Litsch finished his first year in the majors 7–9 with a 3.89 ERA and 50 K/36 BB over 20 starts.


2008–2010

On May 24, 2008, the same day that Litsch pitched his first complete game and shutout, he also surpassed Jimmy Key's former franchise record by pitching 38 consecutive innings without walking a batter (Key's former mark was ). In 2008, he threw cutters 43.4% of the time, the highest rate in the majors. Litsch finished the 2008 season with a record of 13–9, a 3.58 ERA, and 99 strikeouts. On April 14, 2009, he was sent to the 15-day DL because of a right forearm strain. On June 9, it was announced that Litsch would undergo season-ending
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...
. He made his first major league start since surgery on June 13, 2010 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 ...
. Litsch struggled against the Rockies in his return from injury. He lasted only 2 innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits. He regained his previous form in his next start against the
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 ...
on June 19 by going seven solid innings, allowing three hits in a 3-0 win.


2011–retirement

Litsch was named the number 5 starter for the 2011 season. He made his 2011 debut on April 6 against the
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, getting the win and giving up six hits and three earned runs while striking out seven. He finished off the season with a 4.44 ERA and a 6-3 win–loss record over 75 innings pitched. Litsch suffered a setback with his injured right shoulder early in 2012 training camp, and was shut down because of inflammation. He visited surgeon Dr. James Andrews for a full diagnosis that confirmed the inflammation and didn't find any structural damage. Litsch received a platelet-rich plasmas (PRP) injection to help with the healing process. The injection caused an unexpected serious infection, and Litsch was not allowed to throw for six weeks after undergoing emergency surgery. The infection sidelined him for the entire 2012 season. On October 10, 2012, the Blue Jays announced that Litsch was coming off the 60-day disabled list, but had chosen free agency over an assignment to their Triple-A affiliate
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 Fiel ...
. In December 2012, it was reported that Litsch was awaiting bone-graft and cartilage replacement surgery from a donor cadaver, and his career was in serious jeopardy. The surgery was performed on January 17, 2013, and Litsch was reported to be hopeful to pitch winter ball in late 2013. On August 21, 2014, Litsch announced his retirement. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the Blue Jays-Rays game on September 2, 2014.


Coaching

After retiring, Litsch coached middle and high school players at a Major League Baseball development center in China. In January 2016, he announced that he would be the pitching coach for the Philippines national baseball team in their February
World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...
qualifier. On March 1, 2016, the Bridgeport Bluefish hired Litsch to be their pitching coach for the 2016 season. For the 2022 season, Litsch was hired to manage the collegiate Williamsport Crosscutters in the MLB Draft League.


Pitch repertoire

Litsch's main pitch was his four-seam fastball (87-93 mph), and could throw a two-seam fastball with considerable movement. He often used a cutter (85-89 mph) and a curveball (73-80 mph), and struggled with command of his changeup (79-82 mph).


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Litsch, Jesse 1985 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Toronto Blue Jays players Major League Baseball pitchers Auburn Doubledays players People from Pinellas Park, Florida Baseball players from Pinellas County, Florida Pulaski Blue Jays players South Florida Panthers baseball players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Dunedin Blue Jays players Syracuse Chiefs players Las Vegas 51s players