Joshua William Lindblom (born June 15, 1987) 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

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

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, Texas Rangers,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

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

, and

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 ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

and

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

Career

Amateur and minor league career

Lindblom attended Harrison High School in

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette ( ) is a city in Wabash and Tippecanoe Townships, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash ...

. He was drafted in the third round of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...

by 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 ...

after being listed by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

as the top prospect in the state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He was 8–2 as a high school senior with a 2.30 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 76 innings. Rather than sign with the Astros, Lindblom chose to attend the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

. After one season with the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

, Lindblom transferred to

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

for the 2007 season. He was a starter with Tennessee, but became the closer for Purdue in 2007–2008. Lindblom was listed as being among the 75 top college baseball players by

USA Baseball The United States Baseball Federation, doing business as USA Baseball, is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as the national Sports governing body, governing body for baseball in the United States. USA Baseball ...

. In 2007, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

and was named a league all-star.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Lindblom was drafted by the

in the 2nd round of the 2008 MLB draft and made his professional baseball debut that same year with the Single-A

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Hist ...

in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He started eight games for the Loons, finishing 0–0 with a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings worked. He struck out 33 batters, while walking only 4. He got a late season call-up to the AA

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 made one start. In 2009, Lindblom pitched in several spring training games for the Major League Dodgers, and there was some speculation that he could even make the big league club to start the season. However, he was instead assigned to start the year with the Dodgers new AA affiliate, the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. He made 14 appearances for the Lookouts, including 11 starts and had a record of 3–5 and an ERA of 4.71 when he was promoted to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

. With the Isotopes, Lindblom made three starts and then was transferred to the

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 ...

. He had a 2.54 ERA in 20 games and was 3–0. In 2010, Lindblom spent the entire season with Albuquerque. He made 10 starts with the Isotopes, before they decided to return him to being a relief pitcher. He finished the season 3–2 with a 6.54 ERA in 40 appearances. He was demoted to Chattanooga in 2011, where he started the season with seven saves and a 2.96 ERA in 19 games. On May 29, 2011, Lindblom was called up to the Dodgers. He made his Major League debut in relief on June 1, 2011, 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 ...

, allowing two hits in a scoreless seventh inning during a 3–0 Dodgers loss. On August 12, 2011, he won his first game, pitching a scoreless tenth inning against the

in a game the Dodgers won 1–0 in the bottom of that inning. He pitched in 29.2 innings for the Dodgers in 2011, with a 2.73 ERA and 28 strikeouts.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 31, 2012, Lindblom was traded to the

along with prospect Ethan Martin for outfielder

Shane Victorino Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "the Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodge ...

. He appeared in 26 games for the Phillies, with a 1-3 record and 4.63 ERA.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers acquired Lindblom and minor league pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla on December 9, 2012, from the

in exchange for Michael Young. Lindblom was called up on May 20 when

Derek Lowe Derek Christopher Lowe (born June 1, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. During his career, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland I ...

was designated for assignment and optioned back to 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 ...

on May 21. He was recalled again on June 9.

Oakland Athletics

On December 3, 2013, Lindblom, along with outfielder

Craig Gentry Craig Alan Gentry (born November 29, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Oriol ...

, was traded to the

for outfielder

Michael Choice Michael Blair Choice (born November 10, 1989) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Choice played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers, and in the KBO League for the Nexen Heroes. Choice p ...

and infielder

Chris Bostick Christopher Michael Bostick (born March 24, 1993) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. Career Bostick grew up in Gates ...

. He was designated for assignment on November 28, 2014.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The

claimed Lindblom off waivers on December 8, 2014.

Lotte Giants

On December 15, 2014, he signed with the

of the

. He pitched there the next two seasons.

Second Stint With Pirates

On December 16, 2016, Lindblom signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. On May 6, 2017, Lindblom was selected to the 40-man and active rosters after Jameson Taillon went down with an injury. He was outrighted to AAA on June 24, 2017. Lindblom was released by the Pirates on July 12, 2017.

Return to KBO

On July 13, 2017, the Lotte Giants announced that they had signed Lindblom again.

Doosan Bears

On December 11, 2017, the

announced the signing of Lindblom to a one-year, $1.45 million contract. 2018 was a successful season for Lindblom; he started 26 games with a 15–4 record, a league-leading 2.88 ERA, and the Pitcher's Golden Glove award. Lindblom received the 2019 KBO League Most Valuable Player Award, after posting a 20–3 record with a 2.50 ERA and 189 strikeouts over innings. Lindblom received his second pitcher's Golden Glove award for the 2019 season.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 16, 2019, Lindblom signed a three-year contract worth $9.125 million with the

. In his return to the major leagues in 2020, Lindblom recorded a 2-4 record and a 5.16 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 45.1 innings pitched. After struggling to a 9.72 ERA in 8 appearances, Lindblom was designated for assignment on May 26, 2021. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

on May 28. Lindblom played the entire 2022 season with Nashville and became a free agent after the season on November 6. On January 12, 2023, Lindblom announced his retirement from professional baseball via his personal Twitter account.

Pitching style

As a reliever, Lindblom relies chiefly on four-seam and

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

s around 91 mph and a high-80s cutter, although he also mixed in a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, a slider, and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

. He was moved to rotation and added an effective splitter to repertoire in his KBO career.

Personal life

Lindblom is married to Aurielle Lindblom. They have three children: Presley, Palmer, and Monroe. Lindblom's daughter, Monroe, was born with a

congenital heart defect A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly, congenital cardiovascular malformation, and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital h ...

that has required surgery. Lindblom is a devoted

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and attended

Dream Center The Dream Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian Pentecostal network of community centers based in Los Angeles, California, established in 1994. The president of Dream Center is Matthew Barnett. History The organization was founded in 1994 ...

while playing in Los Angeles. Lindblom and his wife also established a charity which donated $20,000 to an Indiana

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindblom, Josh 1987 births Living people American people of Swedish descent American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Sportspeople from Lafayette, Indiana People from Lafayette, Indiana People from Tippecanoe County, Indiana Baseball players from Indiana Major League Baseball pitchers KBO League pitchers Los Angeles Dodgers players Philadelphia Phillies players Texas Rangers players Oakland Athletics players Lotte Giants players Pittsburgh Pirates players Doosan Bears players Milwaukee Brewers players Tennessee Volunteers baseball players Purdue Boilermakers baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Great Lakes Loons players Jacksonville Suns players Chattanooga Lookouts players Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players Indianapolis Indians players KBO League Most Valuable Player Award winners Nashville Sounds players Choi Dong-won Award winners