Ryan Andrew Vogelsong (born July 22, 1977), nicknamed "Vogey", is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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 attempts to e ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

and

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 (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

(NPB) for the Hanshin Tigers (2007–2008) and Orix Buffaloes (2009). He stands tall and weighs . His career was revitalized with the Giants in 2011. He made the 2011 All-Star team, and in 2012 he posted a streak of 16 consecutive

quality start In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start has effectively replaced the 'complete game' as ...

s, allowing three earned runs or fewer in at least six innings each game. In four starts during the 2012 postseason, he recorded a 3–0 record with a 1.09 ERA, twice helping the Giants avoid elimination en route to their

2012 World Series The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and th ...

title. In 2014, Vogelsong made a career-high 32 starts, helping the Giants win another title in the 2014 World Series.

Amateur career

In 1995, Vogelsong graduated from Octorara Area High school in Atglen, Pennsylvania, where he played baseball, basketball, and soccer. He played his

Little League baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationLegion baseball in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Vogelsong played for Kutztown University of Pennsylvania during the 1996–1998 seasons. He recorded 242 strikeouts and set nine school records in his three years at Kutztown. He was inducted into the university's Hall of Fame in 2005.

Professional career

Draft and Minor Leagues

Vogelsong was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round of the 1998 MLB draft. In 1998, he made his minor league debut, with the Single A

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their h ...

in Keizer, Oregon.

San Francisco Giants

Vogelsong made his MLB debut with the Giants on September 2, 2000. He finished the rest of the 2000 season by appearing in four games, with six innings pitched in relief. Vogelsong did not perform well to start the 2001 season, as he went 0–5 and compiled a 6.75 ERA in 15 games (two starts).

Pittsburgh Pirates

Vogelsong was acquired by the Pirates on July 30, 2001, along with

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Armando Ríos, for pitcher Jason Schmidt and outfielder John Vander Wal. He appeared in two games for the Pirates before he required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), 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 ...

that kept him out of the majors until the end of the 2003 season. The 2004 season marked Vogelsong's first full campaign in the major leagues. He spent most of the season as a starting pitcher. Vogelsong struggled in that role, ending the season with a 6–13 record and 6.50 ERA. He rebounded in 2005 after being moved to the bullpen, posting a 4.43 ERA and 2–2 record while being used primarily as a middle reliever. By the end of the 2006 season, Vogelsong had accumulated a career 10–22 record and a 5.86 ERA in 120 games and 315 innings over parts of six seasons.

Hanshin Tigers

Vogelsong signed for the Hanshin Tigers of the

(NPB) in 2007 and made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut as their starting pitcher on April 5, 2007, facing a future Major League Baseball pitcher, Kenshin Kawakami. He won in his debut at the home stadium, Koshien Stadium, on April 12, 2007, hitting a home run in the bottom of the second inning.

Orix Buffaloes

Vogelsong signed a one-year deal to play for the Orix Buffaloes of the NPB in 2009. OB-Ryan-Vogelsong

Philadelphia Phillies

During the 2009–2010 off-season, Vogelsong made his way back to the MLB and signed a minor league deal with the

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

. He appeared in 25 games for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, posting a 2–5 record with a 4.91 ERA in 58.2 innings. He was released by the Phillies on July 15, 2010.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Vogelsong signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 28, 2010. Vogelsong appeared in eight games for the AAA Salt Lake Bees, posting a 1–3 record with a 4.66 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched. He was released after the season ended.

Second stint with the San Francisco Giants

In 2011, Vogelsong signed a minor league contract to return to the

with an invitation to spring training. He started the season in AAA

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, but on April 17, 2011, the Giants purchased his contract to replace the injured

Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball ...

. On April 28, 2011, after making two relief appearances, Vogelsong got his first start since the 2004 season against his former club, the Pirates. He held the host Pirates to two earned runs on four hits and struck out eight en route to a 5–2 Giants victory and his first MLB win since September 2005. Vogelsong continued to excel in his replacement role, posting a record of 6–1 with a 2.17 ERA in the first half, which secured him a spot in San Francisco's vaunted starting rotation. Giants and 2011 National League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy named Vogelsong to the 2011 NL All-Star Team on July 3, 2011. He didn't see any action in the NL's 5–1 win over the AL. His first start after the All-Star break on July 18, 2011, a 5–0 win over 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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, gave him enough

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

to qualify for the National League leader in ERA with 2.02. In his final start of the season Vogelsong pitched seven shutout innings 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 (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

, giving up four hits and walking no batters. He is the only pitcher all-time with four wins in one season versus the Rockies. The 33-year-old Vogelsong finished his first MLB season as a starting pitcher since 2005 with a 13–7 record and a 2.71 ERA, the lowest among the San Francisco starting rotation that boasted Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner. Five of Vogelsong's seven losses occurred in a row, during a stretch where Vogelsong received three total runs of support, with no more than one run scored each game by a struggling San Francisco offense. During the month of August 2011, Vogelsong stated that playing winter ball in Venezuela in 2010 with Tiburones de La Guaira was the turning point to recover his career. Prior to his experience in Venezuela, Vogelsong had 10 wins, 22 losses and 5.86 ERA in his MLB career

2012 (World Series)

In January, Vogelsong and the Giants agreed to an $8.3 million, two-year contract. Vogelsong continued to dominate in 2012. He boasted the lowest ERA in the National League at the All-Star Break and a 7–4 record. Despite his impressive pitching, Vogelsong did not make the 2012 All-Star team, a decision Giants fans consider a major snub. Vogelsong was the first ERA leader not to make the All-Star team since 2001 (Josh Johnson had not pitched enough innings in 2006 to qualify for the ERA title). On August 3, 2012, Vogelsong's 16-game streak of allowing three or fewer runs per game was snapped by the

, when he allowed four runs while pitching 6.1 innings in a 16–4 Giants' win. Vogelsong finished the regular season with a 14–9 record in 31 starts with a 3.37 ERA. In the 2012 postseason, Vogelsong would play a pivotal role in the Giants' push toward their 2012 World Series title. During Game 3 of the

2012 National League Division Series The 2012 National League Division Series were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Ca ...

in Cincinnati, with the Reds holding a commanding 2–0 lead in the series and the Giants facing elimination, Vogelsong pitched a tight game, with the score 1-1 through five innings. The Giants would go on to win Game 3, 2–1 in 10 innings on a Joaquin Arias ground ball mishandled by Scott Rolen, allowing Buster Posey to score the winning run. During Game 2 of the 2012 National League Championship Series in San Francisco, Vogelsong faced Chris Carpenter, with the Cardinals holding a 1–0 series lead. Vogelsong allowed one run in the second inning to tie the game, but proceeded to shut out the Cardinals' offense through seven innings en route to a 7–1 win at home to tie the series at one game apiece. During Game 6 of the NLCS in San Francisco, Vogelsong and the Giants faced elimination for a fifth time. Giants' pitching had begun to dominate. Vogelsong had a very strong outing this time, scattering five hits and allowing one run (in the sixth inning), after the Giants set the tempo with a four-run second inning to break the game open. He set a new career-high of nine strikeouts on the night after he struck out Daniel Descalso with a foul tip. The Giants won 6–1, pushing the NLCS to the limit in a magical Game 7, which they won to complete the comeback and advance to the World Series. During Game 3 of the

in Detroit, the Giants held a surprising 2–0 lead for the first time in the 2012 postseason. Vogelsong again had a strong outing, posting a shutout through 5.2 innings. The Tigers threatened to open the scoring with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning, but Vogelsong struck out Quintin Berry and got Miguel Cabrera to pop out to end the threat. The Giants would go on to win Game 3, 2–0, and posted the first back-to-back shutouts since 1966. The Giants went on to sweep the Detroit Tigers 4–0 to win the World Series. Vogelsong and Barry Zito were the only pitchers to go undefeated in the postseason amongst all Giants' starting pitchers. Vogelsong posted a 3–0 record with a 1.09 ERA, allowing three runs through 24.2 innings, the lowest ERA among all Giants' starting pitchers. Vogelsong's postseason ERA was the best since

Orel Hershiser Orel Leonard Hershiser IV (born September 16, 1958) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 2000. He later became a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers from 2002 to 2005 and a bro ...

's 1.05 in 1988 (minimum 24 innings). Vogelsong joined

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giants ...

as the only pitchers to start their postseason careers with four consecutive starts of five or more innings giving up one run or fewer.

2013

Vogelsong began 2013 as the #5 starter in the Giants rotation. His season didn't start out well, where in his first 9 starts, he went 2–4 with a 7.19 ERA and 1 quality start. In a start on May 20 against the Nationals, he was pitching 5 shutout innings when he came to bat against Craig Stammen, who hit him on the hand with a fastball, fracturing two bones and dislocating a joint. Vogelsong missed almost 12 weeks before returning on August 9. He had a strong final two months, lowering his ERA by 1.46. In 19 starts in 2013, Vogelsong went 4–6 with a 5.73 ERA, striking out 67 in 103.2 innings. On November 4, Vogelsong had his $6.5 million club option declined, and instead was paid a $300,000 buyout. However, the Giants remained interested in negotiating a less-expensive deal with him. Vogelsong agreed to a 1-year, $5 million contract on November 29, 2013, pending the completion of a physical examination. The deal was officially completed on December 4, 2013.

2014 (World Series)

Vogelsong made a career-high 32 starts in 2014, finishing the season 8–13 with a 4.00 ERA, striking out 151 in 184.2 innings. During the postseason, Vogelsong started three games, and although he received three no decisions, the Giants went on to win each game. Vogelsong won his second

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

ring as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals four games to three.

2015

On January 23, 2015, Vogelsong re-signed with the Giants on a one-year, $4 million contract. On September 3, he hit his first career home run, a 2-run homer off Chris Rusin at Coors Field.

2016

On December 18, 2015, Vogelsong signed a one-year contract to return to the Pirates for the 2016 season. On May 23, 2016, Vogelsong was hit in the face by a pitch from Colorado Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles. He suffered damage to his left eye socket, including fractures to the orbital bone. He was subsequently placed on the 15-day disabled list.

2017

On January 10, 2017, Vogelsong agreed to a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, with an invite to spring training. He was released on March 21, 2017 after he struggled to a 7.72 ERA in just 8 innings of spring work. The Giants held a ceremony on September 17, 2017, before the game at

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

, to officially retire Vogelsong as a Giant.

Pitcher profile

Vogelsong throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cut fastball, circle changeup, and

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 curv ...

. His four seam sits in around 90–93 mph.

Awards

* Vogelsong was awarded the 2011

Willie Mac Award The Willie Mac Award is named in honor of Willie McCovey. It has been presented annually since 1980 to the most inspirational player on the San Francisco Giants, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff, and more recently, Giants ...

, given annually to the Giant who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by Willie McCovey throughout McCovey's long career. * Vogelsong was named Giants Breakout Player of the Year by MLB.com for the 2011 season.

Personal life

Vogelsong married his wife, Nicole, in or around 2006. The couple have a son. , Vogelsong and his family lived on fifteen acres of land in Suwanee, Georgia where he is neighbors with friends and former Giants teammates Jeff Francoeur, Mark DeRosa and Javier López.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogelsong, Ryan 1977 births Living people Altoona Curve players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona League Giants players Baseball players from Charlotte, North Carolina Baseball players from Pennsylvania Fresno Grizzlies players Hanshin Tigers players Indianapolis Indians players Kutztown Golden Bears baseball players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Nashville Sounds players National League All-Stars Orix Buffaloes players Pittsburgh Pirates players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players Salt Lake Bees players San Francisco Giants players San Jose Giants players Shreveport Captains players Sportspeople from Chester County, Pennsylvania Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela 2013 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of the United States