Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) 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 ...

for the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

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

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and

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

Playing career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Duke was drafted directly out of Midway High School in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

, in the 20th round of the 2001

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

, and began his career the following year with the Pirates' rookie level Gulf Coast League team. He spent 2003 with the low-A

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

. In 2004, Duke led all

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

pitchers with a 1.46

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 ...

(24 earned runs in 148.1

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

). He posted a 15–6 record in 26 combined starts between Class-A Lynchburg and Double-A Altoona, and his 15 wins tied for third-most among all minor league pitchers. Following the 2004 season, Duke was named Pittsburgh's Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year and earned

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

Pitcher-of-the-Year honors. He was selected 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 sixth-best prospect in the Eastern League, and the best pitching prospect (fourth-best prospect overall) in the Carolina League. He was also recognized by the publication as having the best breaking pitch in the league. Duke made his major league debut on July 2, 2005, against the

, striking out nine and receiving a no-decision in the Pirates' 5–3 loss. His nine strikeouts were the most by a Pirate making his MLB debut since

Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (August 2, 1966 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year ...

on July 31, 1992. Duke's debut month in July 2005 included a 3–0 shutout victory against

Greg Maddux Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966), also known as "Mad Dog" and "the Professor," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. ...

and the Cubs on July 16 and 22 consecutive scoreless innings from July 2 to 21. He was named National League Rookie of the month for July while compiling a 0.87

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

, the best among all starting pitchers in the Major Leagues. He became only the second Pittsburgh rookie to win his first five decisions, along with Whitey Glazner. Duke also became one of only four pitchers during the

Live-ball era The live-ball era, also referred to as the lively ball era, is the period in Major League Baseball since 1920. It contrasts with the pre-1920 period known as the " dead-ball era". The name "live-ball era" comes from the dramatic rise in offensive ...

to record an ERA below 1.00 in their first six starts (the others being

Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024), nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except for a one-year sabba ...

, Boo Ferriss, and Steve Rogers). Duke finished 2005 with an 8–2 record in 14 starts, striking out 58 in 84.2 innings. He finished in fifth place in the Rookie of the Year voting, garnering 10% of the vote. Duke's first full season with the Pirates in 2006 was as the new team ace, anchoring a very young rotation with Ian Snell. Duke had a number of good starts in the first half of the season, but many of them were undone by the Pirates' weak bullpen and lack of run support for Duke. The second half of 2006 was a re-emergence of the Duke who had dazzled Pittsburgh with his stuff from the previous year, and, on a side note, it was the first time the Pirates had compiled a winning record for a half of a season since 1992. Duke recorded two complete game efforts, the only two that Pittsburgh had all season. His first was a shutout of the Chicago Cubs on May 2, but he only had two strikeouts and a walk. His better effort was on August 11 against the

. While he scattered eight hits, Duke only allowed one run (which was earned), recorded no walks and seven strikeouts. Duke also threw 11 fewer pitches than his previous complete game effort, and recorded 14 ground-ball outs. Duke's final line for the 2006 season was 10–15 with a 4.47 ERA and 117 strikeouts against 68 walks. During the 2006 season, he led the National League in hits allowed, with 255, and his 15 losses were third-most in the league. Duke also became the first Pirates starter since Kris Benson in 2000 to throw more than 200 innings, with innings pitched. In 2007, Duke finished 3–8 with an ERA of 5.53. In 2008, Duke was 5–14 with an ERA of 4.82 and he gave up more doubles than any other pitcher in the majors, with 58, and more

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, a ...

s, with 14. He gave up 230 hits, second-most in the National League, and his 14 losses were fourth-most in the league. Duke was named to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, replacing the injured Matt Cain. He finished off 2009 with an 11–16 record, a 4.06 ERA, three complete games (third-most in the league), one shutout, 23 home runs given up, three hit batsmen, 231 hits (second-most in the league), 49 walks, 106 strikeouts, a .285 average against, 1.31 walks and hits per innings pitched, and 213 innings pitched. Duke's 16 losses in 2009 led the National League. In 2010, Duke compiled a record of 8–15 with a 5.72 ERA, and a .321 batting average against. His 15 losses in 2010 were second in the National League.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On November 24, 2010, the

traded Duke to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

, determined to be César Valdez. On May 28, 2011, Duke was activated off the disabled list and made his first start with the

, replacing Micah Owings in the rotation. He also hit his first major league home run that day, a three-run home run off

Bud Norris David Stefan "Bud" Norris (March 2, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles ...

. Duke made nine starts in the rotation, going 2–4 with a 5.47 ERA, and opponents hitting .336/.368/.481 off him. On July 15, Duke was relocated to the bullpen, where he fared slightly better in a long-relief role, recording a 3.86 ERA in 25.2 innings, only striking out six while walking eight. Overall in 2011, Duke went 3–4 with a 4.91 ERA in 21 appearances. On October 31, 2011, he elected to become a free agent.

Houston Astros

Duke 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 ...

on January 27, 2012. He also received an invitation to spring training; however, he was released on March 27.

Washington Nationals

Duke signed a minor league contract with the

on March 29, 2012, playing for the

's AAA affiliate, the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

. He was called up to the majors on September 3 and appeared in eight games, pitching 13.2 innings with a 1.32 ERA. On December 2, 2012, Duke re-signed with the Nationals on a one-year deal to serve as the team's long reliever. He was designated for assignment on June 4, 2013, after posting an 8.71 ERA for the team in innings. On June 10, 2013, Duke was released by Washington.

Cincinnati Reds

Duke signed a minor league contract with the

on June 13, 2013. He eventually was promoted to the big league club and recorded an 0.84 ERA in innings.

Milwaukee Brewers

Duke was signed as a free agent on January 15, 2014, and invited to spring training by the

for 2014 and made the roster as a left-handed relief specialist. He recorded his first win of 2014 on April 20 against the

. Duke had emerged as a key member of the Brewers' bullpen, finding success against lefties and righties. As of July 21, his ERA was 1.16, and he had struck out 49 batters in innings pitched. Duke finished the year strongly, recording a 2.45 ERA with 74 strikeouts against only 17 walks in 58.2 innings, appearing in 74 games and notching 12 holds. He limited left-handed hitters to a .198 batting average. Duke became a free agent on October 30, 2014.

Chicago White Sox

Duke signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the

on November 18, 2014.

St. Louis Cardinals

On July 21, 2016, the White Sox traded Duke to the

for outfielder Charlie Tilson. On October 14, 2016, it was revealed that Duke underwent surgery to repair a forearm flexor muscle and UCL in his left arm, which was expected to sideline him for the entire 2017 season. However, on July 21, 2017, Duke completed a rehab assignment and returned to the Cardinals' active roster, making his first appearance since the surgery on July 21.

Minnesota Twins

Duke signed a one-year deal with the

on December 26, 2017. In 45 appearances, Duke was 3–4 in innings.

Seattle Mariners

On July 30, 2018, Duke was traded to the

for pitcher Chase De Jong and infielder

Ryan Costello Ryan Anthony Costello (born September 7, 1976) is an American politician, lobbyist and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the Congress in the 2014 m ...

. Duke struggled after being acquired by Seattle, finishing with a 5.52 ERA in 27 appearances.

Return to the Reds

On February 11, 2019, Duke returned to the Reds on a one-year, $2 million deal. On July 1, the Reds designated Duke for assignment. He was released on July 6, 2019.

Personal life

Duke was born in Clifton, Texas. He married Kristin Gross in

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

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 ...

, in November 2007. They met when she was an emcee for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

. His best man was former Pirates closer Matt Capps. Duke and his wife reside in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secre ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Zach 1983 births Living people Altoona Curve players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Bosque County, Texas Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Gulf Coast Pirates players Hickory Crawdads players Indianapolis Indians players Louisville Bats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Minnesota Twins players People from Clifton, Texas Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players Savannah Bananas players Seattle Mariners players St. Louis Cardinals players State College Spikes players Syracuse Chiefs players Visalia Rawhide players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen