Javier Assad #72

Javier made his Major League debut in 2022 after entering the year having never pitched past the Double-A level...Made two relief appearances for Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, totaling 5.2 shutout innings...Spun 3.0 scoreless innings against Team USA (1 H, 0 BB, 3 SO) March 12...Was named a Midwest League mid-season All-Star in 2018 and a Carolina League mid-season All-Star in 2019...Pitched for Hermosillo in the Mexican Winter League in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 offseasons...Signed by the Cubs July 27, 2015, out of Baja California, Mexico, by scouts Sergio Hernández & Louie Eljaua.

2024

Javier in 2024 made a career-high 29 starts, going 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA (61 ER/147.0 IP) with 124 strikeouts...His 147.0 innings pitched also marked a career-high...Recorded a 2.47 ERA (19 ER/69.1 IP) through 14 starts at home this season...His 2.47 home ERA was the sixth-lowest home ERA in the N.L. (min. 10 GS)...Became leader in wins (14), innings pitched (294.0 IP) and games played (70) by a Mexican-born player in Cubs history...Opponents hit .178 (13-for-73) with 26 strikeouts against his curveball...Assad held opponents to a .151 batting average (21-for139) with runners in scoring position this season...His .151 opponent average with RISP was the third-lowest in the Majors (min. 25 GS)...Made his second-straight Opening Day roster...In his first 10 starts from April 2-May 21, Assad pitched to a 4-0 record with a 1.70 ERA (10 ER/53.0 IP), including three quality starts...His four-game winning streak in that span marked a career-high...Threw a career-high 104 pitches in five-plus innings on April 8 in San Diego (2 ER/5.0 IP)...May 26 at St. Louis recorded a career-high eight strikeouts...Was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 27 - retroactive to June 24 - with a right forearm extensor strain...Was activated from the IL July 13 to make the start in game two of a doubleheader in St. Louis...Made 10-straight starts from July 13-Sept. 13, allowing three earned runs or fewer, posting a 3.33 ERA (18 ER/ 48.2 IP)...Surpassed his career high in innings pitched on Aug. 20 vs. Detroit (109.2 IP in 2023)...Struck out at least seven batters in the outing for the seventh time...Crossed the 100-inning threshold for the second-straight season on Aug. 7 vs. Minnesota...Recorded his 100th strikeout of the season Aug. 25 in Miami, the first time he has reached 100 strikeouts in a season in his career.

2023

Javier made 32 appearances (10 starts) for the Cubs in 2023, going 5-3 with three holds, a 3.05 ERA (37 ER/109.1 IP) and four quality starts...Made his first career Opening Day roster...Went 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA (6 ER/14.2 IP), 15 strikeouts and a .218 opponent average in four games, all starts, over three stints with Iowa...His 3.05 ERA ranked 11th in the majors and sixth in the N.L. among pitchers with at least 10 starts...Surrendered two-or-fewer runs in eight of his 10 starts...Allowed two-or-fewer hits in three of his four outings of at least 4.0 innings...the previous Cub reliever with three scoreless appearances of 4.0-plus innings and two-or-fewer hits allowed was Ted Abernathy in 1965...Posted a 0.40 ERA (1 ER/22.1 IP) in nine relief outings June 27-July 31, including 4.0 scoreless, one-hit innings July 20 vs. St. Louis...he had the second-lowest ERA in the majors (min. 15.0 IP) during the span...Pitched to a 1.62 ERA (6 ER/33.1 IP) with a 2-0 record and four quality starts in five games (all starts) Aug. 11-Sept. 2...During the stretch, he paced the league in innings pitched and ranked sixth in ERA among qualified pitchers...Sept. 2 in Cincinnati, threw a career-high 8.0 scoreless innings...Recorded a career-high eight punchouts Sept. 19...Tossed 4.0 scoreless innings in relief Sept. 23, allowing just two hits, no walks and striking out six batters...was one of two relievers in the majors to throw at least 4.0 scoreless innings with no walks, two-or-fewer hits and six-plus strikeouts...He was the first Cubs reliever to do so since Marcos Mateo, June 30, 2011.

2022

Javier made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 2022, going 2-2 with a 3.11 ERA (13 ER/37.2 IP) with 20 walks, 30 strikeouts and a 1.46 WHIP in nine games (eight starts)....Was selected as the Cubs "27th man" for the Aug. 23 doubleheader vs. the Cardinals and started game one, tossing 4.0 shutout frames, in his Major League debut....Made his second start, Aug. 29 in Toronto, tossing 5.0 shutout innings... STATS, Inc., noted he was the first pitcher in the modern era to record scoreless starts against teams 10-or-more games over .500 at the time in his first two career games (9.0 IP, 0 R)....Finished his season with 11.1 scoreless frames spanning his final three starts, including scoreless outings Sept. 29 vs. the Phillies (5.0 IP) and Oct. 4 at Cincinnati (5.1 IP)....Went 5-3 with a 2.66 ERA (32 ER/108.1 IP) in 23 games (21 starts) between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa to start the year ... struck out 111 batters compared to 35 walks with a 1.24 WHIP....Started the season with the Smokies and allowed two or fewer runs in seven-straight starts from May 26-June 29, posting a 1.73 ERA (7 ER/36.1 IP) during the run....Was promoted to Iowa on July 2 and in three Aug. starts posted a 1.56 ERA (3 ER/17.1 IP) with a .170 average against and a .490 opponent OPS.

2021

In 2021, spent the entire season with Tennessee, going 4-8 with a 5.32 ERA (55 ER/93.0 IP) in 21 games (20 starts)...His 20 starts were tied for the second-most among Double-A South pitchers...In Game 1 of a doubleheader on Aug. 19 vs. Birmingham, allowed one run in a season-high 6.1 innings.