Brandon Duckworth #31

Married to Janeen...The couple has a daughter, Sophia, and twin daughter and son, Aliya and Easton...Drafted by the Blue Jays (1995) and Diamondbacks (1996) but did not sign either time...Played for Brewster of the Cape Cod League during the summer of 1997 before signing with Philly...Graduated from Kearns (UT) High School in 1994, where he was a member of the National Honor Society...Attended the College of Southern Idaho and Cal State Fullerton...Served as a spokesman for the Special Olympics in 2003.

2011

Spent his 1st season in the Red Sox organization at Triple-A Pawtucket, compiling a 3.97 ERA (52 ER/118.0 IP) in 21 starts and 1 relief appearance...Ranked among team leaders in wins (T-3rd, 8), starts (T-2nd, 21), innings (3rd, 118.0) and strikeouts (4th, 88)...Pitched to a 2.66 ERA (19 ER/64.1 IP) in 12 games (11 starts) at home...Had a 2.09 ERA (11 ER/47.1 IP) in his 8 wins...Allowed just 1 earned run in 18.2 innings over his 1st 3 starts (0.48 ERA)...Threw 4.1 innings in his only bullpen appearance of the year on 5/31 vs. Norfolk in relief of a rehabbing John Lackey...Went 4-0 with a 3.07 ERA (14 ER/41.0 IP) over his last 7 starts following the All-Star break...Earned the win in 4 consecutive starts from 7/14-29 with a 1.93 ERA (5 ER/23.1 IP) in that time...Named International League Pitcher of the Week for 7/18-25...Won back-to-back scoreless starts in that time, 7/18 vs. Lehigh Valley (5.0 IP) and 7/23 at Buffalo (6.2 IP)...Endured a pair of stints on the disabled list...Placed on the DL on 6/27 (retro to 6/24) with an oblique strain and returned on 7/2...Hit the DL again on 8/18 (retro to 8/16) due to a right elbow strain and missed the duration of the regular season...Reinstated for the playoffs on 9/7 and pitched 0.2 innings of relief in Game 1 of the semi-finals at Lehigh Valley on 9/8.

2010

Returned to the Phillies organization and spent the entire season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley...Pitched out of the rotation and in relief, leading IronPigs hurlers (min. 60.0 IP) with a 3.32 ERA (39 ER/105.2 IP)...Paced qualifying International League hurlers with a 2.45 ERA (15 ER/55.0 IP) in 11 games (6 starts beginning July 1...Pitched to a 1.69 ERA (5 ER/26.2 IP) with a 3-0 record and 32 K's in July...Held opponents to 2 earned runs or less in 12 of his 16 starts...Overall, went 4-4 with a 3.49 ERA (33 ER/85.0 IP) and 81 K's as a starter...Went 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA (6 ER/20.2 IP) over 9 relief appearances...Totaled 102 strikeouts in 105.2 frames, including 9.15 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (21 K's/20.2 IP) in relief and a 8.58 mark (81 K's/85.0 IP) as a starter...Twice fanned at least 10 batters in a game: 7/6 vs. Pawtucket (10 K's in 7.0 IP) and 7/22 at Indianapolis (11 K's in 5.2 IP)...Were his 1st double-digit strikeout games since 5/8/2002 with Philadelphia...Held opponents to a .242 clip (94-for-388), including just .217 (47-for-217) against right-handed hitters...Signed a minor league contract with Philadelphia on 1/13...Began the season on the DL with turf toe and returned on 4/22...Also missed from 8/16-25 on the DL due to a left calf strain.

2009

Spent the entire season with Kansas City's Triple-A Omaha club, his 1st season spent entirely in the minor leagues since 2000...Ranked 3rd on Omaha's staff with 105.0 innings across 19 starts and 1 relief outing...Held opponents to 4 runs or less in 14 of his 20 appearances...Pitched 8.0 shutout innings on 6/3 vs. Round Rock...Was placed on the DL on 8/16 and missed the remainder of the season.

2008

Began season with Triple-A Omaha and finished the year with Kansas City...Led Omaha with 103 strikeouts and finished 2nd on the club with 134.2 innings pitched...Appeared in 27 games, including 17 starts at the Triple-A level...Went 2-0 with a 3.47 ERA (9 ER/23.1 IP) in 4 August outings with Omaha...Was selected to the Royals Major League roster on 8/24 and earned the win that day vs. DET...Was his 1st Major League win since 9/25/07 at CWS and his 1st as a starter since 6/24/06 vs. MIL...Made 7 starts for the Royals in the final 5 weeks, going 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA (19 ER/38.0 IP)...Hurled quality starts in each of his last 3 games with KC, posting a 3.00 ERA (6 ER/18.0 IP) and .190 opponent average (12-for-63) during that stretch.

2007

Won a spot in the Royals rotation, making the team as a non-roster invite out of Spring Training...Was 0-2 with a 4.02 ERA (15.2 IP, 21 H, 7 ER) in 3 starts and 3-3 with 1 save and a 4.94 ERA (31.0 IP, 30 H, 17 ER) in 23 relief appearances...Sinkerballer allowed just 3 home runs in 46.2 innings...Made a pair of starts to open the season, going 0-1 with a 1.59 ERA, before being shifted to the Royals bullpen...Shutout the Tigers through 6.1 innings in his 2007 debut on April 8...left the game with a 2-0 lead only to see the Tigers rally for 3 runs in the ninth to get a no decision...Picked up his 1st Major League save on April 28 at Seattle in an 8-3 Royals win...allowed 3 hits in 3.0 scoreless innings...Tore his left oblique while facing the 1st batter he faced on June 13 vs. St. Louis...was placed on the 15-day D.L. on June 14...Made rehab stops at Wilmington (A) and Omaha (AAA)...combined to strike out 20 and walk just 3 in 19 innings at both stops...Reinstated from the 15-day D.L. on Sept. 1 and made the start that day at Minnesota...took the 6-4 loss, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits in 4.1 innings...Struggled early after being reinstated from the D.L., going 0-2 with a 18.00 ERA (6 IP, 15 H, 12 ER) in 4 appearances...turned it around to post a 1-0 mark with a 1.29 ERA in 4 relief outings the remainder of the season...included in that span was a stretch where he retired 17 consecutive men before a Franklin Gutierrez infi eld single on Sept. 30 snapped the streak.

2006

Obtained from Pittsburgh for cash considerations on June 10...contract selected from Omaha on June 11...Made 8 starts for KC, posting a 1-4 record and a 4.85 ERA (42.2 IP, 55 H, 23 ER)... was solid in his 1st 2 starts allowing just 4 runs in 11.1 innings for a 3.18 ERA...Earned his only win of the season vs. Milwaukee on June 24 (5.0 IP, 10 H, 5 ER)...Took a 1-0 loss at Boston on July 18 after giving up 5 hits and 1 ER in 6.0 innings...was moved to the bullpen and went 0-1 with a 24.00 ERA (3.0 IP, 7 H, 8 ER) in 2 relief appearances before he was placed on the D.L. on July 31 with a right elbow strain...Underwent season-ending surgery on Aug. 15 by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles to remove bone chips in his right elbow...transferred to the 60-day D.L. on Sept. 20.

2005

Began and ended the season with Houston but spent the bulk of the year with the club's Triple-A squad in Round Rock...Went 0-1 with a 11.40 ERA (20 ER/16.1 IP) in 7 games (2 starts) for the Astros before being outrighted to Round Rock on 5/12...Went 8-6 in 19 starts and 1 relief outing for the Express, leading the club with 115.0 innings and 89 strikeouts...Returned to Houston on 9/3 and appeared in 1 game before the conclusion of the season...Elected free agency following the season and signed with Pittsburgh on 12/6.

2004

Started the season in the bullpen but made six starts for the Astros, going 1-2 with a 7.40 ERA (17ER/20.2IP)...pitched two stints at Triple A New Orleans...tossed two scoreless innings on Sept. 10 at Pittsburgh, his first Major League outing since a start on July 19 vs. Los Angeles...recalled from Triple A New Orleans on Sept. 7...was 5-5 with a 5.53 ERA (43ER/70IP) in 14 games (13 starts) for the Zephyrs overall this season...optioned to Triple A on July 20...recalled from Triple A New Orleans on July 8 for his start at Los Angeles...allowed three runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings for the loss...optioned to Triple A New Orleans June 10...1-2 with a 4.71 ERA (11ER/21IP) in four starts for the Zephyrs...suffered his first loss of the season in the Astros 5-0 loss at Seattle June 7...tossed a season-low, one-third of an inning and allowed three runs on four hits...started on June 1 and recorded no decision in the Astros 5-3 win at Chicago...tossed three innings, allowing three home runs...recorded his first hit of the season at the plate...notched the win in his second consecutive start on April 23 at Colorado...allowed two home runs over five innings in the Astros 13-7 win...recorded no decision in his first start of 2004 on April 17 vs. Milwaukee...allowed three runs on three hits over four innings in the Astros 14-5 win...made his Astros debut on April 6 vs. San Francisco and surrendered one run and three hits over one inning of relief...acquired by Houston from Philadelphia along with Taylor Buchholz and Ezequiel Astacio on Nov. 3, 2003 in exchange for Billy Wagner.

2003

Spent most of the season with Philadelphia...Began the campaign on the 15-day DL with right elbow tendinitis...Pitched in rehab for High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading before his 4/20 activation...Also appeared in 3 games over 3 stints with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His 1st 18 appearances for Philadelphia were all starts...Posted a 4.00 ERA (4 ER/9.0 IP) over his last 6 Major League games, all in relief...On 11/3, was traded to Houston with RHP Taylor Buchholz and RHP Ezequiel Astacio in exchange for LHP Billy Wagner.

2002

Spent his 1st full season in the Majors in 2002 with the Phillies, compiling an 8-9 record and a 5.41 ERA in 30 games (29 starts)...Struck out the 1st 6 batters of the game in his start on Aug. 5, 2002 vs. Los Angeles (N.L.), becoming the 1st major league pitcher to strike out that many to begin a game since Jim Deshaies struck out a major league record 8 in a row on Sept. 23, 1986 vs. the Dodgers.

2001

Began season at Scranton (AAA) . . . Named International League Most Valuable Pitcher and Rookie of the Year . . . Winner of Paul Owens Award for best pitcher in Phillies minor league system; 1st pitcher to win the award twice (2000, 2001) . . . Despite missing the final month of the regular season, led the IL in ERA (2.63), lowest avg against (.228) and winning % (.867), tied for league lead in wins (13) and ranked 3rd in strikeouts (150) . . . Had 2nd-highest SO/9.0 IP in IL (9.07) and 3rd-fewest base runners/9.0 IP (10.29) . . . Set a Red Barons record by winning 10 straight decisions, 5/19-7/30 . . . Broke the previous record of 9 straight, set by Mike Williams in 1992 . . . His 13 wins are tied for the most in Red Barons history (Evan Thomas won 13 in 2000) . . . Struck out 10 batters, 4/20 vs Syracuse and 7/20 at Richmond . . . Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week, 5/28-6/3, (2-0, 2.25 ERA, 2 G, 16.0 IP, 5 BB, 16 S0) . . . Threw 8.0 innings in 3 straight starts, 5/29-6/8 (3-0, 24.0 IP, 17 H, 4 ER, 8 BB, 25 SO) . . . Won 4 straight starts, 5/29-6/14 . . . Pitched SHO, 6/24 vs Charlotte (9.0 IP, 2 BB, 7 SO) . . . Starting pitcher for IL All-Star Game, 7/11 at Indianapolis (2.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER) and set game record with 5 strikeouts (record was tied later in the game) . . . Named starting pitcher on IL post-season All-Star team . . . Recalled on 8/7 and won his ML debut that night vs SD (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO), also got his 1st ML hit (single off Bobby Jones) . . . Became 1st Phillies pitcher to get a hit in his ML debut since Rich Hunter, 4/6/96 at CIN . . . Had career-high 7 strikeouts in 7.0 innings, 8/12 vs LA . . . Earned win in first 2 games, then went 7 more games (6 ND and 1st ML loss, 9/7 at MTL) before 3rd win, 9/29 at FLA . . . Went 2-for-2 with 1st ML extra-base hit (double), 8/18 at STL . . . Collected 1st ML RBI with a bases loaded walk, 8/28 at NYM . . . Allowed just 2 HR in 11 ML starts (69.0 IP) . . . 8 of 11 ML starts were quality starts, as were 17 of 22 minor league starts . . . Pitched through the 6th inning in all but his final ML start, 10/4 at ATL (4.1 IP) and in 19 of 22 minor league starts . . . Rated 14th-best rookie in major leagues by Baseball America . . . Named to TOPPS Minor League AAA All-Star team.

2000

First season at Reading (AA) . . . Winner of Paul Owens Award for best pitcher in the Phillies minor league system . . . Led all Phillies minor leaguers in strikeouts (178), tied for lead in starts (27) . . . It was 2nd-highest single-season strikeout total in Reading history (Mark Davis, 185 in 1980) . . . Led Eastern League in strikeouts . . . Also led club in wins (13), ERA (3.16) and innings (165.0) . . . EL All-Star . . . Selected by managers as pitcher with best breaking pitch in EL . . . Phillies minor league Pitcher of the Month for June (4-1, 2.13) . . . Struck out 13, 5/27 vs Norwich, 1st to strike out 13 since Randy Wolf on 4/28/98 vs Norwich . . . Winning pitcher in Southern Division clinching game, 8/25 vs Altoona (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 SO) . . . Winning pitcher in decisive 3rd game of EL Southern Division Series (5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 SO) . . . Named Phillies 9th-best prospect by Baseball America.

1999

Played entire season at Clearwater . . . Led team in wins (11) and strikeouts (101) . . . Began season 5-0 (3.06 ERA) . . . Went 2-1, 1 save in 10 relief appearances . . . Florida State League All-Star.

1998

Led all Phillies minor leaguers in wins (15), starts (30), complete games (6), shutouts (4), innings (200.2) and strikeouts (165) for Piedmont and Clearwater combined . . . Finished 3rd among all minor leaguers in innings . . . Began pro career at Piedmont (A) . . . Went 1-4 in May, but 4-0 in July . . . Threw a 2-hitter vs Delmarva, 7/19 (6-0 win) . . . Promoted to Clearwater (A), 7/20 . . . Still managed to lead South Atlantic League in complete games (5), finished tied for 3rd in shutouts (3) . . . Had fewest base runners per 9 IP ratio in SAL (8.96).

1997

Signed by Phillies as an amateur free agent, 8/13 . . . Drafted by other teams twice previously, but did not sign . . . Played in Florida Instructional League.