Heath Hembree #44

Richard Heath Hembree...originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the College of Charleston (SC)...attended Broome High School in Spartanburg, S.C...nickname is "Heater."

2023

Began the season in the Rays organization with Triple-A Durham...appeared in one game with Tampa Bay on April 25 and was designated for assignment on April 26...signed with Detroit as a minor league free agent on May 1 and pitched with Triple-A Toledo.

2022

Split the season in the Majors and Minors in the Pirates and Dodgers organizations…made 26 apps in the Majors and 14 apps in the Minors.

2021

Recorded a career-high 83 strikeouts in a combined 60 appearances between Cincinnati and New York (NL)...Finished tied for 11th among National League relievers in strikeouts and averaged a career-high 12.88 strikeouts per 9.0ip...Recorded a career-high nine saves while also limiting right-handed hitters to a .181 batting average against (25-for-138)...Attended spring training as a non-roster invitee with Cleveland before being released on 3/20...Was signed by Cincinnati to a minor league contract on 3/22 and attended big league camp as a non-roster invitee...Was promoted from Cincinnati’s alternate training site on 4/23 and made his Reds debut that night at St. Louis (also struck out in his second big league plate appearance).... Began the season with seven hitless appearances (7.2ip) and eight scoreless appearances (8.2ip)...Stranded 12 of his 16 inherited runners while pitching with Cincinnati.. Posted a 1.42 ERA during a 13-game stretch from 6/28 to 7/24 before posting a 16.71 ERA (7.0ip/13er) in his final nine appearances with Cincinnati...Was leading the Reds in saves (eight) at the time he was designated for assignment on 8/17...Was claimed off waivers by New York (NL) on 8/20... Did not allow a run in each of his first seven appearances (7.0ip) with the Mets before surrendering three runs in 0.2ip on 9/15 vs. St. Louis...Was scored upon for the second and final time with New York on 10/1 at Atlanta.

2020

Split the 2020 season between Boston and Philadelphia…Had a 1.86 ERA (2 ER, 9.2 IP) over his first 10 appearances of the season, July 24-August 17…Traded to the Phillies on August 21…Allowed runs in 8 of his 11 appearances with the Phillies, allowing 7 homers in his last 46 batters faced…Shutdown with a right elbow strain on Sept. 21, ending his season…Outrighted to the AAA Lehigh Valley roster on Oct. 30 and elected free agency.

2019

Made his 3rd career Opening Day roster. Was limited to 45 appearances for BOS due to 2 stints on the injured list. Of his 45 appearances, 32 were scoreless (71.1%). Stranded 19 of his 24 inherited runners (79.1%), including each of his final 9.

2019 Season Timeline:

Appeared in the season opener on 3/28 at SEA and allowed 0 runs in 0.2 IP. In a 24-game span from 4/25-7/14, allowed 2 ER over 20.2 IP (0.87 ERA) with a 0.87 WHIP (10 H, 30 SO, 8 BB). Allowed 0 ER in 10 consecutive appearances from 4/25-5/20 (8.2 IP) and made 9 straight scoreless appearances from 5/24-6/10 (6.2 IP). Earned the 1st save of his ML career in the Sox' 12-inning win on 5/8 at BAL, striking out all 3 batters faced (Ruiz, Smith, Wilkerson). Was placed on the 10-day IL with a right elbow extensor strain on 6/14 (retro to 6/11) and reinstated on 7/4. Picked up his 2nd save in the final game of the season's 1st half on 7/7 at DET (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R). Was placed on the 10-day IL with right lateral elbow inflammation on 8/2 and was reinstated on 9/23. Made 2 perfect appearances to close out the season, 9/23 at TB (1.0 IP) and 9/28 vs. BAL (1.0 IP, SO).

2018

Set career highs in games (67), strikeouts (76), and holds (20), and tied his career best in wins (4) in his 2nd full ML season ... Set career bests for a full season in SO/9.0 IP (11.40; 76 SO/60.0 IP) and opponent AVG (.233; 53-for-227) ... Held left-handed hitters to a career-low .186 AVG (16-for-86), including a .080 mark (2-for-25) from 7/30 through the end of the season ... Allowed only 1 HR to his 105 lefties faced, including none to his final 72 ... Stranded 28 of 41 inherited runners ... Over a span of 10 games from 5/18-7/28, stranded all 19 of the baserunners he inherited ... Retired 52 of his 67 first batters faced (77.6%) ... Posted a 2.08 ERA (5 ER/21.2 IP) with 32 SO over a span of 25 games from 6/2-8/7 ... Allowed only 1 hit in June (12 G, .030 AVG, 1-for-33, 40 BF) ... Posted a 0.84 ERA (1 ER/10.1 IP) for the month ... Earned the win in the Sox' 13-inning victory on 4/3 at MIA; threw scoreless 12th and 13th innings with 3 SO ... Walked only 1 of his final 28 batters faced in the regular season (beginning 8/30) ... Retired all 8 batters faced in his final 3 appearances (2.2 IP, 0-for-8, 2 SO) ... POSTSEASON: Made his postseason debut and pitched in each series ... Did not allow a hit or a run in any of his 4 appearances (4.2 IP, 3 SO, 5 BB) ... In the ALDS, threw 2.0 scoreless innings in Game 2 and tossed a perfect 8th inning in Game 3 ... Recorded 0.2 IP in Game 1 of the ALCS ... Threw a scoreless 11th inning in Game 3 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium (1 BB, 1 SO).

2017

Appeared in a career-high 62 games in his 1st full ML season with BOS...Struck out a career-high 70 batters...Averaged career bests in SO/9.0 IP (10.16; 70 SO/62.0 IP) and SO/BB ratio (3.89; 18 BB). Finished 2nd among Red Sox relievers in holds (14) and 3rd in games, SO, and IP. Had a 2.88 ERA (11 ER/34.1 IP) in 37 home appearances and a 4.55 ERA (14 ER/27.2 IP) in 25 road games. Worked in 40 of the club's 89 games prior to the All-Star break, posting a 3.57 ERA (16 ER/40.1 IP). Posted a 1.15 ERA (2 ER/15.2 IP) over his first 14 appearances of the season, which included a season-best 10.2-inning scoreless streak from 4/10-28. Did not allow an ER at Fenway over a 14-game span (15.2 IP) from 9/13/16-5/12/17, including his first 7 home appearances of 2017 (6.1 IP). Matched his career high with 5 SO in a season-high 3.1 IP on 4/22 at BAL. Earned the win on 7/3 at TEX, throwing 2.0 scoreless frames (10th & 11th inn.) in the Sox' 11-inning victory. Recorded the win in the Sox' walk-off victory in 11 innings on 8/4 vs. CWS. 

2016

Began the season with Triple-A Pawtucket, but appeared in a career-high 38 ML games over 4 stints with BOS...Also set career highs in innings (51.0), wins (4), and SO (47). Finished tied for the staff lead in relief wins with Matt Barnes...Stranded 19 of his 26 inherited runners (73%). Led all Red Sox relievers in 1st batter efficiency, retiring 33 of 38 first batters faced (86.8%). Pitched more than 1.0 inning in 19 of his 38 appearances for BOS...Of those 19 appearances, 9 were scoreless. Held RHH to a .201 AVG (27-for-134)...Left-handed batters began the year hitting .475 (19-for-40), but they hit just .161 (5-for-31) with 2 2B and 3 BB from 6/23 through the remainder of the season (22 games). Posted a 10.0-inning scoreless streak to begin his ML season. Limited opponents to a .163 AVG (8-for-49) over his final 11 ML appearances of the season (beginning 8/19). Threw 1.2 perfect innings and struck out all 5 batters faced on 9/25 at TB (career high in SO)...Came on in relief of starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who finished his outing with 6 consecutive strikeouts...Combined, the 2 pitchers set a ML record for strikeouts in consecutive plate appearances (11)...Red Sox pitchers finished with 23 SO that day (10.0 IP), establishing a new single-game Red Sox record. Earned his 1st win of the season with 3.0 scoreless innings in the Red Sox' 12-inning win on 4/24 at HOU. Allowed 8 unearned runs for BOS, 2nd-most among all ML relievers. Gave up 0 runs in 12 of his 13 appearances for the PawSox...Converted all 8 of his save chances for Pawtucket. All 6 hits allowed for the PawSox were singles...Did not allow a hit to a left-handed batter at Pawtucket (0-for-17).

2015

Split the season between Triple-A Pawtucket and the Red Sox...Appeared in a career-high 22 games for BOS over his 4 stints with the big league club. Allowed no runs in 17 of his 22 appearances (77%) for the Red Sox...Recalled on 4/26, 5/23, 6/12, and 8/17. Allowed 10 runs (all ER) on the season for the Sox, 6 of which came in his season debut on 4/26 at BAL (1.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER). For the remainder of the season, posted a 1.50 ERA (4 ER/24.0 IP) with a .218 opponent AVG (19-for-87) and a 1.13 WHIP (8 BB) in 21 ML games...17 of those 21 appearances were scoreless. Held ML opponents to a .200 AVG (4-for-20) with RISP, including only 1 hit in their final 15 AB (.067 AVG). Strung together 10 consecutive ML appearances without issuing a walk from 6/12-9/12 (14.2 IP, 55 BF). Was placed on the DL with right shoulder inflammation on 6/18 (retro to 6/15). Began a rehab appearance with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox on 7/14...Assignment was transferred to Pawtucket, where he made 4 more appearances. Was activated from the DL and optioned to Pawtucket on 6/25. Earned the 1st win of his ML career in the Sox' 13-inning victory on 9/13 at TB. Picked up his only other win of the year on 9/26 vs. BAL. Allowed no runs in 23 of his 29 appearances with Pawtucket. Opened the year with the PawSox and did not allow runs in any of his first 9 games of the season (11.0 IP)... Earned 3 saves and held opponents to a .135 AVG (5-for-37) with 2 BB and 12 SO over that span. Allowed multiple runs in a game only twice and multiple ER just once in his 29 appearances for the PawSox. Averaged 9.1 SO/9.0 IP for Pawtucket (32 SO/31.2 IP)...Held opponents to a .207 AVG (23-for-111) with only 5 XBH (4 2B, 1 HR)...Held LHB to a .208 AVG (10-for-48) and RHB to a .206 AVG (13-for-63).

2014

Spent the beginning of the year in the SF organization and ended it with the Red Sox...Was acquired in the Jake Peavy trade on 7/26...Combined to go 1-4, 20 saves, 3.71 ERA (19 ER/46.0 IP) and 55 SO in 48 appearances between Triple-A Fresno and Pawtucket...37 of his 48 appearances (77%) were scoreless...Began the year with Fresno in SF's minor league system...Prior to the season was rated the No. 7 overall prospect in the Giants' system according to Baseball America...Was named a Pacific Coast League Mid-Season All-Star...Led the Fresno staff in saves (18) and finished 3rd in appearances (41)...Ranked T-2nd among all PCL pitchers in saves...Successfully converted each of his first 12 opportunities...Opened the season with 9 straight scoreless appearances (9.1 IP) and posted a 2.65 ERA (5 ER/17.0 IP) over his first 19 games...Had a 4.84 ERA (12 ER/22.1 IP) over his final 22 contests...With Fresno posted a 0.56 ERA (1 ER/16.0 IP) in 17 home games and a 6.17 ERA (16 ER/23.1 IP) in 24 road games...Acquired by BOS along with LHP Edwin Escobar on 7/26 and was optioned to Pawtucket...Had 6 scoreless appearances in his 7 games with the PawSox and converted 2 saves in his 3 chances...Appeared in 5 playoff games for Pawtucket, earning 2 saves while posting a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP)...Recalled on 8/5 for his 1st career stint with the Red Sox...Made his BOS debut throwing 4.0 scoreless innings of relief in the club's 5-4 loss in 19 innings on 8/9 at LAA...Had his career-best 12.2-inning scoreless streak, which began his ML career, snapped after his first 2 games with BOS...The streak, 9/3/13-8/24/14, began with his ML debut in 2013 and included his first 2 appearances with the Red Sox (5.0 IP).

2013

Made nine appearances for the Giants, allowing four hits and two walks in 7.2-scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts. Had his contract purchased from triple-A Fresno on Sept. 3 and made his Major League debut that night at San Diego...tossed 1.0-perfect inning with two strikeouts. Allowed just one extra-base hit in 27 at-bats. Faced 19 right-handed batters and recorded 11 strikeouts. Set a Grizzlies franchise record with 31 saves this season and ranked second in the PCL, as he went 31-for-36 in save opportunities. Appeared in 54 games with Fresno, posting a 4.07 ERA (25er, 55.1ip) with 63 strikeouts.

2012

In 2012, he spent the majority of his third professional season with triple-A Fresno, going 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA (20er, 38.0ip) along with 15 saves in 17 chances in 39 relief appearances.

2011

Had one of best seasons among all Giants minor league relievers, going 1-1 with 38 saves and 1.86 ERA (11er, 53.1ip) between Class A Advanced San Jose (26 games) and double-A Richmond (28 games) ... Began season with San Jose and went 0-0 with 0.73 ERA (2er, 24.2ip) with 44 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 26 games ... Despite only playing for San Jose for half of season, led CAL league with 21 saves ... Was named to CAL mid-season All-Star team ... Finished month of April ranked 3rd in California League with 5 saves...struck out 14 batters in just 8.0 innings to go with his 1.13 ERA (1er, 8.0ip) ... Threw 16.2-consecutive scoreless innings from April 16-May 27...during that stretch recorded 16 saves and struck out 31 batters ... Was promoted to double-A Richmond on June 16 and proceeded to go 1-1 with 2.83 ERA (9er, 28.2ip) with 17 saves and 34 punchouts in 28 games ... Had stretch of 32-consecutive successful save opportunities combined between San Jose and Richmond dating from April 16 to Aug. 3...posted 2.00 ERA (8er, 36.0ip) during stretch with 63 strikeouts.

2010

Made his professional debut with ARL-Giants appearing in only 12 games ... Had great start to his professional career, going 0-0 with 0.82 ERA (1er, 11.0ip), while allowing only 9 hits ... Struck out 22 batters, while recording no walks.