Jay Witasick #45

Gerald Alphonse Witasick Jr....name is pronounced "wi-TASS-ik"...is single and makes his home in Bel Air, Maryland, where he grew up...graduated from C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air, where he played baseball and football...is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame...attended Brevard (FL) Community College and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County...originally signed by Cardinals scout Scott Nichols.

2007

Thirty-five year-old veteran reliever signed with the Rays on June 12 and made 20 appearances ... included was a five-week stay on the disabled list (July 22-Aug. 31) with a right elbow strain ... missed 38 games ... Signed with the Rays following his release from the Oakland Athletics on June 7 ... appeared in 16 games for the A's, posting a 1-0 record and a 3.60 ERA ... did not allow a run in 12 of the 16 apps ... COMBINED: 1-0-0, 5.17 ERA, 36 G, 31.1-IP, 31-H, 18-ER ... Walked 27 and struck out 18 (including 18 walks and 8 strikeouts for TB) ... is the only time in his career he walked more than he struck out ... only Washington's John Lannan (0.59), Texas' Scott Feldman (0.59) and Kansas City's Scott Elarton (0.62) had a lower strikeout-to-walks ratio than his 0.67 among all major league pitchers (min. 30 IP) ... Nine of his first 11 appearances with the Rays were scoreless ... then had a four-outing stretch before going on the DL where he allowed 9 runs (8 earned) and 7 hits over a total of 2.0 innings ... his final appearance was July 21 at New York in the second game of a doubleheader was touched for 5 runs, 4 earned in one inning ... threw 47 pitches and committed a throwing error ... allowed his lone HR with the Rays in that game - A-Rod's 497th ... Made his Rays debut June 14 throwing 1.1 innings vs. San Diego (2-H, 2-R/ER, 2-BB) ... Reinstated from the DL on Sep 1 and pitched 5 scoreless outings over the season's final month (5-IP, 4-H, 0-R, 2-BB) ... Also made 8 rehabilitation appearances with Durham (AAA) and Vero Beach (A), tossing 9.1 scoreless innings (3-H, 3-BB, 9-SO) ... Opened the season with a 4.35 ERA for April, rebounded for a 2.35 mark in May allowing just 2 runs in 7 appearances.

2006

He pitched in just 20 games for the A's, and missed 90 games during the year with two stints on the disabled list. It was his fewest appearances since 1998, when he appeared in seven games with Oakland. His first time on the DL came after he sprained his left ankle on April 13 at Minnesota while covering first base, and he missed 47 games. On June 23, he was put on the DL again with left ankle tendinitis and didn't return until Aug. 9. His 6.75 ERA and .423 opponents on-base percentage were the highest marks of his career. He allowed a .281 opponents batting average, which included a .138 mark against lefties and .350 average against right-handers. The first batters he faced went 6-for-18 (.333) with two walks, and he allowed 4 of his 10 inherited runners to score.

2005

Was acquired from Colorado at the All-Star break and appeared in 28 games with the A's, all in relief...was 1-1 with a save, two blown saves and a 3.25 ERA with Oakland after going 0-4 with a blown save and a 2.52 ERA in 32 relief appearances with Colorado...combined for a 1-5 record, one save and a 2.84 ERA in 60 games overall...the 60 appearances were second most in his career to his 63 in 2001 with San Diego and the New York Yankees...struck out 73 batters in 63.1 innings, an average of 10.37 per nine innings...allowed just four home runs, or one every 15.8 innings...allowed a .223 opponents batting average, which was the lowest of his career, besting his previous low of .234 with San Francisco in 2002...the average included a .213 (23-for-108) mark against left-handers after entering the season with a .302 (325-for-1077) career average against lefties...opponents hit .133 (10-for-75) with runners in scoring position...allowed just 5-of-23 (21.7%) inherited runners to score, but first batters faced hit .315 (17-for-54) with six walks...three of the four home runs he allowed came against the first batter he faced in an outing...had a 4.76 ERA (6 er in 11.1 ip) and .273 (12-for-44) opponents batting average in 12 outings when pitching on no days' rest and a 2.42 ERA (14 er in 52.0 ip) and .211 (41-for-194) opponents batting average in his other 48 appearances...posted a 2.10 ERA (6 er in 25.2 ip) and allowed a .136 (12-for-88) opponents batting average in 24 outings during the day and had a 3.35 ERA (14 er in 37.2 ip) and .273 (41-for-150) opponents batting average in 36 outings at night...allowed all four of his home runs at night...did not allow a run in seven Interleague outings (8.1 ip, 2 h, 1 bb, 12 so)...tossed at least one inning in 49 of his 60 outings, including two or more seven times...was traded to the A's along with Joe Kennedy on July 13 for Eric Byrnes and Minor Leaguer Omar Quintanilla...allowed just one of eight inherited runners to score with Oakland...his outing on July 15 against Texas (0.0 ip, 2 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 bb) was his first outing as an Athletic since Sept. 27, 1998, a start against Anaheim...did not allow a run in 10 of his first 13 outings with the A's, posting a 1.54 ERA (11.2 ip, 9 h, 5 r, 2 er, 6 bb, 17 so) through Aug. 19...allowed three runs without recording an out on Aug. 21 against Kansas City and yielded at least one run in seven of his final 15 outings for a 4.50 ERA (16.0 ip, 17 h, 10 r, 8 er, 11 bb, 16 so)...picked up his first win since Aug. 3, 2003 on July 21 at Texas, snapping a career-high 10-game losing streak...recorded the save on July 30 against Detroit, pitching a season high-tying two scoreless innings in the A's 9-5 win...it was the fifth save of his career...was charged with blown saves on Aug. 29 at Baltimore and Sept. 13 against Cleveland...beginning with the Cleveland game, first batters went 5-for-6 with a walk over his final six outings...began the year as a non-roster invitee with Baltimore but was released on April 7 and signed a Minor League contract with Colorado on April 9...opened the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs and had no decisions, a 3.60 ERA (4 er in 10.0 ip) and a .270 (10-for-37) opponents batting average in eight relief appearances when he was selected by the Rockies on April 29...had an eight-game, 10.1-inning scoreless streak from May 10-29...his 11th appearance of the season on May 23 against Milwaukee was the 300th outing of his career...had an eight-game, 9.2-inning scoreless streak from June 7-26 and finished June with a 1.32 ERA (2 er in 13.2 ip), his lowest one-month ERA in 2005...struck out a season-high four batters on June 15 at Cleveland.

2004

Appeared in 44 games with the Padres, all in relief and posted a 3.21 ERA...posted a combined 2.59 ERA (24.1 ip, 7 er) over the first two months of the season with 24 strikeouts and nine walks...had six scoreless outings (8.0 ip) from April 14 through April 26 and finished the month with a 2.00 ERA (9.0 ip, 2 er)...continued strong relief in May, pitching to a 2.93 ERA (15.2 ip, 5 er) in 11 games...made six appearances in which he struck out three or more batters, including six strikeouts in 4.0 innings on August 13 at Cincinnati...was the highest whiff total by a member of the Padres bullpen in 2004...struck out five batters in 2.1 innings on May 2 vs. the New York Mets...struck out a season total of 57 in 44 games...worked a season high 4.1 innings on June 1 vs. Colorado, striking out five...recorded his only save of the season on August 13, tossing 4.0 innings at Cincinnati...placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 16 with a left oblique strain...prior to the injury, saw action in 41 games, all in relief, and was 0-1 with a 3.26 ERA (58.0 ip, 21 er)...missed a total of 30 games before being activated on September 18...made three appearances after his return.

2003

In his second tour with San Diego, he appeared in 46 games...began the season on the 15-day DL due to a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow suffered during spring training...was placed on the 15-day DL March 21 and was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 16...appeared in a total of 10.2 innings in 9 games on a rehab assignment between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Triple-A Portland...was recalled from the rehab assignment and reinstated from the 60-day DL on June 9...saw his first action of the season on June 10 at Cleveland, pitching a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts in an 8-5 loss...did not allow a run in 32 of his 46 games...won his first game of the season on June 16 at Colorado...earned his first save of the season and second of his career the next night on June 17 at Colorado...ended the season on a five-game losing streak, August 16-September 28, that saw his ERA jump from 3.21 to 4.53...held right-handed batters to a .215 batting average, but five of the six homers allowed came off the bats of righties...lefties hit .292 off him.

2001

Began the year with San Diego, but was traded to the eventual AL Champion New York Yankees on June 23 in exchange for D'Angelo Jimenez...overall, he posted an 8-2 record with one save and a 3.30 ERA in a career high 63 appearances...ranked third among major league relievers with 12.08 strikeouts per 9.0 innings...recorded 45 scoreless outings, including 25 with San Diego...led Padre pitchers with 31 appearances at the time of his trade...limited opposing batters to a .218 mark...fanned 12.3 batters per 9.0 innings...compiled a 0.61 ERA in 12 April outings while limiting opposing hitters to .154 average...earned his first career big league save on May 22 at Houston, retiring all four batters faced...limited right-handed hitters to a .189 mark with the Padres...was a perfect 3-0 in 32 outings with the Yankees, but his ERA rose to 4.69...was the winning pitcher in his Yankees' debut on June 25, allowing two earned runs in 2.0 innings for a 8-7 victory vs. Cleveland...made one appearance in each of the three playoff rounds, including a 3.0 inning effort in Game 3 of ALCS vs. Seattle...was left in to surrender nine runs in 1.1 innings of relief in the Yankees' Game 6 loss to Arizona in his only World Series appearance.

2002

Acquired by San Francisco during the offseason and was unscored upon in 35 of his 44 outings, including his last 13 appearances beginning August 31 (12.0 ip)...stranded 14 of 16 inherited runners (87.5%)...faced 276 total batters and allowed only three home runs, none to lefthanders (115 batters faced)...logged over half of his appearances (23 of 44) and innings (39.0 of 68.1) against NL West foes and was at his best in those outings, posting a 1.38 ERA...worked at least 2.0 innings in 14 of 44 appearances, including six efforts of 3.0 innings or more...over his first 21 appearances, fashioned a 1.23 ERA including a career-high run of 15.0 consecutive scoreless innings over eight games from May 31 through June 26...was on the 15-day disabled list, July 27-August 15, with a left foot contusion, suffered when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Los Angeles' Adrian Beltre on July 26...despite the injury, which occurred in his second inning of work vs. the Dodgers, he still managed to toss a season high 5.0 innings, just 0.2 inning shy of his relief career high...made a pair of 1.0 inning rehab starts for Triple-A Fresno...appeared in five post-season games for the NL champions, going 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA.

2000

Began the season with Kansas City before being acquired by San Diego hours before the July 31 trading deadline...combined to go 6-10 with a 5.82 ERA in 33 games, including 25 starts and a career high 121 strikeouts...opened the season in the Royals' starting rotation but lost his first four starts...made one more start before moving to the bullpen and shuttled back and forth over the next three months...pitched back-to-back complete games, June 22 at Anaheim and June 28 vs. Cleveland...lost to the Angels, 4-3, but beat the Indians, allowing a run on 4 hits in an 8-1 victory...was acquired by the Padres and went 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in his first three starts...over his final eight starts, went 3-1 with a 4.98 ERA...collected his first Major League hit with a run-scoring single off Felipe Lira on August 20 against Montreal and finished 2 for 3 with two RBI...worked 5.0 innings on August 31 at Chicago before leaving the game due to heat exhaustion...was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital for observation and was released the following morning...came back to tie his career high with 10 strikeouts in his next start on September 5 vs. Milwaukee.

1999

Was obtained by the Royals during the final week of spring training and spent his first full season in the Majors...opened the year in the Kansas City bullpen before moving into the rotation for good on April 30...lost four of his first five decisions as a starter, posting a 9.00 ERA in eight starts...earned back-to-back wins on June 18 at Toronto and June 23 vs. Detroit...tossed his first complete game and shutout in a 6-0 win on August 26 vs. the Orioles, allowing four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in a 137-pitch effort...won four consecutive starts, September 5- 22...fanned a career high 10 batters in 6.1 innings in a 9-3 win on September 17 at Oakland...was 4-1 with a 3.89 ERA in September to earn Royals' Pitcher of the Month honors.

1998

Spent the bulk of the season with Triple-A Edmonton but made seven appearances, including his first three major league starts, during three stints with the A's...at Edmonton, he ranked second in the Pacific Coast League with 155 strikeouts in 149.0 innings...was recalled on June 4 and made relief appearances on June 6 and June 7 vs. Arizona...returned to Edmonton on June 14, but was recalled to make his first major league start in the first game of a doubleheader on August 4 vs. New York...suffered a 10-4 loss, allowing seven runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings...was optioned back to Triple-A after the game but returned to the majors for good on September 8.

1997

Began the season on the DL with right elbow soreness...was activated on June 14 and optioned to Single-A Modesto...after nine games in the California League, was promoted to Triple-A Edmonton before getting recalled by Oakland on September 3...made eight appearances out of the bullpen for the A's...did not allow a run and held opponents to a .150 average in his first three outings.

1996

In his first season in the Oakland organization, climbed the ladder from Double-A Huntsville to the majors...was recalled from Huntsville to make his big league debut on July 7, working 1.1 innings of scoreless relief vs. California...went on to make 12 appearances out of the Oakland bullpen, striking out 12 in 13.0 innings...earned his first ML victory on July 31 vs. Chicago, striking out the only hitter he faced...after going 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 11 outings, was optioned to Triple-A Edmonton in mid-August but was recalled to make one final relief appearance in September.

1995

Split the year between Single-A St. Petersburg and Double-A Arkansas in the Cardinals organization, combining for a 9-11 record and a 3.76 ERA in 25 starts...struck out 135 and walked 52 in 139.0 innings.

1994

Was a postseason Midwest League All-Star at Single-A Madison...went 10-4 with the fourth lowest ERA in the league (2.32)...limited opponents to a .189 average, surrendering only 74 hits in 112.1 innings...had two complete games in his 18 starts.

1993

Made 13 starts in his professional debut with St. Louis' Rookie-level Johnson City and Single-A Savannah affiliates...in 12 starts at Johnson City, fanned 74 and walked only 19 in 67.2 innings...earned a win in his lone Savannah start.