| Charlie Furbush | |
|---|---|
 Furbush with the Seattle Mariners in 2014 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1986-04-11)April 11, 1986 (age 39) South Portland, Maine, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 23, 2011, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 7, 2015, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 13–24 |
| Earned run average | 3.97 |
| Strikeouts | 268 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Charles Roderick Furbush (born April 11, 1986) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theDetroit Tigers andSeattle Mariners.
Furbush was born inSouth Portland, Maine and attendedSouth Portland High School. He went on toSt. Joseph's College of Maine, where he was recruited to play atLouisiana State University. In 2005 and 2006, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theHyannis Mets of theCape Cod Baseball League, where he threw ano-hitter, was named the western division'sstarting pitcher in the leagueall-star game, and was named the topNew England prospect in 2006.[1][2][3] While with Louisiana State in 2007, Furbush went 3–9 with a 4.95 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 88 batters in 87 innings.
Furbush was drafted by theDetroit Tigers in the 4th round, with the 151st overall selection, of the2007 Major League Baseball draft and began his professional career that year.
Furbush appeared in 12 games between the rookie-levelGulf Coast League Tigers andWest Michigan Whitecaps in 2007, making 10 starts and going 6–1 with a 2.34 ERA, striking out 69 batters in61+2⁄3 innings. He did not pitch in 2008 due to recovery fromTommy John surgery. With theLakeland Flying Tigers in 2009, Furbush went 6–7 with a 3.96 ERA in 24 games (23 starts). He split 2010 between Lakeland, (13 starts), the Double-AErie SeaWolves (five starts), and Triple-AToledo Mud Hens (nine starts), going a combined 8–9 with a 4.25 ERA. He struck out 183 batters in 159 innings.[4]
On May 21, 2011, Furbush was promoted to the major leagues for the first time to replaceBrad Thomas, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation.[5] He made his Major League debut on May 23, 2011, after coming into relief for starterPhil Coke who appeared to hurt his ankle slipping on the wet grass after a short start of only3+1⁄3 innings pitched and a 1–0 Tigers deficit against theTampa Bay Rays. Furbush issued abase on balls to the first batter he faced,Sean Rodriguez, to load the bases. He then struck outFelipe López andKelly Shoppach to end the inning. He pitched3+2⁄3 innings, allowing two hits, one base on balls, and three strikeouts before being replaced byJoaquín Benoit for the start of the eighth inning. The Tigers came back to score two runs under Furbush and eventually won the game 6–3, earning Furbush a win in his first Major League game. On June 30, Furbush was moved to the starting rotation, replacing Phil Coke.[6]
On July 30, 2011, Furbush was traded to theSeattle Mariners along withCasper Wells, Francisco Martínez, andplayer to be named laterChance Ruffin from theDetroit Tigers in exchange forDavid Pauley andDoug Fister.[7] He made 11 appearances (10 starts) for Seattle down the stretch, but struggled to a 3-7 record and 6.62 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 53 innings of work.[8]
On June 8, 2012, Furbush combined withKevin Millwood,Brandon League,Tom Wilhelmsen,Stephen Pryor, andLucas Luetge tono-hit theLos Angeles Dodgers.[9] In 48 appearances for the Mariners during the year, he compiled a 5-2 record and 2.72 ERA with 53 strikeouts across46+1⁄3 innings pitched.[10]
Furbush appeared a career-high 71 games for the Mariners in 2013, posting a 3.74 ERA and compiling 80 strikeouts in 65 innings.[11] On December 17, 2013, Furbush signed a one-year contract extension with the Mariners.[12]
Furbush made 67 appearances out of thebullpen for Seattle in 2014, posting a 1-5 record and 3.61 ERA with 51 strikeouts and onesave across42+1⁄3 innings pitched.[13] He made 33 relief appearances for the Mariners in 2015, compiling a 1-1 record and 2.08 ERA with 17 strikeouts over21+2⁄3 innings of work.[14] On August 21, 2015, Furbush was diagnosed with a partially torn rotator cuff and biceps tendinitis, and missed the remainder of the season.[15]
Furbush pursued a non-surgical rehabilitation for his rotator cuff injury, but experienced continued tightness in the shoulder after throwing sessions.[16] On March 30, 2016, it was announced that Furbush would miss "several months" after undergoing ablood injection therapy to his shoulder.[17] On August 10, Furbush announced that he would undergo surgery to fix a partially tornrotator cuff, with an expected recovery time of 12–18 months; as a result, he did not pitch in the 2016 season. On November 2, Furbush was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers.[18] He elected free agency two days later.[19]
On March 7, 2019, Furbush announced his retirement from baseball, citing a failure to return to full health despite numerous procedures and rehabilitation efforts.[20] In January 2022, it was reported that he was selling advertising time for Seattle radio station ESPN 710 and was said by one 710 staffer to be "a great dude."[21]
Furbush threw a steady mix of five pitches in his career. He led off with afour-seam fastball in the 88–93 mph range, and he had asinker with similar speed that he threw mostly to right-handed hitters. His main off-speed pitch to lefties was acurveball at 76–79 mph, although he also liked to mix in aslider at 80–85 mph. Against righties, Furbush usually dropped the slider in favor of an 80–84 mphchangeup. Against hitters from both sides of the plate, Furbush relied heavily on his curveball in 2-strike counts.[22]
| Preceded by | No-hit game June 8, 2012 (withMillwood,Pryor,Luetge,League, &Wilhelmsen) | Succeeded by |
