| Jason Schmidt | |
|---|---|
 Schmidt with the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1973-01-29)January 29, 1973 (age 52) Lewiston, Idaho, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 28, 1995, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 2009, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 130–96 |
| Earned run average | 3.96 |
| Strikeouts | 1,758 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jason David Schmidt (born January 29, 1973), is an American formerMajor League Baseballpitcher. In his career, he has played for theLos Angeles Dodgers (2007–2009),San Francisco Giants (2001–06),Pittsburgh Pirates (1996–2001) andAtlanta Braves (1995–96), by whom he had been drafted in the eighth round, 206th overall, of the 1991 draft.
Schmidt attendedKelso High School inKelso, Washington, where he played football and basketball in addition to baseball. In 1991 as a senior he tossed ano-hitter, striking out 20 of 21 batters he faced. He was named Washington's Gatorade State Player of the Year and All-State MVP in baseball. He was offered a scholarship to theUniversity of Arizona but chose to sign with theAtlanta Braves after they drafted him in the eighth round of the 1991MLB Draft.
Schmidt made his professional debut with theGulf Coast Braves in 1991, starting eleven games and finishing with a 3–4 record and 2.38 ERA. He worked his way through the Braves farm system from 1992 to 1995, playing with thePulaski Braves (1992-rookie league),Macon Braves (1992-Class A),Durham Bulls (1993-Class A),Greenville Braves (1994-Class AA) andRichmond Braves (1995-Class AAA).
He made his major league debut in relief on April 28, 1995, against theLos Angeles Dodgers. Schmidt recorded his first ML victory in his first start, pitching eight scoreless innings against theChicago Cubs on September 3, 1995.
In 1996 he started the season in the Braves rotation but also spent time in Richmond and on the disabled list before he was traded to thePittsburgh Pirates (withRon Wright) forDenny Neagle on August 30, 1996.
As a member of the Pirates, Schmidt won 10, 11, and 13 games in 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. However, he was on a losing team each season in Pittsburgh. He was the last player on the team to wear number 42, as all ofMajor League Baseball retired it forJackie Robinson in 1997, except those who chose to keep the number (e.g. Mariano Rivera). Schmidt then switched to number 22 for the remainder of his stay with the team, and wore number 29 after leaving the Pirates.
Schmidt was then acquired by the Giants in 2001 withJohn Vander Wal in exchange forArmando Ríos andRyan Vogelsong. Schmidt saw more success in San Francisco. Between his stints in Pittsburgh and San Francisco during the 2001 season, Schmidt compiled thirteen wins. Schmidt re-signed as a free agent with San Francisco that winter, in what would become a five-year $41 million deal. He went on to win thirteen again in 2002 when the Giants made aWorld Series appearance, but lost to theAnaheim Angels. Schmidt started Games 1 and 5 of the2002 World Series, picking up the win in Game 1 and ano-decision in Game 5. In 2003, he won 17 games. Schmidt threw a 2–0 shutout in Game 1 of the 2003 NLDS, beatingJosh Beckett, but his team lost once again in the playoffs, this time to theFlorida Marlins. Schmidt was anAll-Star this year as well as the league leader with a 2.34earned run average. He placed second toÉric Gagné in the 2003 National LeagueCy Young Award voting.
On May 18, 2004, Jason Schmidt pitched a one-hitter against theChicago Cubs andMatt Clement.[1] The Giants won the game, 1–0. This performance was overshadowed byRandy Johnson'sperfect game against theAtlanta Braves the same day. Schmidt also pitched a one-hitter against theBoston Red Sox one month later on June 20, 2004. Schmidt would go on to win 18 games in 2004 and be voted theTSN Pitcher of the Year in the National League, and fourth in Cy Young voting. He also set a San Francisco single-season record of 251 strikeouts, which was broken whenTim Lincecum struck out 265 in 2008.
On June 6,2006 atAT&T Park, in a 2–1 win over theFlorida Marlins, Schmidt pitched a complete game and struck out a career-high 16 batters. The game included a ninth-inningwild pitch that moved base runners to second and third with no outs. Schmidt struck out the final three batters of the game, starting with cleanup hitterMiguel Cabrera,Josh Willingham andJeremy Hermida. Not only did he tie the franchise all-time single-game strikeouts record originally set byChristy Mathewson of theNew York Giants on October 3,1904, against theSt. Louis Cardinals, but he also surpassedGaylord Perry's San Francisco Giants single-game strikeouts record, when Perry struck out 15 batters on July 22,1966, against thePhiladelphia Phillies. In addition, he set AT&T Park's individual single-game strikeout record in the short history of the ballpark.
Schmidt signed a three-year, $47 million deal with theLos Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2007 season.[2] After only three starts he missed forty-five days with a right shoulder injury before being reactivated from thedisabled list (DL) on June 5. He started three games after his return from the DL, the last two created more concern. On June 18 he was returned to the DL and underwent exploratory surgery to find the cause of his ineffectiveness. The damage to his shoulder was more severe than expected and he missed the rest of the 2007 season due to injury. The Dodgers hoped to have Schmidt back before the end of the 2008 season, but managerJoe Torre later said that Schmidt would not be back, making only a few rehab starts in the minors during the year.
Heading into 2009, Schmidt was expected to compete for a spot in the Dodgers' rotation but pitched poorly in spring training and began the season once more on the disabled list. After several rehab starts in the minors, Schmidt was activated on July 20, 2009, to start against theCincinnati Reds, his first appearance in a Major League game since 2007. He went five innings, allowed three runs and picked up the win.[3] He made another start on July 26 against the Florida Marlins, but pitched poorly and allowed five runs (four earned) in three innings and was credited with the loss.[4] He started against the Atlanta Braves on July 31 and pitched six shutout innings, getting the win as the Dodgers won 5–0. On August 7, he was again placed on the DL, with Torre speculating that Schmidt's career might be over.[5]
San Francisco Giants Records
Schmidt and his wife Bethany have three children: Makynlee (born January 14, 2001), Mason (born January 29, 2004), and Madden (born April 22, 2007). Schmidt's mother Vicki died from brain cancer on April 22, 2003, at age 53.
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