| Joe Borowski | |
|---|---|
 Borowski with the Cleveland Indians in 2007 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1971-05-04)May 4, 1971 (age 53) Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 9, 1995, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 1, 2008, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 22–34 |
| Earned run average | 4.18 |
| Strikeouts | 372 |
| Saves | 131 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Joseph Thomas Borowski (born May 4, 1971) is a sports broadcaster for theArizona Diamondbacks, as well as a former professionalbaseball right-handedrelief pitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball for theBaltimore Orioles,Atlanta Braves,New York Yankees,Chicago Cubs,Tampa Bay Devil Rays,Florida Marlins, andCleveland Indians.
Borowski grew up inBayonne, New Jersey, attendedMarist High School and was an All-America selection in bothfootball andbaseball and a two-time All-State selection in both sports.[1] He attendedRutgers University in New Jersey.
Borowski was drafted in the 32nd round (823rd overall) of the1989 Major League Baseball draft by theChicago White Sox.[2] On March 31, 1991, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange forPete Rose Jr.[3] Borowski made his major league debut for the Orioles on July 9, 1995, against his former team, the White Sox. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning to close out an 11–2 Orioles win.[4] Borowski made six appearances for the Orioles in 1995, recording a 1.23 ERA.[5]
On December 17, 1995, Borowski was traded to theAtlanta Braves along with pitcher Chaad Stewart in exchange for starting pitcherKent Mercker.[6] In Atlanta, Borowski split time between the majors and the Triple-ARichmond Braves.[7] He was later claimed off waivers by theNew York Yankees on September 15, 1997.[5] He made one appearance for the Yankees that season on September 18 against theDetroit Tigers, recording the loss after allowing two earned runs and walking four batters in two innings in a 9–7, 11-inning loss.[8] In 1998, Borowski made eight appearances with the Yankees, going 1–0 with a 6.52 ERA.[5]
Borowski spent the 1999 season in theMilwaukee Brewers organization, going 6–2 with four saves and a 5.46 ERA in 58 games for the Triple-ALouisville RiverBats.[7] On November 9, 1999, he signed with theCincinnati Reds, but was later released on March 21, 2000.[5] Borowski then spent the 2000 season pitching in theMexican League for theMonterrey Sultanes and in theAtlantic League of Professional Baseball for theNewark Bears.[7]
On December 11, 2000, Borowski signed with theChicago Cubs.[5] Before his second year with the Cubs in 2002, Borowski had never appeared in more than 25 games, but when given a chance to appear frequently he did very well. Between his stints with the Yankees and Cubs, he worked as a fireman. In 2002, he went 4–4 with two saves and a 2.73ERA in 73 games of relief.[5] The next year, he was converted to thecloser role for the Cubs and was exceptional, going 2–2 with a 2.63 ERA and recording 33saves in 37 opportunities, helping the Cubs win their division and reach theNLCS before being eliminated by the eventualWorld Series championFlorida Marlins.[5] In 2004, Borowski started the season poorly, going 2–4 with an 8.02 ERA in 22 games and recording nine saves in 11 opportunities.[5] In June, it was announced that he had suffered a partial tear in his rightrotator cuff, which later ended his season.[9] During spring training in 2005, Borowski broke his wrist on a come-backer lined directly at him. After missing seven weeks, he returned to the Cubs on May 20.[10] He did not have his old closer job back, though, asRyan Dempster had emerged as the club's new closer. On June 29, 2005, Borowski was designated for assignment by the Cubs, and he was subsequently released.[11] At the time, he had posted a 6.55 ERA in 11 relief appearances.[5]
On July 11, 2005, Borowski signed with theTampa Bay Devil Rays,[12] who used him as a set-up man to closerDanys Báez. While with the Devil Rays, Borowski went on a tear, pitching a franchise record 21 scoreless innings, and is seen by many as the catalyst for the Devil Rays' second half turnaround, as his inspired performance helped stabilize the Rays' otherwise shakybullpen. However, in his last 14 appearances, he gave up 15runs, raising his ERA from 2.25 to 4.47.[13] Borowski was designated for assignment by the Devil Rays in early December, and then non-tendered by the team on December 22.[14]
On December 29, 2005, Borowski signed a one-year deal with theFlorida Marlins.[15] He spent the season as the Marlins' closer, going 3–3 with a 3.75 ERA in 72 relief appearances while converting 36 out of 43 save opportunities.[5] After the season, Borowski agreed to a multi-year contract with thePhiladelphia Phillies, but the deal later fell apart after concerns over the status of his right shoulder.[16]
On December 6, 2006, Borowski signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with theCleveland Indians that included a club option for 2008.[17] The signing of Borowski filled the vacant closer role for Cleveland. During the 2007 season, Borowski got off to a slow start as closer for the Indians, posting an earned run average of 13.50 in his first seven outings.[18] His struggles were capped off after surrendering six runs to the New York Yankees on April 19, 2007, in the ninth inning after coming into the game with a four-run lead. Borowski was not charged with a blown save in this outing, since a three-run lead or smaller is required for a pitcher to earn the save.[19] He finished the season 4–5 and led theAmerican League with 45 saves in 69 relief appearances, but had an ERA of 5.07, which was the highest ever for a closer with 40 or more saves.[5]
On November 6, 2007, the Indians exercised Borowski's $4 million club option, opting to bring him back in 2008.[20] Had the team declined Borowski's option, he would have been paid a $250,000 buyout.
In 2008, Borowski got off to a bad start to the season. Putting up an 18.00 ERA with two blown saves through five appearances, he averaged awalk, twohits, and two runs per appearance.[21] Following another dreadful appearance in which he gave up three earned runs in2⁄3 inning on April 14,[22] the Indians put him on the 15-daydisabled list with a strainedtriceps.[23]
Borowski was designated for assignment by the Indians on July 4, and released on July 10, 2008.[24][5]
On February 24, 2009, Borowski announced his retirement.[25]
Borowski currently resides inScottsdale, Arizona, with his wife Tatum and two sons Blaze and Ty.[1]
He accepted an award in 2004 from the Polish American Police Association as a distinguishedPolish-American.[26]