| Woody Williams | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1966-08-19)August 19, 1966 (age 59) Houston, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 14, 1993, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 2007, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 132–116 |
| Earned run average | 4.19 |
| Strikeouts | 1,480 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Gregory Scott"Woody" Williams (born August 19, 1966) is an Americanbaseball coach and formerpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theToronto Blue Jays,San Diego Padres,St. Louis Cardinals, andHouston Astros.
Williams, aCy-Fair High School graduate andUniversity of Houston alumnus, began his career pitching inrelief for the Toronto Blue Jays until he was moved to a full-timestarter in1997. On December 12, 1998, he was traded to theSan Diego Padres with minor leaguer Peter Tucci andCarlos Almanzar for right-handed pitcherJoey Hamilton. He worked exclusively as a starter in San Diego. In 2001, he began the season with an 8–8 win–loss record with a 4.97ERA in 23 starts.
On August 2, 2001, he was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals foroutfielderRay Lankford, whereupon he went 7–1 with a 2.28 ERA in 11 starts.
On August 10, 2003, Williams became the first big-league pitcher to hit into anunassisted triple play,[citation needed] in whichAtlanta BravesshortstopRafael Furcal became the12th major-leaguer to make one of the rarest plays in baseball.[1] He continued to pitch well for St. Louis, making the2003 All-Star Game and starting Game 1 of the2004 World Series.
After the2004 season ended, Williams filed forfree agency; he signed back with the Padres on December 9, 2004.
On November 24, 2006, theHouston Astros announced they had signed Williams to a two-year, $12.5 million contract, at the same press conference announcing theCarlos Lee signing.[2]
After a career-worst 2007 season with Houston, where he went 8–15 with a 5.27 ERA, and a poor showing during the2008spring training, Williams was released by the Astros on March 29 and subsequently retired.
As a hitter, Williams was better than average for a pitcher, posting a .194batting average (105-for-540) with fourhome runs and 43runs batted in.
Williams is one of only 24 pitchers toearn a victory against all 30 MLB teams.[3]
Williams' best pitch was acut fastball that he could throw from 89 to 92 mph. He relied on hiscurveball as his strikeout pitch, used a straightchangeup as well, and threw an occasionalknuckleball.
He lives in Houston with his wife and five children: Katelyn, Sarah, Hannah, Caden, and Lillian. His cousinChase Ortiz was a defensive end for theWinnipeg Blue Bombers of theCanadian Football League. Williams began coaching varsity baseball at Fort Bend Baptist Academy in 2009, and led the team to the Texas Class 4A semifinals in 2010 and 2011.[4]