Kyle Lohse

Kyle Matthew Lohse (/ˈloʊʃ/; born October 4, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Texas Rangers.

Kyle Lohse
Lohse with the Milwaukee Brewers
Pitcher
Born: (1978-10-04) October 4, 1978
Chico, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 2001, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
July 19, 2016, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record147–143
Earned run average4.40
Strikeouts1,615
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki tribe. As of 2014, he was one of only three active non-Hispanic Native American players in MLB, with the others being Joba Chamberlain of the Cleveland Indians and Jacoby Ellsbury of the New York Yankees.[1]

On June 26, 2015, Lohse became the 14th pitcher to defeat all 30 MLB teams.[2]

Early life

Kyle was raised in Ord Bend, California, and attended nearby Hamilton Union High School in Hamilton City, California. Lohse followed in the footsteps of his parents, Larry and Leslie, who were both star athletes when they attended the same high school in the 1970s. He played basketball, baseball, and football. While playing baseball, he was an All-Conference pick in all four years of high school. He was also on the Honor Roll and took several advanced classes. He graduated in 1996.

Lohse's mother has Native American and Filipino ancestry and his father has German ancestry. Growing up, Lohse did not think of himself as anything other than "American" because the Nomlaki tribe did not reestablish itself until 1996.[3]

After high school, Lohse attended Butte College.

Major leagues

Minnesota Twins

The Chicago Cubs selected Lohse in the 29th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. In 1999, the Cubs traded Lohse with Jason Ryan to the Minnesota Twins for Rick Aguilera and Scott Downs. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, 2001.

In 2002, Lohse's first full year as a starter, he posted a 13–8 record with an ERA of 4.23. He followed that with success in 2003, starting 33 games and going 14–11 with a 4.61 ERA. In 2004, he did not fare as well, going 9–13 with a 5.34 ERA. Lohse has been to one ALCS, with the Twins in 2002.

On May 17, 2006, he was sent down to AAA Rochester, and the Twins called up replacement pitcher Boof Bonser. On June 9, Matt Guerrier broke his thumb and Lohse was recalled.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 31, 2006, Lohse was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for minor-league pitcher Zach Ward. Lohse made his first start for the Reds on August 17, 2006.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 30, 2007, Lohse was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor-league pitcher Matt Maloney. After his departure from the Reds, Lohse's performance dropped off slightly, and in 11 starts with the Phillies, Lohse went 3–0, receiving a large number of no-decisions due to late offensive rallies by the Phillies lineup. His ERA for the Phillies swelled to 4.72,[4] and he averaged fewer than six innings pitched per start.

St. Louis Cardinals

On March 14, 2008, Lohse signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals[5] worth $4.25 million.[6]

Lohse was one of the biggest surprises for the Cardinals in the first half of the 2008 season, going 11–2 with a 3.39 ERA. He was later suspended for five games for throwing at Reds' pitcher Edinson Vólquez. Lohse appealed the ruling and pitched as he awaited a decision on his appeal, but Lohse eventually dropped his appeal and served his suspension in full.

Lohse and the Cardinals agreed to a four-year, $41-million contract extension on September 29, 2008.[7]

On April 17, 2010, in a 20-inning game against the New York Mets, Lohse entered the game playing left field in the 18th inning while shortstop Felipe López pitched.

On August 28, 2011, Lohse won his 100th game as a pitcher when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7–4. That year – during which the Cardinals won the World Series – he led the Cardinals with 14 wins and a 3.39 ERA.[8]

Lohse was named the Cardinals' Opening Day starting pitcher in 2012.[8] In that game, Lohse did not give up a hit until the seventh inning, when José Reyes hit a single to right field. In total, Lohse threw ​7 1⁄3 innings, giving up two hits while allowing one run and striking out three. Thus, Lohse became the first pitcher to earn a win at the new Marlins Park.[9]

His 16-3 won-lost record for 2012 led the National League in winning percentage, at .842, among eligible pitchers.[10]

Milwaukee Brewers

On March 25, 2013, it was confirmed that Kyle Lohse signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.[11] Despite moving to one of the most hitter-friendly parks in Miller Park to pitch with Milwaukee, Lohse continued to pitch well. In his first season with the Brewers, Lohse went 11-10 with a 3.35 ERA over the course of 198 innings pitched.

In 2014 Lohse pitched to a 3.54 ERA over the course of 31 starts and 198 and third innings pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers and struck out 141 batters, only two short of his career high.[12]

Texas Rangers

On May 13, 2016, Lohse signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers worth $2 million, with another $1.5 million in performance bonuses.[13] After two rough starts in which he allowed more than 10 runs, he was designated for assignment. Lohse refused his outright assignment and became a free agent on July 31.

Kansas City Royals

After sitting out the 2017 season, Lohse signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on March 31, 2018.[14] On May 10, 2018, Lohse announced his retirement from baseball via his Instagram.[15]

Pitching style

Lohse's arsenal features a two-seam fastball at 90-91 mph, a biting slider in the mid 80s, a downward-fading changeup in the low 80s, and a 12-6 curveball in the low-to-mid 70s. His slider is thrown harder than normal for a pitcher with his velocity and has a very tight break at the end, making it something of a hybrid between a cutter and a slider. At the beginning of his career, and until he began pitching with the Cardinals, his primary fastball was a normal four-seam fastball in the low 90s. After signing with St. Louis and under the tutelage of Dave Duncan, Lohse started using a two-seamer, a major reason for his development. Developing his two-seamer and refining his off-speed pitches, Lohse has become known as a very good command pitcher capable of inducing many ground-ball outs without walking many batters. He is not a major strikeout pitcher, but in 2012 set a new career high in strikeouts with 143 in 211 innings, giving him 6.1 strikeouts per nine innings, with only 1.6 walks.

During his career in Minnesota, Lohse dedicated himself to working with Cars for Courage, an organization that serves disabled children through sports programs and activities.[16]

References
  1. Mallozzi, Vincent M. (June 8, 2008). "The American Indians of America's Pastime". The New York Times.
  2. Totoraitis, Joe (June 27, 2015). "Brewers' big 1st inning backs Lohse in 10-4 win over Twins". Associated Press.
  3. Capria, Brendan (March 21, 2014). "Kyle Lohse brings heritage and work ethic to Brewers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. "Kyle Lohse 2007 Pitching Gamelogs - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. Matthew Leach (March 14, 2008). "Lohse signs contract with Cards". St. Louis Cardinals.MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
  6. Joe Strauss (March 13, 2008). "Lohse agrees to one-year deal with Cards". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  7. Matthew Leach (September 29, 2008). "Lohse, Cards agree to four-year deal". St. Louis Cardinals.MLB.com. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  8. Langosch, Jenifer. "Lohse honored to give it his all in opener: Under the radar, veteran Cardinals right-hander had stellar '11," MLB.com (Apr. 3, 2012).
  9. Langosch, Jennifer (April 4, 2012). "Lohse masterful as Cards open season with win". MLB.com.
  10. Who's Who In Baseball, 2013 edition, Pete Palmer, editor, published by Who's Who In Baseball, New York, Kyle Lohse statistical summary
  11. "Brewers Sign Kyle Lohse". MLB Trade Rumors.
  12. "Kyle Lohse Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. "Rangers agree to deal with free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse". 13 May 2016.
  14. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/03/royals-sign-kyle-lohse-to-minor-league-deal.html
  15. https://www.instagram.com/p/BinjVMUDkwp/
  16. "The Outstanding Alumni Award," Butte College Foundation website. Accessed Oct. 16, 2012.
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