Kyle Farnsworth
Encyclopedia
Kyle Lynn Farnsworth is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...

 who is currently the closer for the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...

.

High school and college

Farnsworth graduated from Milton High School in Milton, Georgia
Milton, Georgia
Milton is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. Incorporated on December 1, 2006, it was created out of the entire unincorporated northwestern part of northern Fulton County. It is a highly affluent community with an average household income within the zip code 30004 of $99,412...

, in 1994. During high school, he played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

. He continued to play baseball in college at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is a State College of the University System of Georgia. Located in Tifton, Georgia, ABAC offers baccalaureate and associate degrees...

 in Tifton, Georgia
Tifton, Georgia
Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County.-Major highways:* Interstate 75* U.S. Highway 41* U.S. Highway 82* U.S...

. Farnsworth is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).

Chicago Cubs

Farnsworth was drafted in the 47th round by the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 in 1994. He played for the Cubs from 1999 to 2004.

First stint with the Detroit Tigers

On February 9, 2005, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 for Roberto Novoa
Roberto Novoa
Roberto Novoa is a pitcher in Major League Baseball who is currently with the York Revolution.-Minor league career:...

, Scott Moore and Bo Flowers.

First stint with the Atlanta Braves

On July 31, 2005, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

 for pitchers Zach Miner
Zach Miner
Zachary Charles Miner is a Major League Baseball pitcher currently in the Kansas City Royals organization. He bats and throws right-handed.-Atlanta Braves:...

 and Roman Colon
Román Colón
Román Benedicto Colón is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds...

.

New York Yankees

Following the season, Farnsworth signed with the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

, replacing Tom Gordon
Tom Gordon
Thomas Gordon , nicknamed "Flash", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played with the Kansas City Royals , Boston Red Sox , Chicago Cubs , Houston Astros , Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees , Philadelphia Phillies and the...

 as the team's primary set-up man. The deal, worth $17 million over three years, was the second-highest offer Farnsworth received. The Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

 reportedly offered a three-year, $16.5 million contract with a vesting option that would have taken the deal to $21 million, plus incentives.

He struggled in the 2006 season, accumulating a 4.36 ERA. His struggles continued into the 2007 season.

Second stint with the Tigers

On July 30, 2008, Farnsworth returned to the Tigers in a trade for Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...

.

Kansas City Royals

On December 13, 2008, the Royals reached an agreement with Farnsworth on a two-year, $9.25MM deal.

Second stint with the Braves

On July 31, 2010, Farnsworth was re-acquired by the Braves along with Rick Ankiel
Rick Ankiel
Richard Alexander Ankiel is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently with the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws left-handed....

.

Incidents

Farnsworth was involved in a brawl that occurred in the season when his former team, the Chicago Cubs, were playing the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

. Reds pitcher Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson (baseball player)
Paul Anthony Wilson is a retired right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:Wilson played college baseball for the Florida State University Seminoles under head coach Mike Martin....

 stepped out of the batter's box after an inside pitch, and started to yell at Farnsworth. Farnsworth then met Wilson a short distance from home plate, and speared him to the ground. He was suspended three games for his actions, but MLB reduced the suspension to two games.

In the 2004 season, Farnsworth angrily kicked an electric fan in the Cubs' dugout after an outing in which he gave up six runs in one inning to the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

. Farnsworth ended up severely bruising and spraining his knee in the process, and was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

 as a result.

Farnsworth was involved in a bench-clearing fight in the 2005 season while playing for the Detroit Tigers, against the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

 at Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....

. After order appeared to have been restored, Farnsworth charged Royals pitcher Jeremy Affeldt
Jeremy Affeldt
Jeremy David Affeldt is an American baseball professional pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He throws and bats left-handed. Previously, he has played for the Kansas City Royals, the Colorado Rockies, and the Cincinnati Reds....

 and was severely injured. Farnsworth was ejected from the game.

On April 17, 2008, Farnsworth threw behind Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 left fielder Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...

. While Farnsworth claimed that the ball slipped out of his hand as a result of trying to throw the ball as hard as possible, Ramirez was skeptical and surmised that the pitch was retaliation for Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...

 being plunked the prior night after hitting a home run in the game. Following Farnsworth's pitch, the umpire issued warnings to both dugouts that any ill-intentions from that point forward would result in ejections.

On June 17, 2009, Farnsworth's left, non-pitching hand was bitten while he was breaking up a fight between two of his American bulldog
American Bulldog
The American Bulldog is a breed of working dog that was developed in the United States. There are generally considered to be three types of American bulldog: the Bully or Classic type , the Standard or Performance type , and the Hybrid type...

s—Strike and Rambo. The cuts were deep enough to reach, but not cut, a tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...

. Farnsworth later taped his finger, tucked it into his glove, and went to practice telling manager Trey Hillman
Trey Hillman
Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman is the current bench coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has previously been the manager of both the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League and the Kansas City Royals in the American League.-Playing career:Hillman signed with the Cleveland Indians in...

 that he could pitch. When asked which of his dogs bit him, Farnsworth replied: "I don't know. I reached in there and started grabbing dogs and throwing dogs. And one of them got me. One of those things that happens. It's never pretty. I've had to do it a few times, and it's ugly."

External links

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