November 11 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Jason Grilli followed his Dad, Steve Grilli, to Detroit to become a member of the bull pen for the Tigers.   Jason was born in Royal Oak while his Dad pitched in Detroit.  He was signed out of Seton Hall by the San Francisco Giants.  The Giants traded him as a minor leaguer to the Florida Marlins with Nate Bump for Livan Hernandez.  He got into the majors for the Marlins in 2000 and 2001 as a starter.   But he was only 3-2 with a 5.94 ERA.  The Chicago White Sox then picked him up as a Rule 5 draftee.  He was 2-3 in Chicago again as a starter and his ERA went higher to 7.40.  At the end of the season the Sox granted him free agency and the Tigers signed him.   He wore his Dad’s number 49 while in Detroit.  The Tigers tried him as a starter and he was 1-1 but his ERA dropped to a respectable 3.38, however, it was only 3 games.  The following year was the great 2006 season in Detroit and Jason was a part of that.   He was used more against right handed batters and was more effective at home than on the road with an ERA that was almost a full half run lower at home.  He had a great August and won 2 games while posting a 1.46 ERA in 11 games.  But that was followed by a terrible September and October where he was 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA.  He was used in the postseason and his record looks better than it really was.  He put up an ERA of 0.00 in the post season but that does not show that he walked 4 in three innings and gave up a hit while only getting one K.  Most of the damage was done in game 5 of the ALCS when he came in to pitch the 8^th in a 3-3 tie game.  He gave up a lead off single which was erased on a double play.  The he proceeded to throw 12 straight balls without a strike and load the bases before he was pulled for Wil Ledezma.  Jason was again in the Tiger bull pen in 2007 and was 5-3 with a 4.74 ERA.  He started 2008 with the Tigers but after going 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for minor leaguer Zach Simons.   He bounced around for a few years putting up records similar to what he had in Detroit or worse before finding a home in Pittsburgh.  He became a new pitcher in Pittsburgh where he was an all-star in 2013 and was their closer with 33 saves and a 2.70 ERA.  He ended up in California in 2014 trying to shore up the Angels bull pen.

Damion Easley

Ownie Carroll

Bill Steen

Jack Ness