Following League's breakout season in 2006, he engaged in strength conditioning during the offseason, and at the behest of the Blue Jays, did not pitch until spring training. As a result, he overdeveloped some shoulder muscles, resulting in a significant drop in his fastball velocity.[3] League was placed on the 60-day disabled list and missed the majority of the 2007 season. Both his velocity and effectiveness recovered the following season.
Seattle Mariners
On December 22, 2009, League was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with minor-league outfielder Johermyn Chávez for pitcher Brandon Morrow.[4] He signed a one-year, $1.08 million contract for 2010.[5] Because of an injury to David Aardsma, League started the 2011 season as the Mariners' closer.[6] He was selected to his first All-Star game as a relief pitcher for the 2011 All-Star game. In a 2011 interview, veteran outfielder Coco Crisp named League as one of the four toughest pitchers he had ever faced.[7] On June 8, 2012, League was one of six Mariners to throw a combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Safeco Field.[8] After a series of blown saves, League was replaced by Tom Wilhelmsen as closer. In 21⁄2 seasons with the Mariners, League had converted a total of 52 saves in 69 chances with a 3.26 ERA.
Los Angeles Dodgers
League pitching for the Dodgers in 2014
On July 30, 2012, League was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguers Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom.[9] He became the Dodgers closer in September after Kenley Jansen was sidelined with an irregular heartbeat. In 28 games with the Dodgers, he was 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA and six saves.[1] On October 30, the Dodgers re-signed League to a three-year, $22.5 million deal with a vesting option worth $7.5 million for 2016.[10] On June 11, League was demoted from the closer role after blowing his fourth save in 17 chances, and he was replaced by Jansen.[11] He was used primarily in low pressure situations the rest of the season. Overall, in 2013, he was 6-4 with a 5.30 ERA in 58 appearances, with 14 early season saves.[1] In 2014, the Dodgers used League primarily in middle relief. He finished the season with a 2–3 record and a 2.57 ERA in 63 games.[1]
League underwent an MRI during spring training in 2015 which revealed serious shoulder damage, causing him to miss the first couple months of the season.[12] After spending a month rehabbing in the minors, League was designated for assignment on July 2, 2015.[13][14] He was released on July 10.[15]
Kansas City Royals
League did not play professional baseball at any level in 2016.[16] On January 7, 2017, League signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals that included an invitation to spring training.[17] He was released on March 19, 2017.[18]
League's main pitch is a very hard sinker averaging 96 mph. (In 2011, he had the hardest sinker of any relief pitcher, at 97.3 mph.)[20] He also has an upper-80s slider that he uses primarily early in the count to right-handed hitters. He also has a splitter that he uses as a strikeout pitch. The splitter has a whiff rate of 55%.[21]
League's wife, Sasha League, attended Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, California. She holds a psychology major from the University of Hawaii. They have been married since 2005. Brandon and Sasha League are parents to four girls.[23]
After his playing career, League founded Parallel X League, a Southern California-based clothing line, in 2019.[23]
References
^ abcd"Brandon League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. from the original on 2009-04-21. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
^"September 21, 2004 Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. September 21, 2004. from the original on 2008-02-04. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
^Bastian, Jordan (March 25, 2007). . Toronto Blue Jays. MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
^Bastian, Jordan (December 23, 2009). . Toronto Blue Jays. MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
^Baker, Geoff (January 20, 2010). . The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
^. NBC Sports. April 23, 2011. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
^"Oakland Athletics' Coco Crisp Reveals The Toughest Pitchers He's Ever Faced". Bleacher Report. January 20, 2011. from the original on 2011-01-26. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
^"6 Mariners pitchers throw no-hitter". CBS News. Associated Press. June 9, 2012. from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
^Shelburne, Ramona (July 31, 2012). "Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Brandon League from Seattle Mariners". ESPN. from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
^Gurnick, Ken (October 30, 2012). . Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
^Saxon, Mark (June 11, 2013). "Dodgers change closers: League out, Jansen in". ESPN. from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
^Saxson, Mark (March 28, 2015). "Brandon League out two months". ESPN. from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
^Lempert, Jason (July 2, 2015). "Dodgers RP Brandon League designated for assignment". CBS Sports. from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
^Stephen, Eric (July 2, 2015). "Dodgers designate Brandon League for assignment". SB Nation. from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
^"Dodgers release reliever Brandon League". Sports Illustrated. July 11, 2015. from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
^"Brandon League Register Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^Wilmoth, Charlie (January 7, 2017). "Royals Sign Chris Withrow, Al Alburquerque, Brandon League To Minor League Deals". MLB Trade Rumors. from the original on 2017-01-08. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^Eddy, Matt (March 29, 2017). . Baseball America. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
^"BEES SIGN LEAGUE, ANNOUNCE 2017 OPENING DAY ROSTER". New Britain Bees. April 20, 2017. from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
^"PitchFX Leaderboards". Baseball Prospectus. from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
^. Brooks Baseball. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
^Sogi, Francis Y. (2004). Riding the Kona Wave: Memoirs of A Japanese American. New York, New York: The Cheshire Press. p. xiii, 1, 163. ISBN0-9762575-0-5.
^ abShimabuku, Christian (July 18, 2020). "Former MLB All-Star and Saint Louis alum Brandon League holds Hawaii close to his heart with clothing line". KHON2. from the original on 2020-07-19. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brandon League.
brandon, league, brandon, paul, league, born, march, 1983, american, former, professional, baseball, pitcher, league, played, major, league, baseball, toronto, blue, jays, seattle, mariners, angeles, dodgers, former, closer, time, star, league, with, angeles, . Brandon Paul League born March 16 1983 is an American former professional baseball pitcher League has played in Major League Baseball MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers He is a former closer and one time All Star Brandon LeagueLeague with the Los Angeles DodgersPitcherBorn 1983 03 16 March 16 1983 age 39 Sacramento CaliforniaBatted RightThrew RightMLB debutSeptember 21 2004 for the Toronto Blue JaysLast MLB appearanceSeptember 27 2014 for the Los Angeles DodgersMLB statisticsWin loss record27 35Earned run average3 65Strikeouts375Saves74TeamsToronto Blue Jays 2004 2009 Seattle Mariners 2010 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers 2012 2014 Career highlights and awardsAll Star 2011 League pitching for the Seattle Mariners in 2010 Contents 1 Professional career 1 1 Toronto Blue Jays 1 2 Seattle Mariners 1 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 1 4 Kansas City Royals 1 5 New Britain Bees 2 Pitching style 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksProfessional career EditToronto Blue Jays Edit He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Saint Louis School and was signed on July 3 2001 1 He made his major league debut on September 21 2004 against the New York Yankees as he pitched a solid inning and a third 2 Following League s breakout season in 2006 he engaged in strength conditioning during the offseason and at the behest of the Blue Jays did not pitch until spring training As a result he overdeveloped some shoulder muscles resulting in a significant drop in his fastball velocity 3 League was placed on the 60 day disabled list and missed the majority of the 2007 season Both his velocity and effectiveness recovered the following season Seattle Mariners Edit On December 22 2009 League was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez for pitcher Brandon Morrow 4 He signed a one year 1 08 million contract for 2010 5 Because of an injury to David Aardsma League started the 2011 season as the Mariners closer 6 He was selected to his first All Star game as a relief pitcher for the 2011 All Star game In a 2011 interview veteran outfielder Coco Crisp named League as one of the four toughest pitchers he had ever faced 7 On June 8 2012 League was one of six Mariners to throw a combined no hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Safeco Field 8 After a series of blown saves League was replaced by Tom Wilhelmsen as closer In 21 2 seasons with the Mariners League had converted a total of 52 saves in 69 chances with a 3 26 ERA Los Angeles Dodgers Edit League pitching for the Dodgers in 2014 On July 30 2012 League was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguers Leon Landry and Logan Bawcom 9 He became the Dodgers closer in September after Kenley Jansen was sidelined with an irregular heartbeat In 28 games with the Dodgers he was 2 1 with a 2 30 ERA and six saves 1 On October 30 the Dodgers re signed League to a three year 22 5 million deal with a vesting option worth 7 5 million for 2016 10 On June 11 League was demoted from the closer role after blowing his fourth save in 17 chances and he was replaced by Jansen 11 He was used primarily in low pressure situations the rest of the season Overall in 2013 he was 6 4 with a 5 30 ERA in 58 appearances with 14 early season saves 1 In 2014 the Dodgers used League primarily in middle relief He finished the season with a 2 3 record and a 2 57 ERA in 63 games 1 League underwent an MRI during spring training in 2015 which revealed serious shoulder damage causing him to miss the first couple months of the season 12 After spending a month rehabbing in the minors League was designated for assignment on July 2 2015 13 14 He was released on July 10 15 Kansas City Royals Edit League did not play professional baseball at any level in 2016 16 On January 7 2017 League signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals that included an invitation to spring training 17 He was released on March 19 2017 18 New Britain Bees Edit After he was released by the Royals League signed with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball 19 He became a free agent after the 2017 season Pitching style EditLeague s main pitch is a very hard sinker averaging 96 mph In 2011 he had the hardest sinker of any relief pitcher at 97 3 mph 20 He also has an upper 80s slider that he uses primarily early in the count to right handed hitters He also has a splitter that he uses as a strikeout pitch The splitter has a whiff rate of 55 21 Personal life EditLeague resides in Honolulu and is hapa Yonsei His maternal great grandparents were born and raised in Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu Island in Japan 22 League s wife Sasha League attended Mt Carmel High School in San Diego California She holds a psychology major from the University of Hawaii They have been married since 2005 Brandon and Sasha League are parents to four girls 23 After his playing career League founded Parallel X League a Southern California based clothing line in 2019 23 References Edit a b c d Brandon League Statistics and History Baseball Reference com Archived from the original on 2009 04 21 Retrieved September 4 2012 September 21 2004 Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score Baseball Reference com Baseball Reference com September 21 2004 Archived from the original on 2008 02 04 Retrieved September 4 2012 Bastian Jordan March 25 2007 Notes League headed to Syracuse Toronto Blue Jays MLB com Archived from the original on April 16 2008 Retrieved July 11 2008 Bastian Jordan December 23 2009 Jays get Morrow send League to M s Toronto Blue Jays MLB com Archived from the original on December 26 2009 Retrieved January 21 2010 Baker Geoff January 20 2010 Felix Hernandez arrives in Seattle deal done pending physical press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon The Seattle Times Archived from the original on January 24 2010 Retrieved January 21 2010 Aardsma Set to Pitch Again on Sunday NBC Sports April 23 2011 Archived from the original on April 27 2011 Retrieved April 30 2011 Oakland Athletics Coco Crisp Reveals The Toughest Pitchers He s Ever Faced Bleacher Report January 20 2011 Archived from the original on 2011 01 26 Retrieved May 9 2015 6 Mariners pitchers throw no hitter CBS News Associated Press June 9 2012 Archived from the original on 2014 10 06 Retrieved December 17 2021 Shelburne Ramona July 31 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Brandon League from Seattle Mariners ESPN Archived from the original on 2012 08 02 Retrieved September 4 2012 Gurnick Ken October 30 2012 Dodgers ink League to three year deal Los Angeles Dodgers MLB com Archived from the original on November 2 2012 Retrieved November 2 2012 Saxon Mark June 11 2013 Dodgers change closers League out Jansen in ESPN Archived from the original on 2021 12 17 Retrieved December 17 2021 Saxson Mark March 28 2015 Brandon League out two months ESPN Archived from the original on 2015 03 28 Retrieved April 26 2015 Lempert Jason July 2 2015 Dodgers RP Brandon League designated for assignment CBS Sports Archived from the original on 2015 07 09 Retrieved July 2 2015 Stephen Eric July 2 2015 Dodgers designate Brandon League for assignment SB Nation Archived from the original on 2015 07 03 Retrieved July 2 2015 Dodgers release reliever Brandon League Sports Illustrated July 11 2015 Archived from the original on 2015 07 12 Retrieved December 17 2021 Brandon League Register Statistics amp History Baseball Reference com Retrieved January 7 2017 Wilmoth Charlie January 7 2017 Royals Sign Chris Withrow Al Alburquerque Brandon League To Minor League Deals MLB Trade Rumors Archived from the original on 2017 01 08 Retrieved January 7 2017 Eddy Matt March 29 2017 Minor League Transactions March 18 24 Baseball America Archived from the original on March 30 2017 Retrieved March 29 2017 BEES SIGN LEAGUE ANNOUNCE 2017 OPENING DAY ROSTER New Britain Bees April 20 2017 Archived from the original on 2021 05 12 Retrieved December 17 2021 PitchFX Leaderboards Baseball Prospectus Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved September 20 2012 Brooks Baseball Home of the PitchFX Tool Player Card Brandon League Brooks Baseball Archived from the original on August 22 2012 Retrieved September 4 2012 Sogi Francis Y 2004 Riding the Kona Wave Memoirs of A Japanese American New York New York The Cheshire Press p xiii 1 163 ISBN 0 9762575 0 5 a b Shimabuku Christian July 18 2020 Former MLB All Star and Saint Louis alum Brandon League holds Hawaii close to his heart with clothing line KHON2 Archived from the original on 2020 07 19 Retrieved December 17 2021 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brandon League Baseball portalCareer statistics and player information from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference Minors Brandon League on Twitter Preceded byJohan Santana No hit gameJune 8 2012 with Millwood Furbush Pryor Luetge amp Wilhelmsen Succeeded byMatt Cain Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brandon League amp oldid 1120439470, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
