Kelvim Escobar

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**Kelvim Escobar**

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — No. 45
Starting Pitcher
Born: April 11, 1976 (1976-04-11) (age 32)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
June 29, 1997 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Win-Loss	101-90
Earned Run Average	4.15
Strikeouts	1305
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (1997-2003) Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004-present)

Kelvim Jose Escobar Bolivar [ess-coe-BAR] (born April 11, 1976 in La Guaira, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004-present). He bats and throws right-handed.

Escobar throws a four-seam 97 MPH fastball, a two-seamer, and a deceptive changeup. He has good command of a wide variety of other pitches, including a split-finger, a curve, and a slider that is a mainstay of his repertoire.

The normal trend has been to turn a starter into a dominant closer, such as Oakland did with Dennis Eckersley and the Braves with John Smoltz. But Toronto did the opposite. After six seasons of switching Escobar in and out of the bullpen, whether it be starting, holding or closing, the Blue Jays had decided to establish him as a starter in 2003. He had an 8-3 record in 14 starts after the All-Star break, and for the season, he posted a 12-8 record with 159 strikeouts and a 3.92 of ERA in 26 outings. Escobar is second on the Blue Jays all time single season saves list with 38, set in 2001.

Escobar signed as a free agent with Anaheim before the 2004 season. As the second starter in the Angels rotation, Escobar went 11-12, but led his team in ERA (3.93), strikeouts (191, a career high), WHIP (1.29) and innings pitched (208.1, also a career high).

In 2006 Escobar had an impressive season as a starter despite an 11-13 record with his low 3.61 ERA.In 2007 Escobar went 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA and 160 strikeouts , his best year by far.

Kelvim Escobar revealed that he has a tear in his right shoulder that could require season-ending surgery.

Escobar stopped throwing after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder.Escobar plans to see if two weeks off improve his shoulder before likely seeing a specialist to determine whether surgery is necessary. ^[1]

1 Note
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Note

On August 15, 2001, Escobar combined with fellow Venezuelan pitchers Giovanni Carrara, Omar Daal and Freddy García to win their respective starts: Escobar, of the Blue Jays, over Oakland, 5-2; Carrara, of the Dodgers, facing Montreal, 13-1; Daal, in a Phillies victory over the Brewers, 8-6, and García, of Seattle, against the Red Sox, 6-2. This marked the first time in Major League history that four pitchers coming from Venezuela have recorded a winning game in their respective starts in the same day.^{[citation needed]}