Ryan Vogelsong

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Ryan Vogelsong
Born	July 22, 1977 Charlotte, North Carolina
Nationality	American

Ryan Vogelsong

Hanshin Tigers – No. 4
Pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB Debut
September 2, 2000 for the San Francisco Giants
Selected MLB Statistics (through 2005)
Record	10-22
Strikeouts	189
ERA	5.78
Innings pitched	277
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2000-2001) Pittsburgh Pirates (2001-2006) Hanshin Tigers (2007-present)

Ryan Andrew Vogelsong (b. July 22, 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, now pitching for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. He graduated from Octorara Area High school in Atglen, PA in 1995 where he played baseball, basketball and soccer. He graduated from Kutztown University, in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.

He was acquired by the Pirates on July 30, 2001, from the San Francisco Giants (with whom he made his major league debut in 2001) along with outfielder Armando Ríos in exchange for pitcher Jason Schmidt and outfielder John Vander Wal. He appeared in only 2 games for the Pirates before he required Tommy John surgery that kept him out of the majors until the end of the 2003 season.

2004 marked Vogelsong's first full year in the major leagues. He spent most of the season as a starting pitcher and struggled in that role, ending the season with a 6-13 record and 6.50 ERA. He rebounded in 2005 after being moved to the bullpen, posting a 4.43 ERA and 2-2 record while primarily being used as a middle reliever.

As of the end of the 2005 season, Vogelsong had a career 10-22 record and 5.78 ERA in 100 games and 277 innings over parts of 5 seasons.

Vogelsong was recently acquired by the Hanshin Tigers of Japan [1] and made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut as their starting pitcher on April 5, 2007, facing another former Major League Baseball pitcher, Kazuhisa Ishii. He won his debut appearance at the home stadium, Koshien Stadium, on April 12, 2007, hitting a home run in the bottom of the second inning.[2] Vogelsong was the hero of the game, and in the live interview after the game surprised the Japanese fans by telling them that he loves them.^{[original research?]}