Kelvim Escobar

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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). Previously, Escobar played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1997-2003). 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 lively split-finger, a nasty curve, and a slider that is a mainstay of his huge 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 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).

Through the 2004 season, Escobar has compiled a 69-67 record with 935 strikeouts and a 4.45 ERA in 1057.1 innings.

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