Brad Lidge

Early life

Lidge was born in Sacramento, California on December 23, 1976. At a young age, the Lidge family moved to Englewood, Colorado. Growing up, Lidge was very active, playing football, basketball and baseball among other sports. Lidge attended Cherry Creek High School.

College career

Lidge attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played college baseball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team. He won the Big East Conference player of the year award during his junior season under coach Paul Mainieri, leading the conference with an 8–2 record and 93 strikeouts in  80 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Early career

Lidge was a 1st round draft pick by the Houston Astros, taken 17th overall in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. He missed parts of his first four professional seasons (at Quad Cities, Kissimmee, Round Rock, and New Orleans) with injuries, including a torn rotator cuff and a broken forearm that threatened his career. Lidge would overcome these injuries, making his debut in the major leagues on April 26, 2002 against the Atlanta Braves, serving as a middle relief pitcher in the Astros' bullpen. He started the only game of his career in September of that year against the Milwaukee Brewers. Lidge went 2-for-2 with a double and 2 RBIs at the plate, but was pulled when he strained an intercostal muscle in his ribcage after pitching three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, two walks and a hit batsman.

2003–04

In 2003, Lidge was the winning pitcher in the Astros historic six-pitcher tandem which no-hit the New York Yankees on June 11. That year, Lidge was voted Astros Rookie of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA.

Following the trades of Billy Wagner in the 2003 off-season and Octavio Dotel in the summer of 2004, the Astros moved Lidge from setup man to closer. He set a new National League record for strikeouts by a reliever with 157, passing Goose Gossage's total of 151 set in 1977. The mark is third all-time for relievers, behind Dick Radatz's 181 in 1964, and Mark Eichhorn's 166 in 1986. In the 2004 season, hitters swung and missed at Lidge's strikes almost 42% of the time; for balls out of the strike zone, batters missed more than 70% of the time. Baseball writer Joe Posnanski noted, "I have no doubt that Brad Lidge, that one year, was one of the most unhittable pitchers in the history of baseball."

2005

In his first All-Star Game appearance in 2005, Lidge pitched the bottom of the seventh, striking out all three batters he faced. He threw 11 pitches (2 balls) to Melvin Mora, Mike Sweeney, and Garret Anderson, who did not make contact with any of Lidge's pitches. Lidge became the first pitcher to strike out the side in his first All-Star appearance since Bill Caudill and Dwight Gooden in 1984.

Later in 2005, Lidge finished the season with a 2.29 ERA and a career-high 42 saves. That year, Lidge ranked third in the National League in saves and became the second Houston Astros pitcher ever to record at least 40 saves in one season alongside Billy Wagner.

During the 2005 NLCS, Lidge gave up a 3-run home run to Albert Pujols in Game 5 in Houston which forced a Game 6 back in St. Louis, which the Astros would win to clinch their first World Series berth in franchise history. Lidge gave up a walk off home run to Scott Podsednik in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series and the series winning run and hit in Game 4 to go 0-2 in the series and complete the White Sox sweep of the Astros.

2006–07

Lidge pitched for the United States national baseball team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, throwing two scoreless innings. Later that year, Lidge became the third pitcher in Astros history to record 100 saves with the club, after Wagner and Dave Smith, and this led the Astros to sign Lidge to a one-year, $5.35 million contract that would keep him in Houston through the 2007 season.

However, Lidge was demoted from the closer's role on April 9, 2007. Lidge would later regain his role in mid-June as the closer after going 10+ scoreless innings and posting a 2.45 era. On July 17, 2007, Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Washington Nationals, striking out two and walking one, to earn his first save of the 2007 season. Lidge finished the season 5–3 with 19 saves in 27 chances for the Astros. On November 7, 2007, Lidge was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies along with infielder Eric Bruntlett in exchange for outfielder Michael Bourn, pitcher Geoff Geary, and Mike Costanzo.

2008

In February 2008, Lidge tore the meniscus in his right knee while pitching off the mound during Spring training. To exacerbate matters, this was the same knee that he had had surgery on during the off-season. Later in the month, he had successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair the torn meniscus. As a result, Lidge sat out until April 5 to start the season.

During the early 2008 season, Lidge showed signs that he regained the dominant form he displayed in his earlier career. In the opening two months of the season, he converted 12 save opportunities and allowed just two earned runs. In May, Lidge returned to Minute Maid Park, where he was greeted by a mixed reaction from Astros fans, but he recorded his 12th save of the season against his former team. He opened the month of June, usually the start of the summer's heavy-hitting season, with three saves earned in three straight games versus the Florida Marlins and the Cincinnati Reds.

In July 2008, Lidge signed a 3-year contract extension with the Phillies. Lidge also set new Phillies records by converting his first 19 save opportunities and 35 straight saves.

Lidge was named to the roster of the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He was announced before the game as the closer. After warming up six separate times, he ended up the final pitcher available in the game, and pitched in the 15th inning. He allowed a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning, as the American League won the game, 4–3.

On September 27, 2008, Lidge became the first closer in Phillies history to be perfect in regular season saves, converting 41 in as many opportunities, as he secured the National League East division title for the Phillies. He is the first closer since Éric Gagné in 2003 to have a perfect conversion rate and 30+ saves. Lidge finished the 2008 season with 41 out of 41 save opportunities, a 1.95 ERA, and 92 strikeouts in 62 games. He saved the decisive Game 5 of the 2008 World Series in Philadelphia on October 29, 2008 with a strikeout, to make him 7 for 7 in postseason saves, thus completing his perfect season (a record he shares with John Wetteland, Troy Percival, Koji Uehara, Zach Britton and Greg Holland; Robb Nen was also 7 for 7 in 2002 before he blew one on the 8th opportunity).

Lidge was eighth in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, behind Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun, Manny Ramirez, Lance Berkman, CC Sabathia, and David Wright, and was the only player other than Pujols or Howard to receive first place votes.

He received the MLB Comeback Player of the Year and DHL Delivery Man of the Year awards. Baseball fans nationwide voted him the MLB "This Year in Baseball Awards" Closer of the Year. Lidge was voted the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's Outstanding Pro Athlete of the Year award and honored at their annual dinner on January 26, 2009. He was named the inaugural recipient of the Daily News Sportsperson of the Year award.

2009

Lidge's 2009 season was a complete reversal of fortune from the prior year, in which he was perfect in save opportunities. Through the month of June, Lidge had an ERA of 7.57 in  27 ²⁄₃ innings pitched, while he converted only 14 of 20 save opportunities. Lidge missed most of June due to injury, as he was placed on the disabled list due to a sprained right knee.

After returning to the Phillies, Lidge's performance did not improve and he continued to blow leads and save opportunities, but Phillies manager Charlie Manuel continued to support Lidge and reiterate that he was the team's closer. By September, though, Lidge had struggled long enough that Manuel began using other relievers to close games. Lidge was used in different situations out of the bullpen, but did not find a role where he pitched consistently well. Lidge finished the season with a win-loss record of 0–8, an ERA of 7.21, and 31 saves in 42 opportunities, and he allowed an average of 1.81 walks plus hits per inning pitched. For closers with at least 20 saves in a season, Lidge's 2009 ERA is the worst in MLB history. Lidge's best month of the season was July, when his ERA was 5.91, and his best save streak stretched only 8 consecutive saves.

In the National League Division Series, Lidge appeared in Games 3 and 4 in save situations, earning the save in both games. In Game 1 of the 2009 National League Championship Series, Lidge secured his 3rd save helping the Phillies win 8 to 6. In Game 4 of the series, Lidge pitched in relief of Scott Eyre to retire the last two batters with the Phillies trailing 4–3 in the ninth inning. He eventually got his first win of 2009 after Jimmy Rollins hit a game-winning double to give the Phillies a 5–4 victory. Entering the 2009 World Series, Lidge and the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera were the only closers who had not blown a save during the 2009 postseason. In Game 4 which would be Lidge's only appearance in that World Series, he gave up three runs in the ninth inning, giving the Yankees a 7–4 win and a 3-1 lead in the series. The Yankees went on to win the series in six games.

2010

Lidge underwent elbow surgery in January 2010, and he pitched in rehabilitation games with the Phillies' minor league teams (Clearwater, Reading, & Lehigh Valley) during the beginning of the 2010 season. He made his first major league appearance of the season on April 30 against the New York Mets, surrendering a home run to the first batter he faced and recording one out before being removed from the game. On June 22, 2010, Lidge recorded his 200th save against the Cleveland Indians.

After spending most of the first half on the disabled list, Lidge rebounded from the previous season. He converted 17 of his last 18 save opportunities during the regular season and recorded two saves during a 2010 postseason in which he did not allow a run. Lidge finished 2010 with a 2.96 ERA and 27 saves in 32 opportunities.

2011

Lidge started the year on the 60-day disabled list. He returned in late July 2011, losing his spot as the closer to teammate Ryan Madson. He took on a long reliever's role and at the end of the season, the Phillies declined his 2012 option, making him a free agent.

2012

On January 27, 2012, Lidge signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals worth $1 million. Lidge was initially expected to be the setup man for Washington, but late in spring training it was expected that Lidge could become the closer after Drew Storen was sidelined with elbow inflammation.

After converting only 2 of 4 save opportunities and accruing a 5.14 ERA over seven single-inning appearances through April 21, Lidge was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 27 (retroactive to April 22) with an abdominal wall strain. He was replaced on the roster by Ryan Perry and as closer by Henry Rodriguez. Lidge returned to the active roster on June 7. However, after a number of poor performances, Lidge was designated for assignment on June 17.

Retirement

After a troubled 2012 season, Lidge retired from Major League Baseball on December 2, 2012. On August 1, 2013, Lidge signed a one-day ceremonial contract, and officially retired as a Philadelphia Phillie. Lidge currently hosts on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio with Casey Stern on Inside Pitch weekdays from 2-5pm ET.

Personal life

Lidge currently resides in Englewood, Colorado, with his wife, Lindsay, and their two children, daughter Avery Grace and son Rowan Thomas. He has an interest in archaeology and religious studies and takes online courses at Regis University.