Alan Embree

Alan Duane Embree

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Prairie High School
• Debut September 15, 1992
• Final Game July 10, 2009
• Born January 23, 1970 in The Dalles, OR USA

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Biographical Information

Alan Embree had a long career as a work-horse relief pitcher, without getting many decisions or saves. In his 16-year career, he pitched almost exclusively in relief. He never had more than 4 wins nor 6 losses in any one major league season. After picking up only 8 saves in his first 13 major league seasons, he was pressed into service as the Oakland Athletics' closer in the second half of 2007 and did well, saving 17 games. He then went back to his usual role over the next two seasons, not picking up a single save.

After a brief four-game stint as a starting pitcher in his debut season with the Cleveland Indians in 1992, he returned to the majors to stay in 1995 and never started another game from that point on. He pitched for 10 different teams, including two separate stints with the San Diego Padres. While he was a typical middle reliever in the 1990s, he was increasingly used as a LOOGY in the 2000s, although he would typically pitch 50 to 60 innings in a season, more than some of his highly-specialized left-handed colleagues.

He pitched effectively in post-season play, appearing 7 different seasons in the post-season. In 31 games, he had an ERA of 1.66. He was on a World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, and spent parts of four seasons with Boston from 2002 to 2005. In 2010, he returned to the Red Sox after pitching for four different teams over the previous 5 years, and was called up to the big leagues three weeks after starting the season in AAA. However, before he got a chance to pitch again in the majors, he was designated for assignment to make room on the major league roster for Daisuke Matsuzaka on April 30th. He refused to return to Pawtucket, asking for his release in order to look for another opportunity to pitch in the majors. He hooked up with the Charlotte Knights in the Chicago White Sox organization but failed to get back to the big leagues and called it a career at the end of the year.

Notable Achievements

• Won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2004

Related Sites

• Alan Embree at the SABR Bio Project
• Article about his aborted return to Boston in 2010