Austin Davis (davisau01)

Austin Richard Davis

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 245 lb.
• School California State University, Bakersfield
• High School Desert Mountain High School
• Debut June 20, 2018

• Born February 3, 1993 in Scottsdale, AZ USA

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Biographical Information

On September 1, 2018, while pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Austin Davis was involved in an unprecedented incident as home plate umpire Joe West came to the mound and confiscated a card he had on him which he used to get information on hitters. This sort of cheat sheet was being increasingly used by fielders at the time to figure out their positioning on the field, but the umpire ruled that it was in contravention of rule 6.02 (c) (7) which states that the pitcher cannot have any foreign object or substance on his person. West's decision was made outside of any formal ruling by Major League Baseball, as the practice had still not spread much to pitchers. Indeed, MLB stated after the game that West had been mistaken in his interpretation of the rule, as the sheet did not constitute a foreign substance and Davis should have been allowed to keep it and refer to it as long as he did not delay the game by his actions. He finished the season with a 1–2 record with the Phillies, along with a 4.15 ERA and 38 strikeouts over the course of 32 appearances (34+2⁄3 innings pitched), averaging 9.9 strikeouts per 9 innings.

In 2019 for the Phillies, Davis was 0–0 with a 6.53 ERA; in 14 relief appearances he pitched 2 2/3 innings and struck out 24 batters, averaging 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. During 2020 with the Phillies, Davis made 4 relief appearances, pitching to a 21.00 ERA without registering a decision. On August 21st, he was designated for assignment by the Phillies and on August 26th, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor-league pitcher Joel Cesar and cash considerations. Davis recorded a 2.45 ERA in 5 appearances for Pittsburgh through the end of the season.

On February 24, 2021, Davis was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a left elbow sprain. He was activated on June 6th. Through July, Davis made 10 relief appearances for the Pirates and recorded a 5.59 ERA with a 0–1 record. On July 30th, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infielder Michael Chavis.

Related Sites

• Austin Davis on mlb.com