Brandon Backe, baseball player, 2002-2009

Brandon Backe

Born: 4/5/1978 in Galveston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 2002-07-19 | Final Game: 2009-06-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 182 lbs

Full name: Brandon Allen Backe

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Biography

Brandon Backe was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 to 2009. Born in 1978, Backe made his debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before later finding success with the Houston Astros. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 31 wins and 29 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 5.23. Known for his competitive spirit and versatility on the mound, Backe recorded 360 strikeouts during his time in the league, showcasing his ability to miss bats and contribute to his team's pitching depth. Backe's tenure in MLB coincided with a dynamic period in baseball, characterized by the transition from the steroid era and evolving player conditioning techniques. He was part of the Astros team that reached the World Series in 2005, marking a significant moment in franchise history. Although he never recorded a save, his contributions as a starting pitcher were vital to the teams he played for, as he consistently took the ball in high-pressure situations. After his retirement in 2009, Backe left behind a legacy as a reliable arm and a key figure in the Astros' early successes in the 2000s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
31 29 145 79 1 1 0 525.3 574 305 87 238 360 5.23 0

Career ERA 5.23 vs. league average 4.39 across their career seasons — 19.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2002 TBR AL 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 13.0 15 10 7 6 6.92 4.28 (-62%) -
2003 TBR AL 1 1 28 0 0 0 0 44.7 40 27 25 36 5.44 4.40 (-24%) -
2004 HOU NL 5 3 33 9 0 0 0 67.0 75 32 27 54 4.30 4.46 (+4%) -283.1
2005 HOU NL 10 8 26 25 1 1 0 149.3 151 79 67 97 4.76 4.29 (-11%) -1963.8
2006 HOU NL 3 2 8 8 0 0 0 43.0 43 18 18 19 3.77 4.53 (+17%) -445.3
2007 HOU NL 3 1 5 5 0 0 0 28.7 27 12 11 11 3.77 4.47 (+16%) -846.0
2008 HOU NL 9 14 31 31 0 0 0 166.7 202 112 77 127 6.05 4.32 (-40%) -6680.7
2009 HOU NL 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 13.0 21 15 6 10 10.38 4.32 (-140%) -1180.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
153 133 22 34 5 2 4 16 1 10 48 0.256 0.317 0.414 0.731 35.3

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .317 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .414 vs. league average .422 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.731 vs. league average 0.755 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2002 TBR AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 TBR AL 29 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2004 HOU NL 34 16 3 5 0 0 1 6 0 1 8 0.312 — — — — 0.0
2005 HOU NL 28 45 5 10 2 2 0 6 1 3 12 0.222 — — — — 0.0
2006 HOU NL 9 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0.143 — — — — 0.0
2007 HOU NL 7 10 5 4 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 0.400 — — — — 0.0
2008 HOU NL 32 47 8 13 2 0 2 3 0 3 18 0.277 — — — — 35.3
2009 HOU NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2005 NLCS HOU 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
2005 NLDS2 HOU 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
2005 WS HOU 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
2004 NLCS HOU 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000
2004 NLDS2 HOU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 7 6 0 36.7 24 12 12 32 2.95

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2005 NLCS HOU 0 0 1 1 0 5.7 2 1 3 7 1.59
2005 NLDS2 HOU 0 0 2 1 0 5.3 6 5 3 3 8.44
2005 WS HOU 0 0 1 1 0 7.0 5 0 0 7 0.00
2004 NLCS HOU 0 0 2 2 0 12.7 6 4 4 10 2.84
2004 NLDS2 HOU 1 0 1 1 0 6.0 5 2 2 5 3.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 145 79 37 66 1 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2002 TBA P 9 0 0 0 0 0
2003 TBA P 28 0 3 3 0 1
2004 HOU P 33 9 4 10 0 1
2005 HOU P 26 25 8 19 0 1
2006 HOU P 8 8 5 9 0 1
2007 HOU P 5 5 2 6 0 1
2008 HOU P 31 31 15 17 1 2
2009 HOU P 5 1 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 145

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2009 HOU NL $1,550,000
2008 HOU NL $800,000
2007 HOU NL $545,000
2006 HOU NL $442,500
2005 HOU NL $350,000
Total Career Earnings $3,687,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Galveston College Galveston TX 1997, 1998