Grant Balfour, baseball player, 2001-2015

Grant Balfour

Born: 12/30/1977 in Sydney, NSW, Australia

MLB Debut: 2001-07-22 | Final Game: 2015-04-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Grant Robert Balfour

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Biography

Grant Balfour, born in 1977, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2001 to 2015. He made a significant impact on the game, particularly known for his late-inning relief role and ability to close games. Over his career, Balfour compiled a record of 30-23 with a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 3.49. His effectiveness on the mound was highlighted by his impressive strikeout total of 571 and his ability to secure games, as evidenced by his 84 saves. Balfour's career was marked by his selection as an All-Star, showcasing his status as one of the premier relief pitchers of his time. He was a key figure in the bullpen during a competitive era in baseball, contributing to the success of the teams he played for, particularly with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he gained recognition for his fiery demeanor and competitive spirit. After retiring from professional play on April 18, 2015, Balfour left behind a legacy as a reliable reliever who was instrumental in many close games throughout his career.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
30 23 534 1 0 0 84 539.7 406 209 47 252 571 3.49 0

Career ERA 3.49 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — 16.3% better 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
2001 MIN AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.7 3 4 3 2 13.50 — 0.0
2003 MIN AL 1 0 17 1 0 0 0 26.0 23 12 14 30 4.15 4.40 (+6%) 39.5
2004 MIN AL 4 1 36 0 0 0 0 39.3 35 19 21 42 4.35 4.46 (+3%) 470.6
2007 MIL NL 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 2.7 4 6 4 3 20.25 — 0.0
2007 TBR AL 1 0 22 0 0 0 0 22.0 26 15 16 27 6.14 4.47 (-37%) -
2008 TBR AL 6 2 51 0 0 0 4 58.3 28 10 24 82 1.54 4.32 (+64%) -
2009 TBR AL 5 4 73 0 0 0 4 67.3 59 36 33 69 4.81 4.32 (-11%) -
2010 TBR AL 2 1 57 0 0 0 0 55.3 43 14 17 56 2.28 4.08 (+44%) -
2011 OAK AL 5 2 62 0 0 0 2 62.0 44 17 20 59 2.47 3.94 (+37%) 274.9
2012 OAK AL 3 2 75 0 0 0 24 74.7 41 21 28 72 2.53 4.01 (+37%) 1870.5
2013 OAK AL 1 3 65 0 0 0 38 62.7 48 18 27 72 2.59 3.87 (+33%) 588.4
2014 TBR AL 2 6 65 0 0 0 12 62.3 49 34 41 57 4.91 3.74 (-31%) -
2015 TBR AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 4.3 3 3 4 0 6.23 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
534 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.0

Career AVG .000 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OBP .000 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — 100.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.000 vs. league average 0.737 across their career seasons — 100.0% below 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
2001 MIN AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 MIN AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2004 MIN AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIL NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 TBR AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 TBR AL 51 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2009 TBR AL 73 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 TBR AL 57 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 OAK AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 OAK AL 75 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2013 OAK AL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2014 TBR AL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2015 TBR AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2013 ALDS2 OAK 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 ALDS2 OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2010 ALDS1 TBA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2008 ALCS TBA 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2008 ALDS2 TBA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2008 WS TBA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2004 ALDS2 MIN 2 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 1 20 0 2 19.7 16 7 10 15 3.20

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2013 ALDS2 OAK 1 0 3 0 1 3.0 0 0 1 3 0.00
2012 ALDS2 OAK 0 1 2 0 1 1.7 3 1 1 2 5.40
2010 ALDS1 TBA 0 0 3 0 0 3.7 2 0 0 1 0.00
2008 ALCS TBA 0 0 4 0 0 2.3 5 5 4 1 19.29
2008 ALDS2 TBA 0 0 3 0 0 3.3 2 0 1 4 0.00
2008 WS TBA 0 0 3 0 0 3.0 4 1 3 2 3.00
2004 ALDS2 MIN 0 0 2 0 0 2.7 0 0 0 2 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 534 1 17 45 1 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2001 MIN P 2 0 0 1 0 0
2003 MIN P 17 1 0 4 0 0
2004 MIN P 36 0 3 4 0 0
2007 MIL P 3 0 0 0 0 0
2007 TBA P 22 0 1 5 0 0
2008 TBA P 51 0 0 5 0 0
2009 TBA P 73 0 1 3 0 1
2010 TBA P 57 0 2 2 0 0
2011 OAK P 62 0 2 4 0 1
2012 OAK P 75 0 6 7 0 0
2013 OAK P 65 0 1 5 1 1
2014 TBA P 65 0 1 5 0 0
2015 TBA P 6 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 534

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2014 TBA AL $4,000,000
2013 OAK AL $4,500,000
2012 OAK AL $4,000,000
2011 OAK AL $3,750,000
2010 TBA AL $2,050,000
2009 TBA AL $1,400,000
2006 CIN NL $340,000
2005 MIN AL $330,000
Total Career Earnings $20,370,000