Clay Buchholz, baseball player, 2007-2019

Clay Buchholz

Born: 8/14/1984 in Nederland, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 2007-08-17 | Final Game: 2019-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Clay Daniel Buchholz

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Biography

Clay Buchholz, born in 1984, was a talented pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from his debut in 2007 until his retirement in 2019. Over the course of his career, Buchholz compiled a record of 90 wins and 69 losses, showcasing his ability to be a reliable starter in the rotation. He finished with a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.98 and recorded a total of 1,024 strikeouts, demonstrating his effectiveness on the mound and his capacity to miss bats. Notably, Buchholz was selected as an All-Star twice, highlighting his recognition among peers and fans alike during his prime years. Buchholz played predominantly in the American League, where he became known for his deceptive pitching style, featuring a sharp curveball and a strong fastball that kept hitters off balance. His contributions were particularly significant during his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, where he was part of a competitive pitching staff during a time when the team sought to reclaim its place among the elite franchises in baseball. Buchholz's ability to perform in high-pressure situations made him a key figure in the Red Sox's efforts, and his career remains a testament to the skill and determination that characterized his playing era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
90 69 236 218 10 6 0 1332.3 1272 589 139 458 1024 3.98 0

Career ERA 3.98 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — near 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
2007 BOS AL 3 1 4 3 1 1 0 22.7 14 4 10 22 1.59 4.47 (+64%) 978.5
2008 BOS AL 2 9 16 15 1 0 0 76.0 93 57 41 72 6.75 4.32 (-56%) -950.2
2009 BOS AL 7 4 16 16 0 0 0 92.0 91 43 36 68 4.21 4.32 (+3%) -874.5
2010 BOS AL 17 7 28 28 1 1 0 173.7 142 45 67 120 2.33 4.08 (+43%) 2092.1
2011 BOS AL 6 3 14 14 0 0 0 82.7 76 32 31 60 3.48 3.94 (+12%) -843.9
2012 BOS AL 11 8 29 29 2 1 0 189.3 187 96 64 129 4.56 4.01 (-14%) -3138.4
2013 BOS AL 12 1 16 16 1 1 0 108.3 75 21 36 96 1.74 3.87 (+55%) 3004.9
2014 BOS AL 8 11 28 28 2 2 0 170.3 182 101 54 132 5.34 3.74 (-43%) -1174.0
2015 BOS AL 7 7 18 18 1 0 0 113.3 114 41 23 107 3.26 3.96 (+18%) 3730.7
2016 BOS AL 8 10 37 21 0 0 0 139.3 130 74 55 93 4.78 4.19 (-14%) -3127.9
2017 PHI NL 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 7.3 16 10 3 5 12.27 — 0.0
2018 AZ NL 7 2 16 16 1 0 0 98.3 80 22 22 81 2.01 4.15 (+51%) -
2019 TOR AL 2 5 12 12 0 0 0 59.0 72 43 16 39 6.56 4.51 (-46%) -1665.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
238 46 0 4 1 0 0 1 0 2 24 0.087 0.125 0.109 0.234 0.0

Career AVG .087 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 66.1% below league average.

Career OBP .125 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 61.3% below league average.

Career SLG .109 vs. league average .411 across their career seasons — 73.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.234 vs. league average 0.734 across their career seasons — 68.2% 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
2007 BOS AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 BOS AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 BOS AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 BOS AL 28 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
2011 BOS AL 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 BOS AL 29 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2013 BOS AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2014 BOS AL 28 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
2015 BOS AL 18 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2016 BOS AL 37 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2017 PHI NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2018 AZ NL 17 31 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 17 0.065 — — — — 0.0
2019 TOR AL 12 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
6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2016 ALDS2 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2013 ALCS BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2013 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2013 WS BOS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
2009 ALDS2 BOS 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
0 1 6 6 0 29.7 34 14 10 24 4.25

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2016 ALDS2 BOS 0 1 1 1 0 4.0 6 2 1 4 4.50
2013 ALCS BOS 0 0 2 2 0 10.7 12 7 2 10 5.91
2013 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 1 0 6.0 7 3 3 5 4.50
2013 WS BOS 0 0 1 1 0 4.0 3 0 3 2 0.00
2009 ALDS2 BOS 0 0 1 1 0 5.0 6 2 1 3 3.60

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 236 219 141 135 16 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2007 BOS P 4 3 1 3 1 0
2008 BOS P 16 15 3 6 0 0
2009 BOS P 16 16 8 8 1 0
2010 BOS P 28 28 21 24 2 1
2011 BOS P 14 14 15 14 1 0
2012 BOS P 29 29 29 14 3 2
2013 BOS P 16 16 17 13 2 1
2014 BOS P 28 28 20 16 1 1
2015 BOS P 18 18 9 6 2 0
2016 BOS P 37 21 9 6 1 0
2017 PHI P 2 2 0 0 0 0
2018 ARI P 16 17 2 9 2 1
2019 TOR P 12 12 7 16 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 237

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2013 Pitcher of the Month April
2010 Pitcher of the Month August
2007 Player of the Week Week of 2007-09-01
2007 This Year in Baseball Performance of the Year MLB.com GIBBY

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2016 BOS AL $13,000,000
2015 BOS AL $12,000,000
2014 BOS AL $7,700,000
2013 BOS AL $5,750,000
2012 BOS AL $3,750,000
2011 BOS AL $555,000
2010 BOS AL $443,000
2008 BOS AL $396,000
Total Career Earnings $43,594,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
McNeese State University Lake Charles LA 2004
Angelina College Lufkin TX 2005

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2010 Cy Young Award AL 6th 20.0 196 0