Graeme Lloyd

Graeme John Lloyd (born 9 April 1967) is an Australian-born former professional baseball pitcher, who appeared with the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Graeme Lloyd
Lloyd as pitching coach for the Perth Heat in the 2009 Claxton Shield Final on 7 February 2009
Pitcher
Born: (1967-04-09) 9 April 1967
Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
11 April, 1993, for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
27 September, 2003, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
Win–Loss record30–36
Earned run average4.04
Strikeouts304
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
2004 Athens Team

Playing career

Lloyd played with the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals of the American League and the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets of the National League. He was the third native Australian so far to have pitched in Major League Baseball, as of July 2012.

Career overview

Lloyd was used exclusively as a relief pitcher during his ten years in the major leagues, ending his career with 30 wins against 36 losses, 17 saves, and 97 holds.

At his peak, Lloyd threw a sinking fastball that reached 90 miles (140 km) per hour and a slider. Later in his career, he added a palmball to his repertoire.[1]

For much of his career, he was used as a left-handed specialist.[1] This type of pitcher is used against an opposing team's star left-handed hitter(s) late in a game. Lloyd excelled in this role for the New York Yankees in 1998 when he posted a career-best 1.67 ERA. This effectiveness led to the Toronto Blue Jays demanding Lloyd be included in a package anchored by starting pitcher David Wells when the Yankees traded for Toronto starting pitcher Roger Clemens.[2]

Lloyd became the first Australian-born baseball player to win a World Series in 1996 while playing for the New York Yankees who defeated the Atlanta Braves in a six-game series. Lloyd was awarded the win for Game 4 of the series, replacing Mariano Rivera in the 9th inning and forcing the left-handed batsman Fred McGriff into a double play.[3]

Lloyd became a two time World Series champion for the Yankees in 1998, defeating the San Diego Padres. Lloyd is still the only Australian-born baseball player to have won a World Series.[4]

Lloyd missed the entire 2000 season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery. In 2001, he received the Tony Conigliaro Award, a national recognition instituted in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of the late Tony Conigliaro, given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best "overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro."[5]

International career

Lloyd represented his native Australia at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.[6] His teammate Dave Nilsson had made history with him ten years earlier, when, on 13 April 1994, the men formed the first all-Australian battery in an MLB game.

Personal

Lloyd's wife Cindy suffered from Crohn's disease, which she succumbed to in 2000 at the age of 26.[7] In 2000 and 2001, Graeme acted as the spokesman for the Graeme Lloyd and Jon Mechanic Field of Dreams, a charity which was dedicated in the name of Cindy Lloyd.

He is currently the pitching coach for the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.

See also

References
  1. mlbblogger on (26 November 2011). "Former NYY World Series reliever Graeme Lloyd coaches Australian Baseball League's Best: HEAT « mlbblogger". Mlbforlife.com.
  2. "BASEBALL; Yankees Have Talked to Key – New York Times". Nytimes.com. 21 February 1999.
  3. "1996 World Series Game 4 - New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves". MLB.com.
  4. "1998 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. "Tony Conigliaro Award". Nndb.com.
  6. "London 2012 Olympic Games – ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au.
  7. "Storm adds to trouble". Sptimes.com. 20 August 2000.
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