Brandon Backe

Brandon Allen Backe (born April 5, 1978) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB).

He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 36th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to stay close to home and played his collegiate baseball at Galveston College where he earned third-team All-America honors in 1998.

Primarily an infielder, he pitched only 26 total innings for the Whitecaps.

Other notable Whitecap players on Backe's team included Pete Orr and Seth Foreman.

Backe was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 18th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

During his first three seasons in the minor leagues, he played every infield and outfield position.

In fact, the two innings that he pitched for the rookie league Princeton Devil Rays in 1998 were the only time he spent on the mound during that time.

In spite of his steady glove and versatility, it was clear that a light-hitting utility player had a very small chance of making the major leagues.

In 2001, he changed positions to pitcher and found immediate success.

He rose through the ranks of the pitching-depleted Tampa Bay system climbing from Single-A to the major leagues in just a season and a half.

In just his second season as a pitcher, Backe was recalled on July 16, from the Double-A Orlando Rays and pitched nine times for the Devil Rays.

He posted a 6.92 ERA giving up 10 runs in 13 innings, however 7 of those runs came in one outing - the first game of a July 23 doubleheader at Fenway Park, a game the Rays lost 22-4 and in which Backe allowed a pair of home runs to Nomar Garciaparra in one inning.

Backe began the season in the minor leagues, but was recalled on May 16 when John Rocker was optioned.

He earned his first big league win on August 1 at Kansas City with four scoreless innings of relief.

He had a 9-outing stretch from July 22 to August 21 in which he pitched to a 1.42 ERA over 19 innings, lowering his ERA from 6.06 to a season-low 3.60.

In December, his hometown team, the Houston Astros, acquired Backe from the Devil Rays for Geoff Blum.

In 2004, Backe shuffled between Triple-A and the majors, pitching out of the bullpen when he was with the Astros.

On August 21, Backe was called up for his first major league start, where he ended up limiting the Chicago Cubs to four hits and no runs over seven innings.

After that start, Backe became a permanent member of the Astros rotation, going 4–2 over the final two months of the season.

Entering their final regular-season game against the Colorado Rockies on October 3, the Astros needed a win to clinch a playoff spot.

Although Roger Clemens was scheduled as the starting pitcher for that game, he was sidelined by a stomach virus, forcing manager Phil Garner to press Backe into starting duty the morning of the game.

Backe performed well on his short notice, surrendering only 2 runs over 5 innings as the Astros beat the Rockies 5-3 and edged out the San Francisco Giants for the team's first playoff berth since.

Backe's star continued to rise during the 2004 playoffs.

After earning a win in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Backe gained national attention with an eight-inning, one-hit performance against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series.

Going toe-to-toe with Cardinals starter and Houston native Woody Williams, Backe carried a perfect game into the 5th inning and a no-hitter into the 6th inning, surrendering only a bloop single to St. Louis second baseman Tony Womack.

Backe's pitching performance set the stage for Jeff Kent's walk-off home run in the ninth inning, giving the Astros a 3–2 series advantage headed back to St. Louis, however the Astros lost both subsequent games and the series.

Backe started the season in the Astros starting rotation, going 10–8 with a 4.76 ERA in his first full season as a starter.

He played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros during his career, and appeared in the 2005 World Series as a member of the Astros.

Originally a position player, Backe was drafted as a second baseman and played in the outfield in the minor leagues prior to converting to pitching.

Backe starred for Ball High School in Galveston, Texas where he was a two-time team MVP in baseball and earned all-district honors.

Backe performed well in the Astros second-consecutive postseason appearance, including a five-hit, seven-strikeout performance in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series.

In the season, Backe was the Astros No. 4 starter.

But after two starts he went onto the disabled list for three months.

He returned in late July, but on August 19 he sprained a ligament in his right elbow was placed on the disabled list again.

This injury required Tommy John surgery, which was successfully performed on September 7, 2006.

Although Backe's recovery time was slated at 12–18 months, he rehabbed aggressively and made his return on September 4.

In his return, he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 5.2 innings, taking the loss, but won his last 4 starts of the season for an ERA of 3.77.

During the season, Backe was totally healthy and made 31 starts for the Astros, although it turned out to be a disappointing year for him, as he went just 9–14 with a 6.05 ERA.

He led the majors in home runs allowed, with 36, in home-runs-per-9 innings (with 1.9), in home runs per plate appearance (with 4.8%), and in highest-slugging-percentage-against (.544) and OPS-against (.920).

On October 5, 2008, Backe was arrested, along with nine others, after being involved in a fight at a wedding.