Jake Westbrook

Jacob Cauthen Westbrook (born September 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball.

He was known as a sinker ball pitcher and hit a grand slam as a batter.

During his career, Westbrook played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.

Westbrook was born on September 29, 1977, in Athens, Georgia.

His father, Cauthen, played baseball and basketball at the University of Georgia.

His grandfather and great-grandfather were also athletes at UGA.

He signed a letter of intent with Georgia but never attended because he signed with the Colorado Rockies.

He has an older sister, Jill.

Westbrook attended Madison County High School.

He tossed five no-hitters and one perfect game in his high school career.

During his senior season, Westbrook was 9–1 with a 1.11 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 63 innings.

Westbrook was a first-round draft pick (21st overall) in the 1996 Major League first-year player draft by the Colorado Rockies.

He had previously committed to play college baseball for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Following the draft, 18-year-old Westbrook began his pro career with the Arizona Rockies, the Rookie league affiliate of the Rockies in the Arizona League.

He pitched in 11 games in Mesa, before moving up to the Class A-Short Season Portland Rockies in the Northwest League.

For the 1997 season, Westbrook was promoted to the Class A Asheville Tourists in the South Atlantic League.

He went 14–11 with a 4.29 ERA in 27 starts.

On November 18, 1997, the day after the 1997 Major League Baseball expansion draft, the Rockies traded Westbrook along with fellow minor leaguers John Nicholson and Mark Hamlin to the Montreal Expos for infielder Mike Lansing.

The Expos assigned Westbrook to the Jupiter Hammerheads, their Class A-Advanced affiliate in the Florida State League.

Westbrook married his high school sweetheart, Heather Daniels, on December 12, 1998.

The couple has four children.

They reside in Danielsville, Georgia.

and have a home in Germantown, Tennessee.

In 1998, he went 11–6 for the Hammerheads with a 3.26 ERA in 27 starts.

In 1999, he went 11–5 with a 3.92 ERA in 27 starts for the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A club in the Eastern League.

Following three consecutive 27 start seasons, Westbrook was traded in the off-season.

On December 22, 1999, the Expos traded him with two players to be named later to the New York Yankees for Hideki Irabu.

(The Expos eventually sent Ted Lilly (March 17, 2000) and Christian Parker (March 22, 2000) to the Yankees to complete the trade.)

The Yankees assigned Westbrook to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in the International League.

He went 5–7 with a 4.65 ERA in 15 starts.

Westbrook made his major league debut on June 17, 2000.

In his first start at Yankee Stadium for the Yankees against the Chicago White Sox, he did not make it past the second inning.

He appeared in three games for the Yankees as a rookie, two starts and once out of the bullpen, going 0–2 with a 13.50 ERA.

On June 29, 2000, the Yankees traded Westbrook with fellow sinker ball pitcher Zach Day and outfielder Ricky Ledée to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder/designated hitter David Justice in their quest to eventually win the 2000 World Series.

However, Westbrook cracked a rib at some point while he was pitching, so his 2000 season was cut short.

In 2001, the Indians invited him to spring training.

He shuttled back and forth between Cleveland and Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in the International League.

He did well in Buffalo, amassing an 8–1 record in 12 starts.

On March 28, 2008, Westbrook appeared at his high school alma mater to speak and give thanks as they retired his high school #12 jersey during a home baseball game.

He was selected to one All-Star game and won a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 2011 over the Texas Rangers.