Robbie Ray

Robert Glenn Ray (born October 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.

Ray was born on October 1, 1991, in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Growing up in the Nashville area, Ray often played youth baseball on travel teams alongside future Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Mookie Betts.

Although he and Betts were on the same travel teams, they played against each other at their respective high schools, with Ray attending Brentwood and Betts at John Overton.

During his senior year of high school, Ray posted a 7–1 win–loss record and a 0.50 earned run average (ERA), striking out 95 batters while walking only 13.

He also pitched three no-hitters that year, including one perfect game against Centennial High School.

He was the first Tigers pitcher to win his first major league start at the age of 22 or younger since Jeff Weaver in 1999.

After two spot starts for Detroit, Ray was sent back down to Toledo, where he remained until August 10, when he was once again called up to fill in for Sánchez.

Ray struggled during this second call-up, which was extended after Sánchez's strained pectoral muscle turned out to be a more severe injury than anticipated.

Ray pitched in nine games for the Tigers, starting six, during which he went 1–4 with an 8.16 ERA.

He found more success in Toledo, posting a 7–6 record and 4.22 ERA in 20 games (19 starts).

After the regular season ended, Ray showed signs of improvement in the Arizona Fall League, where he allowed only one run and struck out 12 in his first two starts for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

In four starts for Glendale, Ray went 1–1 with a 2.45 ERA, striking out 13 batters in 11 innings of work.

After de-committing from Vanderbilt University, Ray had planned to play college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks when he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 12th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

He signed with the team on August 14, just before the deadline for draftees, and accepted a signing bonus of $799,000, an amount typically allotted for fourth-round draft picks.

Because he signed so late in the season, Ray had limited time to play in the minor leagues in 2010.

He pitched only one inning that season, striking out two batters in an appearance for the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York–Penn League.

After spending five weeks at extended spring training Ray's first professional baseball start came on May 10, 2011, when he pitched five innings for the Class A Hagerstown Suns, striking out six and walking none.

Although Hagerstown missed the South Atlantic League playoffs, Ray had a standout season, going 2–3 with a 3.13 ERA in 20 starts.

Promoted to the Potomac Nationals for the 2012 season, Ray struggled with the jump to Class A-Advanced.

He went 4–12 with a 6.56 ERA, walking 49 and striking out 86 in 105 2⁄3 innings.

Ray described the season as "put[ting] me in my place and show[ing] me what I needed to work on", and he spent the offseason adjusting his pitching mechanics with the help of minor league pitching coach Chris Michalak.

By turning his hip mid-pitch and lifting his arm slot, Ray was able to isolate the strike zone, and increase his confidence as a pitcher.

Leading the Carolina League (CAR) with 93 strikeouts and tying for fourth with an ERA of 2.84 in the first half, Ray was named to the CAR All-Star Team.

After going 6–3 with a 3.11 ERA in 16 starts and striking out 100 batters in 84 innings, Ray was promoted to the Double-A Harrisburg Senators on July 5, 2013.

He recorded a complete game shutout in only his second Double-A start, allowing just three singles and striking out 11 in a victory over the Erie SeaWolves.

In 11 starts for Harrisburg, Ray went 5–2 with a 3.72 ERA, striking out 60 batters in 58 innings.

On December 3, 2013, the Nationals traded Ray, Ian Krol, and Steve Lombardozzi Jr.. to the Detroit Tigers for Doug Fister, a move that was part of general manager Dave Dombrowski's larger plan to cut the Tigers' payroll and invest in pitching prospects.

Ray received an invitation to join the Tigers for spring training, with the stipulation that he would only be considered for the major league starting rotation if Justin Verlander was not yet ready to return from core muscle surgery.

Ray ultimately began the season with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, serving as the No. 3 starter in a rotation that alternated between left- and right-handed pitchers.

When Aníbal Sánchez was placed on the disabled list with a middle finger laceration, Ray, who had gone 3–2 with a 1.59 ERA in five starts for Toledo, was called up to fill his spot in the rotation.

Ray made his MLB debut on May 6, 2014, allowing only one run on five hits in 5 1⁄3 innings of an 11–4 rout of the Houston Astros.

The Tigers traded Ray to the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 5, 2014, as part of a three-team trade also involving the New York Yankees: Ray and Domingo Leyba went from Detroit to Arizona, Didi Gregorius went from Arizona to New York, and Shane Greene went from New York to Detroit.

Once there, he was assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces to open the 2015 season.

When Archie Bradley was hit in the face with a line drive, Ray was called up for a spot start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies on May 6.

He allowed one run on five hits in six innings and took Arizona to a 5–1 victory.

When Bradley suffered another injury on June 4, Ray was once again recalled to take his place in the rotation.

With a 5–12 record and 3.52 ERA, Arizona Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa was confident in Ray's development over the course of the 2015 season, with his increased command leading to 108 strikeouts in 117 1⁄3 innings.

Ray was an MLB All-Star in 2017 and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2021, when he led the league in earned run average and strikeouts.