Scott Williamson

Williamson entered the Draft after the season was over and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round, 276th pick overall.

Cincinnati assigned Williamson their rookie affiliate, the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League.

Starting for Billings, Williamson went 8–2 with a 1.78 ERA, the best in the league that year.

Scott Ryan Williamson (born February 17, 1976) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed relief pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1999–2003), Boston Red Sox (2003-2004), Chicago Cubs (2005–2006), San Diego Padres (2006), and Baltimore Orioles (2007).

Williamson attended Friendswood High School in Friendswood, Texas.

In his senior year he posted a 0.68 ERA and was named district MVP.

In college, Williamson played for first Tulane University and then Oklahoma State University.

Williamson was the first Reds player to be so honored since Chris Sabo in 1988.

In 1996, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

With Oklahoma State, he earned Big 12 first-team honors during the 1996-1997 school year.

For 1998, Cincinnati promoted Williamson to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League, bypassing Single-A altogether.

In his first start for the Lookouts, Williamson faced Atlanta Braves veteran John Smoltz, down with the Greenville Braves on a rehabilitation assignment.

Williamson held his own, giving up two runs in six innings in a 6–5 loss.

Mark Berry, Lookouts manager, praised Williamson's performance: "I was highly impressed...I expected him to be more erratic because of Smoltz, the big crowd and the whole situation. It's something he can build on."

Williamson would start just eighteen games for the Lookouts that year after battling injuries, but at the end of the season Cincinnati promoted him to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

Cincinnati planned to call Williamson up in September, but he "stretched a tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand" during a game for Indianapolis that ended his season.

Cincinnati invited Williamson to spring training in 1999, where the combination of an impressive performance and injuries to key members of the pitching staff, including Denny Neagle and Stan Belinda, led to Williamson making the major league club despite having made just five appearances at the Triple-A level and never being on the 40-man roster.

Williamson made his major league debut in relief on April 5, 1999.

In his rookie season with Cincinnati, Williamson went 12–7 with 107 strikeouts, a 2.41 earned run average and 19 saves; he made the All-Star team, and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

During the 1999-2000 off-season, Williamson's name came up several times in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners, who were looking to deal Ken Griffey Jr.., but in the end Williamson remained with Cincinnati.

He made fewer appearances than in 1999 but pitched more innings, due in part to joining the starting rotation after the All-Star break.

After a lackluster spring training, Cincinnati returned Williamson to the bullpen, who would make just two appearances before going on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his shoulder.

After consultation with orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, Williamson underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his season.

Cincinnati general manager Jim Bowden called it "Devastating, just devastating."

Williamson returned for the 2000 season but was bedeviled by injuries, including two broken toes in mid-September.

Williamson returned to the bullpen for the 2002 season and went 3–4 with a 2.92 ERA.

For 2003, Williamson took over as closer and saved 21 games in 43 appearances.

On July 31, 2003, Cincinnati traded Williamson to the Boston Red Sox for Phil Dumatrait, Tyler Pelland and cash.

The move was part of a fire sale instigated by Cincinnati management after Bowden and manager Bob Boone were fired.

The New York Yankees had also been interested in Williamson; that Boston acquired him from Cincinnati was widely touted as a coup for Boston general manager Theo Epstein.

USA Today sportswriter Hal Bodley placed the Williamson trade in the context of Red Sox-Yankees rivalry:

"The Sauerbeck-Williamson deals give the Red Sox and Epstein a measure of revenge. They were stung last winter when the Yankees outbid them in a bitter battle for Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras."

The mid-season arrival of Williamson, along with Scott Sauerbeck, Jeff Suppan and Byung Hyun Kim was expected to boost an already strong Boston team to the 2003 World Series.

Williamson's tenure with Boston was a troubled one: his ERA with the team was 6.20 and he pitched just 20 innings in 24 appearances.

In mid-September he underwent an MRI but the result was negative.

As Boston entered the playoffs he shared closer duties with Mike Timlin.

In the American League Championship series against New York, Williamson earned saves in Games 1, 4 and 6.

Nevertheless, manager Grady Little left a tiring Pedro Martínez in the 8th inning of Game 7 with Boston up 5–2.

Martinez gave up three runs and New York would eventually win in the 11th inning 6-5.

Critics maintain that Little should have pulled Martinez in favor of Williamson or Timlin, but that their mixed record during the regular season led Little to stay with the veteran Martinez.