Sidney Ponson

Sidney Alton Ponson (born November 2, 1976) is an Aruban former Major League Baseball pitcher.

As a player, Ponson stood at 6ft 1in tall and weighed 260 lb. He threw right-handed with a fastball that clocked out at 95 mph. When he made his major league debut for the Orioles in, he became the third player from Aruba to play in the major leagues.

After the season, he was decorated as a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau, along with fellow former Baltimore Orioles players Eugene Kingsale and Calvin Maduro.

Ponson played most of his career with the Baltimore Orioles.

His best season came in when he went 14–6 with a 3.77 ERA.

Because Baltimore was not in contention for a playoff spot and Ponson was in the last year of his contract, the Orioles traded Ponson that season to the San Francisco Giants at the trading deadline for three players: Kurt Ainsworth, Damian Moss, and prospect Ryan Hannaman.

That offseason, Ponson returned to the Orioles on a three-year, $22.5 million deal.

In 2004, Ponson was the opening day starter for Baltimore.

He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings pitched while striking out three and walking three in the Orioles' 7–2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

However, he started off disastrously; his record was 3–12 by the All-Star Break.

He rebounded for a strong second half, going 8–3 to finish with an 11–15 record and a 5.30 ERA.

On December 25, 2004, Ponson was arrested in Aruba and charged with assaulting an Aruban judge following an incident about a complaint of Ponson's handling of his powerboat.

He spent 11 days in jail, but the charges were dropped after he reached a settlement that included restitution, community service and contributions to local charities on the island.

Less than a month later, in January 2005, he was charged with driving under the influence in Broward County, Florida.

Because of these activities, it was thought that he would not be able to enter Canada to pitch in a series against the Toronto Blue Jays in May 2005.

However, a visa was later granted, and he was able to make his scheduled start.

Early in the morning of August 25, 2005, Ponson was arrested again for driving under the influence and driving while impaired on southbound Interstate 95 near downtown Baltimore.

He was stopped for following too closely and was subsequently arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police for the traffic violation and DWI; he was later released.

Just prior to the second drunk driving incident, Baltimore attempted to trade Ponson to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Phil Nevin at the 2005 trade deadline, but the deal fell through when Nevin invoked his no-trade clause.

Nevin eventually was traded to Texas.

On September 1, 2005, the Orioles released Ponson and voided his contract, saying that his infractions with the law went against a morals clause in Major League Baseball contracts.

A week later, on September 8, the Major League Baseball Players Association filed a grievance on Ponson's behalf.

On December 21, 2005, Ponson signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals calling for a $1 million salary with the ability to earn an additional $1.5 million in incentives.

Although his season started promisingly, Ponson struggled with stamina and rarely went more than five innings in his starts.

On July 7,, the Cardinals designated Ponson for assignment, ending his stint with the team.

On July 14, 2006, Ponson signed with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees won his first game, lost the second game, and he was subsequently sent to the bullpen when the Yankees acquired Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Reportedly, Brian Cashman asked Ponson if he would be amenable to being placed in the pen before going ahead with the trade (which also involved acquiring Bobby Abreu).

If Ponson had refused, he would have been released and the trade that sent Shawn Chacón to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Craig Wilson would have fallen through.

After a poor pitching performance on August 18, 2006, the Yankees released Ponson, making him a free agent.

In January, Ponson signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.

On March 31, 2007, his contract was purchased by the Twins and he was added to their 25-man roster as the fifth starter.

He got off to a relatively slow start, having only a couple of quality starts while his ERA hovered around 7.

On May 13, the Twins designated him for assignment, and he was later released.

On March 9,, Ponson signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Texas Rangers.

Ponson began the 2008 season with the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks.

On April 26, the Rangers purchased his contract, and he became the team's third starter.

Ponson compiled a fairly solid 4–1 record and 3.88 ERA for the season, and was one of the few bright spots on a dreadful rotation.

However, he ran into trouble off the field.

The Orioles settled the grievance in 2009, with the Orioles reportedly agreeing to pay the remaining $10.1 million.