Top Blue Jays Player #36: Billy Koch
Position: Relief Pitcher
Seasons With the
Jays: 3 (1999-2001)
Stats: Games Pitched 193 Innings Pitched 211.2
Wins/Losses 11-13 Saves
100
ERA 3.57 Strike
outs 172
Games Started 0 Games
Finished 166
Complete Games 0 Shutouts 0
Billy Koch was arguably the best
closing pitcher the Blue Jays have had since the World Series days. Over the
course of three seasons he saved 100 games which ranks him third on the
franchise’s all-time leaderboard. His high-speed fastball, as well as mid-80s
curve made him a dominant closer at times, but he lacked the consistency to be
one of the best in baseball.
Koch was drafted in the first
round (4th pick overall) by the Blue Jays in the 1996 June Amateur
draft and he made his Major League debut less than three years later. During
the 1999 season, he established himself as the ace of the Toronto bullpen when
he saved 31 games, struck out 57 batters in 63 2/3 innings and recorded a 3.39
ERA. Although he didn’t receive nearly enough votes to win AL Rookie Of the
Year, he did finish seventh which was pretty impressive for a relief pitcher.
In 2000, he had by far his best
season with Toronto. He lowered his ERA to 2.63 and he saved 33 games. In 78
2/3 innings pitched, he struck out 60 batters. In his final year in Toronto, he
saved 36 games, his highest during his tenure with the Jays, but his ERA
sky-rocketed to 4.80. He didn’t appear to be as dominant as he had been during
his first two seasons, and at the conclusion of 2001, he was traded to the
Oakland Athletics for Eric Hinske.
In his only season with the A’s,
he recorded a career high 44 saves while striking out 93 batters, also a career
high. But he only played two more seasons and struggled first with the Chicago
White Sox and then with the Florida Marlins. He signed a contract with the Blue
Jays for the 2004 season but was released during Spring Training.
He became bitter with the
organization, saying he would refuse to sign with another team so the Jays
would have to pay his full $950,000 salary. He even showed up at a game in
Tampa Bay (they were playing the Blue Jays) wearing a Devil Rays’ jersey,
heckled the Toronto players and said he planned to bring 240 Tampa-area
students to a game and have them hold up a sign saying, “Go Devil Rays.” While
there have been some bitter separations over the years with the Blue Jays and
some of their players, Koch’s actions have been the most childish in handling
the situation.
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