Al Levine

Al Levine
Relief pitcher
Born: (1968-05-22) May 22, 1968
Park Ridge, Illinois
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 1996, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
June 10, 2005, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Win–loss record 24–33
Earned run average 3.96
Strikeouts 278
Teams

Alan Brian Levine (born May 22, 1968)[1] is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who pitched 234 games in the minor leagues, and 416 games in the major leagues.[2]

Early and personal life

Levine, who is Jewish,[3][4][5] was born in Park Ridge, Illinois, and graduated from Hoffman Estates High School, attended and played for Harper Junior College, and graduated from Southern Illinois University.[1][6] In 1989, Levine walked onto the SIU team as a pitcher. Levine is close friends with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Sal Fasano, and Palatine High School coach Paul Belo.[7]

Baseball career

The Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 11th round of the 1991 draft.[1]

Minor leagues

In 1991 he debuted with the single-A Utica Blue Sox, and was 5th in the New York-Penn League with two complete games.[8][9] In 1992, he stuck 142 batters between the Sarasota White Sox and the single-A South Bend White Sox, tying for second among White Sox minor leaguers.[8][9] In 1993, he led Florida State League pitchers with 129 strikeouts while pitching for single-A Sarasota, and came in third in the league with three complete games, and fifth with 11 wins.[9] Levine played AA for the Birmingham Barons in 1994, along with Michael Jordan, until he was called up to AAA mid-season, and came in eighth in with a 3.31 ERA.[9]

In 1995, he started in the Nashville Sounds' starting rotation, but spent most of the season in double-A Birmingham, where he was second on the team with 7 saves.[8][9]

Levine pitched 234 games in the minor leagues, over 11 seasons.

Major leagues

Levine made his major league debut in 1996 with the White Sox.[1] In 1997, he held batters to a .125 batting average when there were 2 out, with runners in scoring position. In December 1997, he was traded by the White Sox with Larry Thomas to the Texas Rangers for Benji Gil.

In April 1999, he was selected off waivers by the Anaheim Angels from the Texas Rangers. In 2000, he held batters to a .186 batting average when there were 2 out, with runners in scoring position. In 2001, he had perhaps his best season. He had a 2.38 ERA (2.11 in relief; second-best among all AL relievers) for the Angels in 64 games, and his 8 wins were third-most among all AL relief pitchers.[9] In 2002, he held batters to a .206 batting average when there were 2 out, with runners in scoring position.

In January 2003, Levine signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, but was released in March. In April, he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who then sold him to the Kansas City Royals on July 31. In 2003, he had another excellent season, splitting it between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Kansas City Royals. He had a 2.79 ERA in 54 games.[9] He held batters to a .189 batting average when there were 2 out, with runners in scoring position. In December 2003, he signed as a free agent with the Detroit Tigers. In 2004, he held batters to a .154 batting average when there were 2 out, with runners in scoring position.

For seven seasons in a row, from 1999–2004, he pitched in at least 50 games each year.

In February 2005, he signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants, who released him in June. On July 7, 2005, he was signed as a free agent by the Florida Marlins, but was released a week later without pitching a game for them.

Levine played for seven major league teams. For his career, he held batters to a .220 batting average when there were runners in scoring position with 2 out.[10]

As of 2014, he was tenth in career ERA and sixth in career games played among Jewish major league baseball pitchers.[11]

Atlantic League

In 2008, Levine pitched for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[12]

Later life

Levine later lived in Belleville, Illinois.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 The Big Book of Jewish Baseball: An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Letters to the Editor; The Fan Speaks Out". Baseball Digest. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "A consumer's guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it's in play here". Los Angeles Times. June 9, 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ Al Levine Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061105031449/http://www.siude.com/news/2006/09/21/Baseball/Siu-Baseball.Picks.Two.WalkOn.Players-2283431.shtml
  8. 1 2 3 Al Levine Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Al Levine Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com
  10. ↑ "Al Levine Career Pitching Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Career Pitching Leaders". Career Leaders. Jewish Major Leaguers. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Bears Sweep Pair From Lancaster, Reach The .500 Mark". OurSports Central. May 11, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
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