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Jason Grilli
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<p>Jason Michael Grilli (born November 11, 1976) is an American former professional <a href="/facts/Baseball/42bEQy1Y">baseball</a> <a href="/facts/Pitcher/08gAFpa3">pitcher</a>. He played in <a href="/facts/Major_League_Baseball/4WW9yef3">Major League Baseball</a> (MLB) for the <a href="/facts/Florida_Marlins/VdECcaDX">Florida Marlins</a>, <a href="/facts/Chicago_White_Sox/YMFXqVIs">Chicago White Sox</a>, <a href="/facts/Detroit_Tigers/gnhUDwWJ">Detroit Tigers</a>, <a href="/facts/Colorado_Rockies/NWChrhNI">Colorado Rockies</a>, <a href="/facts/Pittsburgh_Pirates/4k1sk2bJ">Pittsburgh Pirates</a>, <a href="/facts/Los_Angeles_Angels_of_Anaheim/CFQ2Mxqh">Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim</a>, <a href="/facts/Atlanta_Braves/0HetuQDF">Atlanta Braves</a>, <a href="/facts/Toronto_Blue_Jays/yK6veP8z">Toronto Blue Jays</a>, and <a href="/facts/Texas_Rangers_(baseball)/u6juobRV">Texas Rangers</a>. Taken as the fourth overall selection of the <a href="/facts/1997_Major_League_Baseball_draft/1YP0bMsk">1997 MLB draft</a> by the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Giants/kClzp1nU">San Francisco Giants</a>, Grilli was one of the top <a href="/facts/Starting_pitcher/Dv4dCJ93">starting pitcher</a> prospects in all of <a href="/facts/Minor_League_Baseball/7vFxYneR">Minor League Baseball</a>, ranked 54th in 1998 and 44th in 1999. The Giants traded him to the Florida Marlins in 1999, for whom he debuted on May 11, 2000. </p><p>In 2011, Grilli's career took off as a <a href="/facts/Relief_pitcher/CC4b8tLn">relief pitcher</a> with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That year, he carried a 2.48 <a href="/facts/Earned_run_average/vcs2BnI3">earned run average</a> (ERA) and 10.2 <a href="/facts/Strikeouts_per_9_innings_pitched/ASnDKQ22">strikeouts per nine innings</a> (K/9) rate in 32 <a href="/facts/Innings_pitched/q4AVyC6m">innings pitched</a> (IP), and further improved in 2012, when his strikeout rate climbed to 13.8. In 2013, Grilli made his first <a href="/facts/2013_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game/ahHFIP9q">All-Star team</a> and became Pittsburgh's <a href="/facts/Closing_pitcher/CssVA6UQ">closer</a> at the age of 36. From 2011 to 2014, he compiled a 3.09 ERA with 11.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 34.2 percent ground-ball rate in 195+1⁄3 IP. </p>