Derek Lowe
Born: 6/1/1973 in Dearborn, MI, USA
MLB Debut: 1997-04-26 | Final Game: 2013-05-19
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'6" | Weight: 230 lbs
Full name: Derek Christopher Lowe
Biography
Derek Lowe was a prominent Major League Baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1997 to 2013. Born in 1973, Lowe made a significant impact on the game with his ability to serve both as a starter and a closer. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 176 wins and 157 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.03. He recorded a total of 1,722 strikeouts and notched 86 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness on the mound. Lowe was selected as an All-Star twice, highlighting his status as one of the league's top pitchers during his playing days.
Lowe first gained national recognition during his time with the Boston Red Sox, where he played a key role in the team's pitching rotation and contributed to their historic 2004 World Series championship, ending an 86-year title drought. Known for his sinkerball and ability to induce ground balls, he was especially effective in pressure situations, earning a reputation as a reliable performer. Throughout his career, Lowe exemplified the transition from the late 1990s into the 2000s, an era characterized by offensive power, yet he found success through his strategic approach and durability on the mound. His longevity in the game and contributions to multiple teams have cemented his legacy as a respected figure in baseball history.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 176 | 157 | 681 | 377 | 10 | 4 | 86 | 2671.3 | 2759 | 1195 | 217 | 794 | 1722 | 4.03 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BOS | AL | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 3.38 | 789.7 |
| 1997 | SEA | AL | 2 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53.0 | 59 | 41 | 20 | 39 | 6.96 | -1595.9 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | 3 | 9 | 63 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 123.0 | 126 | 55 | 42 | 77 | 4.02 | 2819.0 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | 6 | 3 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 109.3 | 84 | 32 | 25 | 80 | 2.63 | 3940.3 |
| 2000 | BOS | AL | 4 | 4 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 91.3 | 90 | 26 | 22 | 79 | 2.56 | 4008.1 |
| 2001 | BOS | AL | 5 | 10 | 67 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 91.7 | 103 | 36 | 29 | 82 | 3.53 | 2456.4 |
| 2002 | BOS | AL | 21 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 219.7 | 166 | 63 | 48 | 127 | 2.58 | 5411.0 |
| 2003 | BOS | AL | 17 | 7 | 33 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 203.3 | 216 | 101 | 72 | 110 | 4.47 | 734.5 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | 14 | 12 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 182.7 | 224 | 110 | 71 | 105 | 5.42 | 948.0 |
| 2005 | LAD | NL | 12 | 15 | 35 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 222.0 | 223 | 89 | 55 | 146 | 3.61 | - |
| 2006 | LAD | NL | 16 | 8 | 35 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 218.0 | 221 | 88 | 55 | 123 | 3.63 | - |
| 2007 | LAD | NL | 12 | 14 | 33 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 199.3 | 194 | 86 | 59 | 147 | 3.88 | - |
| 2008 | LAD | NL | 14 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 211.0 | 194 | 76 | 45 | 147 | 3.24 | - |
| 2009 | ATL | NL | 15 | 10 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 194.7 | 232 | 101 | 63 | 111 | 4.67 | 1336.5 |
| 2010 | ATL | NL | 16 | 12 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 193.7 | 204 | 86 | 61 | 136 | 4.00 | 957.0 |
| 2011 | ATL | NL | 9 | 17 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 187.0 | 212 | 105 | 70 | 137 | 5.05 | 1154.9 |
| 2012 | CLE | AL | 8 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 119.0 | 156 | 73 | 45 | 41 | 5.52 | -1447.9 |
| 2012 | NYY | AL | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.7 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 3.04 | - |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 9.00 | -686.1 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 682 | 436 | 30 | 65 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 29 | 129 | 0.149 | 0.201 | 0.186 | 0.387 | -3507.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BOS | AL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1997 | SEA | AL | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | 63 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2000 | BOS | AL | 74 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2001 | BOS | AL | 67 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2002 | BOS | AL | 32 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 2003 | BOS | AL | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | 33 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 2005 | LAD | NL | 35 | 65 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0.154 | -584.8 |
| 2006 | LAD | NL | 35 | 64 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 0.094 | -761.5 |
| 2007 | LAD | NL | 33 | 59 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 0.119 | -630.1 |
| 2008 | LAD | NL | 34 | 65 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.138 | -651.3 |
| 2009 | ATL | NL | 34 | 54 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0.222 | -302.1 |
| 2010 | ATL | NL | 34 | 53 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 0.151 | -348.3 |
| 2011 | ATL | NL | 34 | 52 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0.173 | -228.9 |
| 2012 | CLE | AL | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 | 0.0 |
| 2012 | NYY | AL | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0.083 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ALDS1 | NYA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2012 | ALCS | NYA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2010 | NLDS2 | ATL | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 2008 | NLDS1 | LAN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 2008 | NLCS | LAN | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.250 |
| 2006 | NLDS1 | LAN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2004 | ALCS | BOS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2004 | ALDS1 | BOS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2004 | WS | BOS | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2003 | ALDS2 | BOS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 2003 | ALCS | BOS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1999 | ALDS1 | BOS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1999 | ALCS | BOS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1998 | ALDS1 | BOS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 7 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 97.3 | 81 | 37 | 32 | 70 | 3.42 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ALCS | NYA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 16.20 |
| 2012 | ALDS1 | NYA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2010 | NLDS2 | ATL | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 2.31 |
| 2008 | NLCS | LAN | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10.3 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3.48 |
| 2008 | NLDS1 | LAN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3.00 |
| 2006 | NLDS1 | LAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6.75 |
| 2004 | ALCS | BOS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3.18 |
| 2004 | ALDS1 | BOS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2004 | WS | BOS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.00 |
| 2003 | ALCS | BOS | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14.0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6.43 |
| 2003 | ALDS2 | BOS | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9.7 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0.93 |
| 1999 | ALCS | BOS | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1.42 |
| 1999 | ALDS1 | BOS | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 4.32 |
| 1998 | ALDS1 | BOS | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.08 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 681 | 377 | 221 | 453 | 17 | 28 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BOS | P | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | SEA | P | 12 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | BOS | P | 63 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
| 1999 | BOS | P | 74 | 0 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | BOS | P | 74 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | BOS | P | 67 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 2002 | BOS | P | 32 | 32 | 18 | 31 | 0 | 2 |
| 2003 | BOS | P | 33 | 33 | 20 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | BOS | P | 33 | 33 | 22 | 39 | 3 | 1 |
| 2005 | LAN | P | 35 | 35 | 21 | 48 | 1 | 5 |
| 2006 | LAN | P | 35 | 34 | 19 | 49 | 3 | 4 |
| 2007 | LAN | P | 33 | 32 | 15 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| 2008 | LAN | P | 34 | 34 | 15 | 39 | 2 | 3 |
| 2009 | ATL | P | 34 | 34 | 17 | 24 | 2 | 1 |
| 2010 | ATL | P | 33 | 33 | 14 | 30 | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 | ATL | P | 34 | 34 | 12 | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | CLE | P | 21 | 21 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | NYA | P | 17 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | TEX | P | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 681 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Pitcher of the Month | September |
| 2006 | Pitcher of the Month | August |
| 2002 | Pitcher of the Month | April |
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-04-27 |
| 2002 | TSN All-Star | RHP |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | CLE | AL | $15,000,000 |
| 2011 | ATL | NL | $15,000,000 |
| 2010 | ATL | NL | $15,000,000 |
| 2009 | ATL | NL | $15,000,000 |
| 2008 | LAN | NL | $10,000,000 |
| 2007 | LAN | NL | $9,500,000 |
| 2006 | LAN | NL | $9,500,000 |
| 2005 | LAN | NL | $7,000,000 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | $4,500,000 |
| 2003 | BOS | AL | $3,625,000 |
| 2002 | BOS | AL | $3,125,000 |
| 2001 | BOS | AL | $2,125,000 |
| 2000 | BOS | AL | $625,000 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | $245,000 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | $172,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $110,417,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Cy Young Award | AL | 3rd | 41.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 2002 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |