Michael Joseph Wacha is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
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31 Facts About Michael Wacha
2.
Michael Wacha previously played for the St Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Tampa Bay Rays.
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3.
Michael Wacha was born in Iowa City, Iowa, to Tom and Karen Wacha as the second of four children.
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4.
Michael Wacha has one older brother, Charlie, one younger brother, Lucas and a younger sister, Brette.
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6.
Michael Wacha attended Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas, where he played for the school's baseball and basketball teams.
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7.
Michael Wacha was a two-time all-state selection; he was selected to the all-state first-team and all-state tournament team.
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8.
Michael Wacha's performance earned him a spot as a Third Team All-American and All-Big 12 Second Team.
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9.
Michael Wacha was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
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10.
Michael Wacha pitched in the Big 12 Championship, NCAA College Station Regional, and College World Series at the end of his sophomore year.
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11.
Michael Wacha lost the chance for a win in the ninth, when Mitchell Boggs relieved and gave up a tying home run to the first batter he faced.
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12.
Michael Wacha started one game against the Chicago Cubs before being moved to the bullpen.
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13.
Michael Wacha pitched six shutout innings with just three hits against the Cincinnati Reds.
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14.
Michael Wacha surrendered 52 hits, twenty runs, five home runs and struck out 65 hitters for a 2.
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15.
In just the 11th start of his MLB career, Michael Wacha joined Bob Gibson as the only pitchers in franchise history to strike out at least eight batters while yielding one or no runs in consecutive postseason starts.
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16.
Michael Wacha became the fourth rookie to win a postseason Most Valuable Player Award, following Larry Sherry, Mike Boddicker, and Livan Hernandez.
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17.
Michael Wacha became the 17th-youngest pitcher overall to win a World Series game and the second-youngest in Cardinals history behind only Paul Dean.
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18.
In Game 6, with the Cardinals facing elimination once more, Michael Wacha was again called upon to save their season after winning four consecutive playoff starts with a 1.
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19.
Michael Wacha was guaranteed a regular post in the rotation at the outset of the 2014 season, and his first two starts came against the Reds.
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20.
Michael Wacha was selected to his first All-Star Game, played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
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21.
In 2017, Michael Wacha stayed healthy the entire season and tied a career high in starts with 30.
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22.
On June 3,2018, against the Pirates, Michael Wacha took a no-hitter through eight innings until giving up a lead-off single by Colin Moran in the ninth inning.
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23.
Michael Wacha began the 2019 season healthy and a member of St Louis' starting rotation.
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24.
On December 16,2020, Michael Wacha signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
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25.
On November 27,2021, Michael Wacha signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, reportedly worth $7 million.
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26.
Michael Wacha began the season as a starter in Boston's pitching rotation.
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27.
Michael Wacha only walked one batter, while striking out six batters on 105 pitches.
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28.
Michael Wacha's third pitch is an average curveball that travels about 77 miles per hour and has improved in break and consistency; in college, scouts considered his curveball a below-average pitch.
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29.
Michael Wacha has a fourth pitch, a slider, that lacks consistent break and darts horizontally, similar to the cutter.
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30.
Michael Wacha added a cutter late in the 2013 season, though he only threw the pitch 1.
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31.
Michael Wacha was previously criticized for a heavy reliance on the fastball from lacking a solid breaking pitch.
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