Brandon Webb

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Webb's career reached its zenith during the 2006 season, where he posted a perfect 8–0 record through his first 13 starts, including a 30-inning scoreless streak. After suffering his first losing effort on June 10 against the New York Mets, he rebounded with an emotional win against the San Diego Padres on August 28, just one day after the tragic death of his former UK teammate Jon Hooker in Comair Flight 5191. He finished that season with a 16–8 record and a 3.10 ERA, winning the NL Cy Young Award despite tying for the league lead in losses. In 2007, he logged a franchise-record 42 scoreless innings streak, breaking it only when the Milwaukee Brewers scored in the first inning on August 22. That year, he led the Diamondbacks to the National League West title and pitched seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Chicago Cubs.

In Their Own Story

In 2008, Webb began the season with nine straight wins, becoming the first Major League pitcher to achieve this since Andy Hawkins in 1985. By the All-Star break, he sat atop the majors with a 13–4 record and a 3.21 ERA. He made his third All-Star appearance at Yankee Stadium, throwing a scoreless 14th inning with two strikeouts. He closed out the season with a career-high 22 wins against only seven losses, finishing second in NL Cy Young voting to Tim Lincecum. His ground ball/fly ball ratio of 3.5 was the highest in the major leagues that year. However, his momentum halted in 2009 when shoulder bursitis limited him to four innings on Opening Day before he landed on the disabled list. Surgery by Dr. Keith Meister ended his season in August. Despite this, Arizona picked up his $8.5 million option for 2010, though he never pitched that year due to rehab.

Reader's Guide

Webb's arsenal was defined by a devastating sinker thrown between 87–91 mph, which earned him recognition alongside Roy Halladay and Chien-Ming Wang as one of the game's premier sinkerballers. This pitch generated a ground ball/fly ball ratio exceeding 3.5:1. He complemented the sinker with a curveball (72–75 mph), a changeup (77–80 mph) that induced a 55% whiff rate in 2008, and an occasional cutter against left-handed hitters. After his tenure with Arizona, Webb signed with the Texas Rangers in December 2010 but never played for them due to a second rotator cuff surgery on August 1, 2011. He officially retired from Major League Baseball on February 4, 2013, and later filed a workers' compensation claim against the Rangers in May 2013 for injuries sustained across his shoulder, neck, back, arm, and musculo-skeletal system.

Did You Know?

• Webb set the University of Kentucky's all-time single-season strikeout record with 123 strikeouts.
• His 16 wins in 2006 marked the lowest win total for a starting pitcher to ever win the Cy Young Award in a full season.
• In December 2007, a section of U.S. Route 60 was renamed the 'Brandon Webb Highway' by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
• Webb's franchise-record 42 scoreless innings streak in 2007 stood until it was broken by Zac Gallen in 2022.
• He established the Brandon Webb's K Foundation in 2005 to support critically and chronically ill children in Arizona.