Bronson Arroyo

Bronson Anthony Arroyo (born February 24, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and musician. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002, the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, the Cincinnati Reds from 2006 to 2013, the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014, and the Reds again in 2017. He won the 2004 World Series with Boston.

Arroyo was born February 24, 1977, in Key West, Florida, to parents Gus and Julie. Arroyo's father is originally from Cuba. Arroyo later moved from Key West, Florida, to Brooksville, Florida, where he attended Hernando High School. At Hernando, he was named to the Class 4A all-state first team in 1995. At 13 years old, Arroyo was PONY teammates with A. J. Pierzynski. As of 2004, Arroyo was third all-time in scoring for Hernando's basketball team. He signed a letter of intent to play college baseball as a pitcher at South Florida, turning down offers from Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Arroyo in the third round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. Arroyo made his major league debut with Pittsburgh on June 12, 2000. During his rookie season in 2000, Arroyo was 2–6 with a 6.40 earned run average (ERA) in 20 appearances (12 starts). Playing 24 games (13 started) in 2001, Arroyo compiled a 5–7 record and a 5.09 ERA. Limited in playing time due to injuries and time in the minors, Arroyo played nine games (four started) in 2002 going 2–1 with a 4.00 ERA.

Before the 2003 season, the Boston Red Sox claimed Arroyo from the Pirates off of waivers. Pitching in Triple-A for the Pawtucket Red Sox, Arroyo pitched the fourth nine-inning perfect game in the 121-year history of the International League on August 10, 2003. He struck out nine, and went to a three-ball count to just three hitters all game long. He made six appearances in the majors, posting a 2.08 ERA and recording his first career save.

Arroyo improved in 2004, jumping from middle relief to be the Red Sox No. 5 starter. On July 24, 2004, Arroyo hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch, which led to a bench-clearing brawl. He compiled a 10–9 mark with a 4.03 ERA in 178+2⁄3 innings, while posting a respectable 3.02 strikeout-to-walk ratio (142-to-47). He led the majors with hitting batsmen with pitches, totaling 20 hit by pitches. Arroyo also got his first and only championship title when the Red Sox won the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Arroyo made two starts and four relief appearances in the postseason, compiling a 0–0 record with two holds and a 7.82 ERA for the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox. A memorable and controversial play occurred involving Arroyo during Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series, when Alex Rodriguez knocked away the ball from Arroyo's glove while he attempted to apply a tag. The umpires reversed the ruling that Rodriguez was safe, forcing Derek Jeter to return to first base and calling Rodriguez out on the play for runner interference.

Arroyo's most productive season came in 2005, when he posted career highs up to that time in wins (14), starts (32), innings (205.1) and pitching appearances (35). He also excelled at holding runners, as he only gave up five stolen bases. Before the 2006 season, Arroyo signed a three-year, $11.25 million contract with the Red Sox. Arroyo said the deal was a "hometown discount" and agreed to the terms against the advice of his agent.

During spring training before the 2006 season, the Red Sox traded Arroyo to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Wily Mo Peña. 2006 was a high point in Arroyo's career. Highlights of the season included a league-leading 240+2⁄3 innings pitched, a selection to the All-Star game, as well as his first career shutout in the major leagues. He finished 2006 with a 14–11 record and an ERA of 3.29.

In February 2007, Arroyo signed a contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds which kept him with the organization through the 2010 season, with an option for the year 2011. He finished the 2007 season 9-15 and a 4.23 ERA.