Background and career
Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees. García has also pitched in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), Mexican League, and Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. He currently serves as the pitching coach for Caliente de Durango of the Mexican League. García's best year was in 2001 in which he led the American League in innings pitched and earned run average. He made the All-Star team in 2001 and 2002. He was a member of the 2005 World Series-winning White Sox and started the series-ending Game 4. He is the only pitcher to win a game in a World Series, All-Star Game, World Baseball Classic, and Caribbean Series.
Originally signed by the Houston Astros as an international free agent in 1993, García was acquired by Seattle in 1998, along with Carlos Guillén and John Halama in the trade that sent Randy Johnson to the Astros. During García's rookie season in 1999, he pitched 201 innings, with a 17–8 record, 170 strikeouts, and a 4.07 earned run average (ERA) in 33 starts. After going 9–5 in his second season, he went on to compile a 45–42 record over the course of the next three and a half seasons with Seattle. His strongest season was in 2001, when he earned 18 of the Mariners' American League (AL) record-setting 116 wins and led the league with 238+2⁄3 innings pitched and a 3.05 earned run average. He finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting that year. He was selected to the All-Star Game in both 2001 and 2002. As a Mariner, García had a 76–50 record with a 3.89 ERA and 819 strikeouts.
On June 27, 2004, García and catcher Ben Davis were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Michael Morse, Miguel Olivo, and Jeremy Reed. García was the starting pitcher in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series for the White Sox, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Houston Astros. The White Sox won the game and the World Series, completing a four-game sweep. In 2006, García surpassed 1,000 strikeouts for his career. In eight post-season games, he was 5–2 with a 3.56 ERA in 48 innings. Also during 2006, on April 29, García recorded his 103rd career win in a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, surpassing former White Sox left-hander Wilson Álvarez as the Venezuelan native with the most career wins in major league history. He finished the season 17–9 with a 4.53 ERA. He was given the nickname "Big Game" while a member of the White Sox.
In December 2006, García was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for prospects Gavin Floyd and Gio González. García experienced a shoulder injury that limited his performance for the first several months of the season. He was placed on the disabled list (DL) in June, and had shoulder surgery in August. García made 11 starts before being placed on the DL and earned one win.
In August 2008, García signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers. In his first two minor league starts with the Tigers, he pitched five innings, gave up no runs, and struck out five. In his Tigers debut in late September, García, with a limited pitch count, threw five scoreless innings to get the win.
In January 2009, García agreed to a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was released on April 28, 2009, after two bad starts for the Buffalo Bisons.
