Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt

Roy Edward Oswalt ( /ˈoʊzwɑːlt/; born August 29, 1977) is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher. Oswalt previously was a starting pitcher for the Houston Astros (2001–2010) and Philadelphia Phillies (2010–2011). He started a few games with the Rangers, but was moved to the bullpen when the club received Ryan Dempster.

Oswalt was selected by the Astros in the 1996 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut with the club in 2001 and finished with a win–loss record of 14–3. He was back-to-back 20-game winner in both 2004 and 2005. He helped the Astros to their first World Series appearance in 2005. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS). When he left the Astros in 2010 his win (143) and strikeout total (1,593) was second in franchise history to Joe Niekro (144) and Nolan Ryan (1,866). He is a three-time All-Star, selected from 2005–2007. As of the 2012 season his career strikeout total was in the top 100 all-time.

As a member of Team USA, Oswalt won a gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics.