Edward Bennett Lively (born March 5, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...

Early life and education

Lively was born to Edward and Ginny Lively in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. He began playing organized baseball at age 4 in the

Tee-ball Tee-ball (also teeball, tee ball or T-ball) is a team sport based on a simplified form of baseball or softball. It is intended as an introduction for children aged 4 to 6 to develop ball-game skills and have fun. Description Tee-ball association ...

league; he was allowed to join a year early because of his prowess and the fact that his grandfather, Jim Lively, who coached him throughout his childhood, was the league commissioner. He is a graduate of

Gulf Breeze High School Gulf Breeze High School is a public secondary school located at 675 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze, Florida. It is one of eleven high schools of the Santa Rosa County School District and the only high school in the city of Gulf Breeze. For ...

. The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

selected Lively in the 26th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

out of high school. He did not sign and instead attended the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

(UCF). In his three years pitching for the

UCF Knights baseball The UCF Knights baseball team represents The University of Central Florida in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I. The Knights compete in the American Athletic Conference (The American). The Knights play their home games o ...

team, he went 21–8 with a 3.06

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 226

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

over 244 innings. After his sophomore season in 2012, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play thei ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Career

Cincinnati Reds

The

selected Lively in the fourth round of the

2013 Major League Baseball Draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He made his professional debut with the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

and made one start with the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In 2 ...

. Lively finished his first season, 0–4 but with a 0.88 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 41 innings. He started the 2014 season with the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

. He was named as the top player in the Reds' farm system in 2014 after posting a 13-7 record and 3.04 ERA with Bakersfield and the Double-A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 31, 2014, the Reds traded Lively to the

in exchange for

Marlon Byrd Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...

. In 2015, Lively went 8–7 with a 4.13 ERA in 25 games with the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

. He began the 2016 season with Reading before being promoted to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

. He received the 2016 Paul Owens Award as best pitcher in the Phillies' farm system. The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season. He was assigned to Lehigh Valley to begin the 2017 season. On June 3, 2017, Lively made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks, earning his first major league win. In his June 24 start against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

, he collected his first major league RBI with a 2-run home run, but gave up 4 earned runs and took the 9–2 loss. He finished his rookie season with a 4-7 record and 4.26 ERA in 15 major league appearances. In 2018, Lively pitched in 5 games for Philadelphia, but after struggling to an 0-2 record and 6.85 ERA, he was designated for assignment on September 3, 2018.

Kansas City Royals

On September 5, 2018, Lively was claimed off waivers by the

, who then designated

Eric Stout Eric Joseph Stout (born March 27, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Career Kansas City Royals ...

for assignment to add Lively to the 40-man roster. Lively recorded a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings of work for Kansas City in 2018. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

to begin the 2019 season. Lively himself was designated for assignment on June 20, 2019 following the promotion of Humberto Arteaga. He allowed 3 runs in the only inning he pitched for Kansas City.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 22, 2019, Lively was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

, where he recorded a 5.04 ERA and 2-1 record across 7 appearances.

Samsung Lions

On August 7, 2019, Lively left the Diamondbacks organization to sign with the

of the

. Lively pitched to a 4-4 record and a 3.95 ERA in his first season with Samsung. Lively re-signed with Samsung for the 2020 season on a $700,000 contract. In 2020 he pitched to a 6-7 record and 4.26 ERA in 21 appearances. Lively only made six appearances in 2021, registering a 4.05 ERA. On June 1, 2021, Lively was released after being diagnosed with a shoulder injury.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 6, 2022, Lively signed a minor league contract with the

. He resigned a minor league deal on November 19, 2022.

References

External links

UCF Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lively, Ben 1992 births Living people category:American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Pensacola, Florida Major League Baseball pitchers KBO League pitchers Philadelphia Phillies players Kansas City Royals players Samsung Lions players UCF Knights baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Bakersfield Blaze players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Florida Complex League Phillies players Reading Fightin Phils players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Omaha Storm Chasers players Reno Aces players