Colby Preston Lewis (born August 2, 1979), popularly nicknamed "Cobra", is a former American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

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 ...

. He 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 Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

. Lewis was originally a first-round draft choice ( sandwich pick) of the Texas Rangers in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut in . He played for the

of Japan's

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

from 2008 to 2009, during which he won two awards for most strikeouts. Upon his return to the Rangers, he helped lead the team to two consecutive

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

pennants in 2010 and 2011.

Amateur career

Lewis is a graduate of North High School in Bakersfield, California. Lewis attended

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 22,000 students each semester or 31,000 annually, and offers Associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community C ...

, where, as a sophomore, he won first team

Western State Conference The Western State Conference (WSC) is a college athletic conference that is affiliated with the California Community College Athletic Association. The conference was established in 1950, making it the oldest community college conference in Califo ...

honors, going 4–5,

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108, and posting a 2.86

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Lewis was the 38th overall player selected in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a highly regarded prospect coming up in the Rangers' system and in three seasons with them had a career ERA of 6.83. Of particular note was his unusual season, where he managed to post a winning record of 10–9 in 26 starts despite a 7.30 ERA.

Detroit Tigers

Lewis suffered an injury early in the season and missed most of the year after undergoing

rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...

surgery. He was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers after the 2004 season. Lewis made only 2 appearances in 2006 with an ERA of exactly 3.00. Lewis would also be eligible to participate in the postseason despite his short tenured 2006 season. The Tigers ventured in the postseason but lost in the World Series to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

Washington Nationals

In 2007, Lewis signed a minor league deal for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. On March 20, , the Nationals released him.

Oakland Athletics

About 4 days after his release from the Nationals, Lewis signed a minor league deal for the Oakland Athletics. Lewis began 2007 on the A's Triple-A team, the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

, where he posted an 8–3 record with a 1.88 ERA. The A's, in need of another starting pitcher to replace the injured

Rich Harden James Richard Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Early years Harden attended Claremont Secondary ...

, called up Lewis on May 22, 2007. He started the game that day against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. His A's debut was a disaster as he pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 10 runs on 12 hits in the A's 10–4 loss. He was immediately sent to the bullpen after that start. Lewis finished the 2007 season with an 0–2 record and a 6.45 ERA in 26 games. Following the 2007 season, on November 2, 2007, Lewis was claimed off waivers by Kansas City Royals; he was then released on December 5, 2007.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Lewis with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp For the 2008 season, Lewis signed with the

Hiroshima Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Mats ...

of Japan's Central League. He had a spectacular season with Hiroshima, finishing second in the Central League in wins with 15 ( Seth Greisinger of the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

led the CL with 17 wins), second in the league in ERA (2.68, Masanori Ishikawa of the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

was first at 2.68), and 1st in the league in strikeouts (189), beating out Greisinger by almost 20 K's. His 2009 season with the Carp was equally successful. Lewis finished with 186 strikeouts, again leading the league. Although his performance was outstanding, he resigned from the team in hopes of pitching once again in the Major Leagues. He is also renowned for home runs, which is unusual for a pitcher. (The

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

rule is not used in the Central League except in interleague games.) He has 5 NPB career home runs (2 in 2008 and 3 in 2009).

Second stint with the Texas Rangers

2010

On January 14, 2010, Lewis agreed to a two-year contract with the Texas Rangers. At the end of April, he led the American League in strikeouts and was tied for second in the majors with

Dan Haren Daniel John Haren (born September 17, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Haren played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Wa ...

behind

Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "The Freak", "The Franchise", "The Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San ...

. He got his first-ever complete game in Major League Baseball against the Houston Astros on June 19. On October 16, Lewis started Game 2 of the

2010 American League Championship Series The 2010 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the best-of-seven game series pitting the winners of the 2010 American League Division Series for the American League Championship. The American League wild card-winning New York Yankees ...

at home against the New York Yankees. Lewis went 5.2 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 6 hits. However, he earned the decision, and became the first Ranger pitcher to win a post-season home game in franchise history. On October 22, Lewis started Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, also at home, against the New York Yankees. He pitched 8 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, aiding the Rangers to a decisive 6–1 victory. The win allowed the Rangers to win the Series and earn their first-ever American League Pennant. On October 30, Lewis started game 3 of the 2010 World Series, at home against the San Francisco Giants. Lewis went 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits, and earned the win which was the first Rangers victory in a World Series game (and first World Series win for an MLB team in the state of Texas, as the Houston Astros were swept in the 2005 World Series). After winning those two crucial home playoff games in the 2010 ALCS and Game 3 of the 2010 World Series, Lewis was, so far, the only Rangers pitcher accredited towards three of the Rangers home playoff wins as no other Rangers pitcher had even one. The Rangers went on to lose the World Series in five games to the Giants.

2011

In April 2011 Lewis was the first MLB player to go on the league's newly created paternity leave list to attend the birth of his child. A player can be on the list for 24 to 72 hours. Lewis took one start off before returning to pitch against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. In 2011, Lewis was 14–10 with a 4.40 ERA. He gave up a league-leading 35 home runs, the 7th-most in Rangers history. In the 2011 postseason, Lewis pitched Game 3 in both the ALDS and ALCS, and Games 2 and 6 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

2012

In the 2012 season, Lewis went 6-6 with an ERA of 3.43 until being placed on the disabled list due to a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow.

2013

Lewis began the 2013 season on the 60-day disabled list as he was still recovering from the elbow surgery he previously had. He was expected to return after the All-Star break, but was subsequently announced to be out for the rest of the season due to bone spurs in his right hip. His elbow has recovered post surgery and rehab with a AA Frisco Rough Riders rehab assignment. On August 22, Lewis underwent

hip resurfacing Hip resurfacing has been developed as a surgical alternative to total hip replacement (THR). The procedure consists of placing a cap (usually made of cobalt-chrome metal), which is hollow and shaped like a mushroom, over the head of the femur whi ...

surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Lewis followed that with a rigorous rehab program, and he was re-signed by the Rangers to a minor-league deal in November.

2014

Lewis pitched for the Rangers in 2014 spring training, include a shutout start versus the Seattle Mariners. After spring training, Lewis was assigned to the AAA Round Rock Express. April 14, 2014, marked Lewis' return to MLB, starting a game against the Seattle Mariners.

2015

On September 11, Lewis had the best outing in his career when he flirted with a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

against the Oakland Athletics through seven innings. However,

Danny Valencia Daniel Paul Valencia (דני ולנסיה; born September 19, 1984) is an American-Israeli professional baseball player who currently plays for the Israeli national baseball team. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota ...

broke up the perfect game and no-hitter with a lead off double in the 8th inning, but Lewis went on to pitch a two hit complete game shutout in a 4–0 Rangers victory, with the other hit being a Max Muncy single. Lewis finished the 2015 season with a win–loss record of 17-9 and a 4.66 ERA.

2016

On January 18, 2016, Lewis re-signed with the Rangers on a 1-year, $6 million contract. On May 20, 2016, in the bottom of the seventh inning, a line drive from

Carlos Correa Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr. (born September 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, who selected him first overall in th ...

hit Lewis in the back of the head, which proceeded to bounce high enough into the air to allow

Rougned Odor Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Balt ...

to catch it from behind the second base to make the first out. Lewis was able to stay in the game afterwards. On June 16, 2016, Lewis again flirted with perfection against the Oakland, not allowing a baserunner until the 8th inning, when he walked

Yonder Alonso Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cl ...

. Max Muncy later broke up the no-hitter in the 9th with a double that was nearly caught, and Lewis finished out the 5–1 complete game victory. The start improved Lewis's record to 6–0, and his

dropped to 2.81, good for 5th in the

, and best in the Rangers AL-leading rotation at the time. However, Lewis lost all of his next five starts between June and September (missing all of July and August due to a lat strain), finishing the year with a 6–5 record and a 3.71 ERA.

Post-playing career

Lewis was hired by the Rangers on November 6, 2017, to be a special assistant to general manager

Jon Daniels Jon Daniels (born August 24, 1977) is an American baseball executive senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He recently served as the President of Baseball Operations for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (M ...

Pitching repertoire

Lewis threw two fastballs: a four-seamer at 90 miles per hour and a sinker at 89 miles per hour. His

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

and slider both averaged 84 mph, while his curveball sat in the high 70s.

Personal life

Lewis' wife, Jenny, gave birth to their second child, Elizabeth Grace Lewis, in April 2011. Lewis skipped a start with the Rangers to be present for his daughter's birth.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Colby 1979 births Living people Baseball players from Bakersfield, California American expatriate baseball players in Japan Major League Baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Texas Rangers players Detroit Tigers players Oakland Athletics players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Bakersfield Renegades baseball players Pulaski Rangers players Charlotte Rangers players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma RedHawks players Toledo Mud Hens players Sacramento River Cats players Spokane Indians players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players