Michael Matthew Bowden (born September 9, 1986) 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 ...

who is a free agent. 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) with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and Chicago Cubs, 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) with the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...

, 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 ...

(KBO) with the

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears ( ko, 두산 베어스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and ...

. He attended high school at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois. He was selected by the

in the 1st round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.

Career

Boston Red Sox

Bowden began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in , and advanced to the

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

the following season, also playing one game with the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

Michael Bowden MLBDebut Windup (cropped)

Bowden began the season with the Sea Dogs and was promoted to the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, on July 18, 2008. On August 30, Bowden made his first major league start 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 ...

. He received the decision in a five-inning start, giving up seven hits and two runs in an 8-2 win. On April 26, , Bowden was called up to bolster the bullpen after a night where the Red Sox bullpen got overworked. He later worked two perfect innings against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. Bowden was recalled July 18, 2010 after spending the beginning of the season in Pawtucket. After three relief appearances, he was optioned back five days later to make room for

Josh Beckett Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After ...

, who was coming off the disabled list. On August 14, 2010, Bowden was once again recalled, and then optioned back on August 28 to make room for

Hideki Okajima is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. Okajima pitched for the Yomiuri Giants, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athle ...

. In , Bowden began the season with Pawtucket, for whom he pitched in 14 games with a 1.59 ERA. He was recalled to the Red Sox on May 17 when

Daisuke Matsuzaka is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed in Japan and "Dice ...

was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow injury. Bowden was recalled on August 27, to replace

Scott Atchison Scott Barham Atchison (born March 29, 1976) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Cleveland Indians between 2004 and 2015. He also pla ...

. On April 15, 2012, Bowden was designated for assignment.

Chicago Cubs

On April 21, 2012, Bowden was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with a player to be named later 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 ...

. On April 14, 2013, Bowden, along with Edwin Jackson, broke the record for most wild pitches in an inning, with 5. He was designated for assignment on May 21, 2013. He returned to the Cubs when his contract was selected on July 11, 2013. He was designated for assignment again on September 4, 2013 and became a free agent on October 1.

Saitama Seibu Lions

Bowden signed a contract with the

Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, w ...

for the 2014 season. He developed a split-finger fastball while playing for the Seibu Lions. Michael Bowden, 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game

Cincinnati Reds

On December 24, 2014, Bowden signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. On December 29, 2014, he was assigned to AAA Louisville Bats.

Baltimore Orioles

On April 4, 2015, Bowden was traded to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

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

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

Minnesota Twins

Bowden signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins on July 25, 2015. He elected free agency on November 6.

Doosan Bears

Bowden signed a one-year contract worth $650,000 with the

in the Korea Baseball Organization in November 2015. On June 30, 2016, Bowden pitched a complete game no-hitter against the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos ( ko, NC 다이노스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corp ...

. On December 12, 2016, Bowden re-signed his contract worth $1.1 mil with the Bears for the 2017 season. On November 25, 2017, Bowden announced that he would not be returning to the Bears for the 2018 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 4, 2019, Bowden signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He made one start for the AAA

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

and four starts for the AA Tulsa Drillers, with a 6.97 ERA before he was released on June 3.

Pericos de Puebla

On June 29, 2019, Bowden signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico. History The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was released on July 3, 2019.

High Point Rockers

On July 13, 2019, Bowden signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was released on September 11, 2019.

Chicago Dogs

On March 4, 2021, Bowden signed with the

Chicago Dogs The Chicago Dogs are an independent professional baseball team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2018 and p ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. In 2021, Bowden recorded a 7-1 record and 2.92 ERA in 12 appearances with the Dogs. On June 16, 2022, Bowden was released by the Dogs.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowden, Michael 1986 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea American people of English descent Baseball players from Illinois Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players Chicago Dogs players Doosan Bears players Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Red Sox players High Point Rockers players Iowa Cubs players KBO League pitchers Lancaster JetHawks players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Pawtucket Red Sox players Pericos de Puebla players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Winfield, Illinois Portland Sea Dogs players Saitama Seibu Lions players Sportspeople from Aurora, Illinois Tulsa Drillers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players