Shannon Bolt Withem (born September 21, 1972) is a former

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 appeared in one game 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), ...

for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

on September 18 during the 1998 season. Withem also pitched 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 ...

in 1999.

Amateur career

Withem attended

Willow Run High School Willow Run High School was a public high school in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

where he was an all-state pitcher for the Flyers baseball team. He had 7 no-hitters in high school and once struck out every batter in a 7-inning no-hitter.

Professional career

Withem was drafted in the 5th round of the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He pitched in the Tigers' organization until 1995, then spent the 1996–97 seasons in the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

farm system. He was signed by the Blue Jays after the 1997 season. After going 17–5 with the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, the Blue Jays' top farm team, he was called up in September. In his lone major league appearance, he pitched three innings in relief of

Kelvim Escobar Kelvim José Escobar Bolívar (born April 11, 1976) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1997–2003) and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2007, 2009). He won 101 games, but his career ...

, giving up one run on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. After being released by the Blue Jays after the 1998 season, Withem signed with the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

in 1999. That season, he had a record of 6–7 with a 5.76

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 ...

in 17 games. He was re-signed for the 2000 season, but hurt his elbow and did not pitch that season.Information on Withem's stint in Japan
/ref> The injury effectively ended his career, as he never again pitched professionally.

After baseball

Withem is now a Software Sales Executive in Michigan.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withem, Shannon 1972 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Washtenaw County, Michigan Binghamton Mets players Bristol Tigers players Fayetteville Generals players Jacksonville Suns players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Nippon Ham Fighters players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Niagara Falls Rapids players Trenton Thunder players St. Lucie Mets players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Norfolk Tides players Toronto Blue Jays players Sportspeople from Ypsilanti, Michigan