Glenn Anthony "TJ" House (born September 29, 1989) is an American 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 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

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 ...

and

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 ...

from 2014 to 2017.

Early life

House was born in

Slidell, Louisiana Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie−Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Hist ...

, and moved to

Picayune, Mississippi Picayune ( ) is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately from New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport– Biloxi. The Stennis Space Cen ...

, as a child. His stepfather's family owns Liuzza's, a restaurant in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

area. While in high school, he was displaced as a result of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

; his family's house flooded and a tree was blown through his bedroom.

Career

Cleveland Indians

House attended

Picayune Memorial High School Picayune Memorial High School is a grade 9–12 high school located in Picayune, Mississippi, United States. State championships Football *1925 *1943 *1948 *1986 *2011 *2013 *2021 *2022 Baseball *2002 Golf *1992 *2021 Notable people Staff *Butc ...

, where he starred for his school's baseball team. The Indians drafted House in the 16th round of the

2008 MLB Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. He began his professional career with the Class-A

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following t ...

in 2009. That year, he had a win–loss record of 6–11, a 3.15

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 109

strikeout 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 ...

s. He spent the next two years with the

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

, going 6–10 in 2010 and 6–12 in 2011. He was an invite to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 2012, but was kept in the bullpen, and the Indians front office considered releasing him if he did not perform well the following season. House split the 2012 season with the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...

and

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

. In 23 games with the Aeros, he went 8–5 with a 3.98 ERA. The Indians added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

after the 2012 season. House spent the 2013 season with the Aeros and the AAA

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. The Indians promoted House from the minors on June 24, 2013. After making no appearances in any major-league games, House was optioned back to Columbus for the remainder of the season. House spent the first 1.5 months of the 2014 season with the Clippers, going 1–4 with a 3.79 ERA and 42 strikeouts in ten games. The Indians promoted House to the major leagues on May 17, 2014, and he made his major league debut that day. For the season, he had five wins, three losses, and a 3.35 ERA in 19 appearances. House missed much of the 2015 season with left shoulder inflammation, and posted an ugly 13.15 ERA in 4 games for Cleveland. He spent much of the 2016 season in Columbus, and also logged a 3.38 ERA in 4 major league games. House was designated for assignment by the Indians on September 20, 2016. After clearing waivers, House was outrighted to Columbus on September 27, 2016. He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

Toronto Blue Jays

TJ House pitching for the Buffalo Bisons in 2017 (Cropped)

The

signed House to a minor-league deal on December 14, 2016. House was struck in the head by a line drive on March 10, 2017, during a spring training game in Lakeland, Florida. He remained on the ground for many minutes being attended to by medical staff, and left the field in an ambulance. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

to begin the 2017 season. On August 19, House was called up to the major leagues by the Blue Jays. He was designated for assignment on August 27 after recording a 4.50 ERA in 2 appearances. On October 13, House elected free agency.

Later career

On January 22, 2018, House signed a minor league contract with 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 p ...

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

, but was released on June 12, 2018 after struggling to a 6.81 ERA in 9 games. On May 13, 2019, House signed with the

Milwaukee Milkmen The Milwaukee Milkmen are an independent baseball team based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2019 and play hom ...

of the independent

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. In 17 games for the team, House pitched to a 7–9 record and 4.35 ERA with 78 strikeouts in innings pitched. On August 24, 2019, House was traded to the

Kansas City T-Bones The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...

of the

. He pitched in three games for the T-Bones, logging a 2–0 record and 3.52 ERA with 22 strikeouts in innings pitched. On March 3, 2020, House was traded to the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. However, the 2020 ALPB season was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. House stayed in Sugar Land, however, and signed on to play for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players. History The league consisted of ...

(a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the pandemic) for the 2020 season. After recording a 3.38 ERA and 1–2 record in 7 games, he became a free agent after the year.

Personal life

House

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as gay on December 8, 2022, announcing his engagement to his boyfriend, Ryan Neitzel.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:House, Tj 1989 births Living people Akron Aeros players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American LGBT sportspeople Baseball players from Louisiana Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Gay sportsmen Kansas City T-Bones players Kinston Indians players Lake County Captains players LGBT baseball players LGBT people from Louisiana Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Milkmen players People from Picayune, Mississippi People from Slidell, Louisiana Scottsdale Scorpions players Toronto Blue Jays players Eastern Reyes del Tigre players