Chad Griffin Durbin (born December 3, 1977), 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 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 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 Kansas City Royals,

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 Fi ...

, and Detroit Tigers of the

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(AL), and 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 ...

, Philadelphia Phillies, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

(NL). Durbin attended Woodlawn High School, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...

. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, in the 3rd round, 79th overall, of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. Durbin‘s major league debut came in a scoreless relief appearance, for the Royals, on September 26, 1999.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Durbin signed with the Tigers as a minor league

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

prior to the 2006 baseball season. He was a part of the 2006 International League champion

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, while also making 3 late-season appearances with the Tigers. During 2007 spring training, Durbin was in the mix for one of the final spots in the Tigers bullpen. However, starting pitcher

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

soon went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, and the Tigers turned to Durbin to fill his spot in the rotation. Durbin served as a starting pitcher for several stints, before ultimately joining the bullpen. Pitching in relief, Durbin served several roles, including long relief and setup. During a game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball against the

, Durbin had a sacrifice fly for his first career RBI. He also recorded his first major league save in the same game. On December 12, 2007, Durbin was not offered a new contract by the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

and he became a free agent.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 20, 2007, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies to compete for a spot in their starting rotation. Though he lost out to Adam Eaton for a starting spot, Durbin enjoyed a strong season out of the bullpen for the eventual World Series Champions. In 2009, Durbin earned the first two postseason victories of his career, as he was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the

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against the Colorado Rockies and Game 5 of the NLCS against the

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. The latter clinched a second straight trip to the

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for the Phillies, where they'd lose to the

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in six games. Durbin spent one more season with the Phillies before rejoining the Indians as a free agent on March 1, 2011.

Washington Nationals

Durbin signed a minor league contract with 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 February 1, 2012. He was released from Nationals after Spring Training.

Atlanta Braves

He was then signed by the Atlanta Braves to a one-year contract. With the Braves, he posted an ERA of 3.10.

Second Stint with Phillies

On January 28, 2013, Durbin signed a one-year deal with the Phillies with a base salary of $1.1 million and possible incentives totaling $350,000. The signing did not work out; the Phillies released Durbin on May 31, 2013 following a series of poor outings during which he had an ERA of 9.00. Durbin retired on November 25, 2013.

Post-playing career

In March 2022, it was announced that Durbin would join the Phillies radio broadcast team as a part-time color analyst.

Personal life

Durbin lives with his wife Crystal and sons Cade and Cavan and daughter Caris in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durbin, Chad 1977 births Living people Kansas City Royals players Cleveland Indians players Arizona Diamondbacks players Detroit Tigers players Philadelphia Phillies players Atlanta Braves players Lansing Lugnuts players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Royals players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Akron Aeros players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players New Orleans Zephyrs players Toledo Mud Hens players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Illinois People from Spring Valley, Illinois Gulf Coast Royals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Omaha Golden Spikes players Clearwater Threshers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players