Andrew Edward Butera (; born August 9, 1983) 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 professiona ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

who is currently on the coaching staff of the

Los Angeles Angels 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 ha ...

. 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

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

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 Brookly ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

. The , right-hander is the son of former major league catcher

Sal Butera Salvatore Philip Butera (born September 25, 1952) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He was a major league scout for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball during the 2015 season. Playing career Signed by the Minnesota ...

. Butera became the fifth catcher to catch a

no hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher w ...

in both the

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 ...

(

Francisco Liriano Francisco Liriano Casillas (born October 26, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, ...

, 2011) and

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 ...

(

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. Afte ...

, 2014). Butera has also pitched scoreless

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s in both leagues, with a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have t ...

reaching the mid-90s. In 2020, he became the first position player ever to pitch a scoreless ninth inning after the other team had scored in each of the first eight innings.

Amateur career

Born in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, Butera played baseball and golf at

Bishop Moore High School Bishop Moore Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in the College Park neighborhood of Orlando, Florida. The school is located within the Diocese of Orlando, and remains the only Catholic high school in Greater Orlando. ...

in Orlando, Florida, graduating in 2002. He was selected by 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 ...

in the 48th round of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

, but opted instead to attend the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

(UCF). In 2004, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate ...

for the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play t ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

, and was taken in the 5th round of the 2005 draft by 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 leagu ...

. In 2019, he was inducted into the UCF athletics hall of fame.

Professional career

New York Mets

Butera signed with the Mets and made his professional debut in 2005 with the Low-A

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Bo ...

. In 2006 he played for the Single-A

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home ga ...

, slashing .186/.297/.281 with 5 home runs and 38 RBI. In 2007, Butera batted .258/.348/.418 with five

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

and 22

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

for the St. Lucie Mets and was named a

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A follow ...

All-Star. Following the All-Star game, Butera was promoted to the double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in M ...

. After a month at Binghamton, he was dealt to the

at the trade deadline along with Dustin Martin for second baseman Luis Castillo.

Minnesota Twins

After the trade, Butera finished the year with the Double-A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado Rockies for one. They playe ...

. He remained in New Britain for the 2008 season, and posted a .219/.308/.354 batting line with 7 home runs and 39 RBI. On November 19, 2008, he was added to the Twins'

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 playing winter ball with Lobos de Arecibo of the Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico, Butera made the Twins out of

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 roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

in 2010. He made his major league debut on April 9, 2010, 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 ...

, and got his first major league hit against 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 ...

on April 22. He hit his first MLB career home run in a 13–10 eleven-inning win against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

on June 19. As the Twins backup catcher he appeared in 49 games in 2010, hitting .197/.237/.296 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs in 142 at bats. On May 3, 2011, Butera caught Francisco Liriano's

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher w ...

. In 2011 with the Twins he batted .167/.210/.239 with two home runs and 23 RBIs in 234 at bats. Drew Butera on June 26, 2012

Butera began 2012 with the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field, located in do ...

after hitting .279 in 15 games with 1 home run and 5 RBI. He was called up in May. On May 20, 2012, Butera pitched the eighth inning of the Twins 16–4 loss to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

. Butera pitched a scoreless inning, issuing a walk and striking out

Carlos Gómez Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, (born December 4, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays ...

. He threw a

and a

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 ...

. In 2012 for the Twins he batted .198/.270/.279 with one home runs and 5 RBIs in 111 at bats. In 2013, he played for the

Italy national baseball team The Italy national baseball team represents Italy in international baseball competitions. The Italian national team was ranked 17th in the world as of 2020. The team is managed by Mike Piazza, a former New York Mets player and Major League Baseb ...

in the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike ...

. When the regular season started he only appeared in two games for the Twins, spending most of his time with Rochester, where he hit .229 in 26 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 31, 2013, Butera was traded to the

for a player to be named later. He was then optioned to AAA

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

. In 16 games with the Isotopes, he hit .135. The Dodgers called him up on September 1. He appeared in just five games for the Dodgers, and had one hit in seven at bats. 20140919 Drew Butera

On May 15, 2014, in a 13-3 blowout loss to the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

, Butera pitched a scoreless 9th inning, with his fastball reaching the mid-90s on the

radar gun A radar speed gun (also radar gun and speed trap gun) is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is used in law-enforcement to measure the speed of moving vehicles and is often used in professional spectator sport, for things su ...

. On May 25, 2014, Butera caught Josh Beckett's no-hitter, becoming only the fifth catcher in Major League Baseball to catch a no-hitter in both leagues. He was the Dodgers' backup catcher all season and hit .188/.267/.288 in 170 at bats in 61 games with three home runs and 14 RBIs. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on December 5.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On December 9, 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 ha ...

acquired Butera from the Dodgers in exchange for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

or cash considerations. Minor leaguer Matt Long was sent to the Dodgers on December 18 to complete the trade. Butera batted 4-for-21 for the Angels. On May 4, Butera was designated for assignment.

Kansas City Royals

Butera was traded on May 7, 2015, to the

in exchange for Ryan Jackson. Butera spent the latter part of the 2015 campaign as the backup for all-star catcher

Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...

. In 2015 for the Royals he batted .198/.266/.267 with one home run and five RBIs in 86 at bats. Butera played a role in the 8th-inning comeback in Game 4 of the

2015 ALDS The 2015 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2015 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-g ...

against Houston (with the Royals down two games to one and facing elimination) after Perez was lifted for a pinch-runner earlier in the game. Beginning the inning down 6-2, the score by the time Butera came to the plate was 6-6. Butera was able to draw a 10-pitch walk with one out and two men on, enabling

Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...

to hit a sacrifice grounder in the following at-bat for the go-ahead and winning run. In the deciding game 5 of the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...

, Perez hit a single in the top of the 12th inning and was replaced by pinch runner

Jarrod Dyson Jarrod Martel Dyson (born August 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirate ...

, who went on to score the go-ahead run. As a result, Butera came out for the 12th inning and caught the game-winning strike from closer Wade Davis to clinch the championship for Kansas City. In 2016, Butera not only played catcher, but also pitched in two games, both blowout losses. On June 25, Butera pitched in the 9th inning, facing four batters, striking out one, and giving up no runs in a 13-5 loss to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. On July 26, Butera pitched the final out of the top of the 9th inning, facing only Johnny Giavotella who grounded into a force out in a 13-0 loss to the

. In 2016 with the Royals he batted .285/.328/.480 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs in 123 at bats. On defense, in 2016 he had the best arm strength (89.0) of all major league catchers. In 2017 he played for the

in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

. In 2017 for the Royals he batted .227/.284/.319 with 3 home runs and 14 RBIs in 163 at bats. In 2018 for the Royals he batted .188/.259/.289 with 2 home runs and 18 RBIs in 149 at bats.

Colorado Rockies

On August 31, 2018, Butera was traded to the

in exchange for pitcher Jerry Vasto. In 2018 for Colorado he was 3-for-14. He elected free agency on October 29, 2018.

Philadelphia Phillies

On February 5, 2019, Butera signed a minor league deal with the

that included an invitation to

. If added to the team's 40-man roster, he would have received a one-year contract for $1.3 million while in the majors, and $210,000 while in the minors. His contract had performance bonuses of $50,000 each for 50, 60, 70, and 80 games. The contract allowed Butera to opt out by March 21. Butera later exercised this opt-out clause, leading to his release.

Colorado Rockies (second stint)

On March 25, 2019, Butera signed a minor league deal with the

. Butera had his contract selected on April 15, 2019. Butera was designated for assignment on May 3 and outrighted on May 7. On September 3, the Rockies selected his contract to the active roster. In 2019 with Colorado, Butera batted .163/.229/.233 with no homers and 3 RBI. He became a free agent after the season. On December 18, 2019, Butera re-signed with the Rockies on a minor league contract. On July 22, 2020, Butera had his contract selected to the major league roster. In 2020 with the Rockies, Butera slashed .154/.190/.205 with no home runs and 4 RBI in 28 games. He became a free agent after the season.

Texas Rangers

On January 12, 2021, Butera signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization. On March 27, 2021, Butera was released, but re-signed with the Rangers on a new minor league contract the same day.

Los Angeles Angels (second stint)

On May 7, 2021, Butera was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations and was selected to the 40-man roster. After hitting .094 in 12 games, Butera was designated for assignment by the Angels. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

on June 1. On August 31, Butera was released by the Angels.

Houston Astros

On August 31, 2021, Butera signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

Coaching career

On April 5, 2022, Butera retired from professional baseball and joined the

as the team's bullpen coach.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butera, Drew 1983 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players American sportspeople of Italian descent Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Colorado Rockies players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Hagerstown Suns players Kansas City Royals players Lobos de Arecibo players Los Angeles Angels players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball catchers Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players North Shore Honu players Orleans Firebirds players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players St. Lucie Mets players Sugar Land Skeeters players UCF Knights baseball players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players Bishop Moore High School alumni