Joel Zumaya life and biography

Joel Martin Zumaya was born on November 9, 1984, in Chula Vista, California. A working-class city, Chula Vista is located near San Diego on the Mexican border. Joel’s parents—Yvonne, and his father, Joel—sometimes had their hands full trying to make ends meet, but always found the financial resources to ensure their son had good equipment for his favorite game, baseball.

Joel was an intimidating hitter and pitcher from the first time he stepped on a ball field. He threw harder than anyone his age, and hit the ball a mile. Joel would close his eyes and picture himself as a major leaguer. The scene was always the same. He was standing on the mound in a playoff game, the fans on their feet, staring in at a Yankee hitter.

Joel loved to throw. When he wasn’t hurling baseballs, he was tossing rocks at signs or eggs at cars. A show-off and a bit of a daredevil, he didn’t mind getting into a little trouble. Had his mother not been constantly breathing down his neck, Joel might have drifted another direction. The two were very close, and Yvonne had that "mom rada"r that went off whenever her son was slacking.

Joel’s dad taught him never to back down—on or off the field. The family lived in a rough neighborhood, and Joel explained that you needed to earn respect or risk becoming a victim.
Joel’s grandmother, Tammy, was a baseball fan. She took him to sign up for Little League, and brought him to his first Padres game, where he rooted for Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman and Fernando Valenzuela. Joel really got turned on by the '98 club, which won the pennant. His favorite player was Ken Caminiti, who captured the MVP award that year.

Joel began to truly appreciate what a gift his arm was when he was 15. He was standing outside his house, holding a lime in his hand. He heaved it toward the church located a block away—and it disappeared over the roof.

Joel enrolled at Bonita Vista High School in 1998. He was already a seasoned baseball player. The youth-level teams he joined often played against clubs from the impoverished city of Tijuana. Joel always thought of himself as being poor, but what he saw on the way to and from these games was a real eye-opener. And what he experienced in these games toughened him at a young age. Any show of weakness, any backing down against these players, and you were toast. The dirt-and-rock fields in Tijuana also made him appreciate the fields north of the border—were he starred on a variety of travel teams.

Joel distinguished himself as a power hitter in high school, but the scouts who started showing up at his games in 2002 were more interested in his pitching. Joel now stood 6-3 and was a rock-solid 200 pounds. He had a lively fastball that already clocked in the upper 80s, while his body type and mental makeup suggested an even higher ceiling. His weekend games in Tijuana convinced scouts that he would be able to hold his own in the dog-eat-dog low minors, where the raw teenager would no doubt spend several seasons.

Joel was selected in the 11th round of the '02 draft by the Tigers. He signed a contract with a respectable bonus, and was soon in uniform for Detroit’s short-season team in Lakeland of the Gulf Coast League. The 17-year-old’s first 18 innings were flawless—he went the entire month of July without yielding a run. Joel finished the year with a 2-1 record and 1.93 ERA, with 46 Ks in 37 IP.

ON THE RISE

Joel spent 2003 with the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Class-A Midwest League. He had taken up yoga over the winter, and the loosening and stretching of his muscles turned his 90-mph fastball into a mid-90s bazooka shell. Manager Phil Regan, a great closer in the 1960s and a longtime major league pitching coach, passed on pointers about changing speeds and location, something Joel had never had to do. He worked on a curve and changeup on his way to a 7-5 campaign, with a 2.79 ERA and a league-best 12.55 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Perhaps even more impressive, at 18, he was the youngest player on the club.

The 2004 season found Joel in the uniform of the Class-A Lakeland Tigers, a notch up from West Michigan. He made 16 starts before earning an August promotion to Class-AA Erie, where he ended the year on the DL with shoulder and back spasms. Joel pitched well for the Seawolves, but was overshadowed by Wil Ledezma, who distinguished himself as the team’s top minor league hurler.
Joel, meanwhile, continued to develop all of his pitches, with his fastball gaining more velocity. He fanned 121 in 114 innings, and held enemy hitters to a batting average just over .200.

Joel split the 2005 season between Erie and the Class-AAA Toledo Mudhens. He was money at both stops, winning nine of 14 decisions and posting an ERA well under 3.00. During his stay with the Seawolves, he shared starting duties with Justin Verlander, Detroit’s top pick in 2004. The two became friends, and gave manager Duffy Dyer palpitations when they ratcheted up their friendly catches into the 90s.

Using his off-speed stuff with more poise and effectiveness, Joel struck out 199 batters in 151 innings during the '05 campaign, the second-most Ks in the minors that year. He would have topped 200, but a tired arm convinced the organization he should end his season early. This meant Joel would not get a call to the big club in September.

In October, the Tigers announced that Jim Leyland had been hired to manage the team. Joel found out from his grandmother. When he asked Tammy who Leyland was, his grandmother gave him the 411—the man took the Florida Marlins to the World Series. She added that Leyland was very strict and didn't put up with rookie crap.

Joel watched the playoffs and World Serieson TV, and found himself rooting for Detroit’s division rivals, the Chicago White Sox. He especially liked the job closer Bobby Jenks did. He knew people had doubted whether the youngster could hold it together in the World Series, but there he was throwing triple-digit chese against the Houston Astros.

MAKING HIS MARK

Joel arrived at Spring Training in 2006 and was thrown into competition with former minor-league teammates Verlander and Ledezma for the 5th starter spot behind Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers, Mike Maroth and Nate Robertson. He was clocked at 102 mph at one point, trumping Verlander, who was also famous for his fastball.

Leyland and pitching coach Chuck Fernandez believed that Joel would be most helpful to the team as a relief pitcher. All but one of his 78 minor-league games had come as a starter, but he agreed to make the change. The Tigers had two veteran closers in camp—Todd Jones and Troy Percival—and they spent a lot of time with Joel teaching him the tricks of the trade. With their help, Joel realized that he was still a thrower. He needed to become a pitcher before the team could rely on him.

Joel also became close with Dmitri Young. Like Percival, he was an injured veteran trying to hang on. Percival ended up retiring, and the club released Young later in the season. During the year, another veteran, catcher Ivan Rodriguez, would have a huge influence on Joel’s maturing process. He knew what it was like to be thrown into the fire in his early 20s, and he also knew a special arm when he saw one.

The Tigers were two seasons removed from their 119-loss debacle of '03, but the memory of that year still shaded the experts’ opinions. No one was picking Detroit to be much more than a .500 club, despite the fact their young pitchers were gaining experience and one-time prospects Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, and Chris Shelton were all in their mid to late 20s, and ready to produce.

That is exactly what happened in April, as the pitchers pitched, the hitters hit, and the Tigers surged to the top of the A.L. Central. In early May, Joel notched his first win with a perfect inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. When he got to the lockerroom, his teammates showered him a variety of beverages in a mock celebration.

In a June game against the Yankees, Joel shook off a fastball and threw Derek Jeter an 84 mph curve to strike him out. In a July series with the White Sox, Joel was dominating the Chicago hitters with 101-mph heaters. Gaining confidence, he pounded his glove after every strikeout. Joe Crede told a reporter this was a bush-league move. Fernandez agreed, and told Joel to cool it.

By this time, the Tigers were looking like a shoo-in for the playoffs. Verlander had blossomed into the club’s top winner, and Fernando Rodney and Joel were Leyland’s bridge to the ninth-inning man, Jones. Detroit clinched a playoff spot as the season entered its final week, but had a mini-collapse down the stretch and failed to beat the Kansas City Royals on the last weekend. This opened the door for the Minnesota Twins, who caught the Tigers and forced them to settle for the Wild Card. Joel finished the year with six wins and 1.94 ERA, with 97 Ks in 83.1 innings. Jones ended up with 37 saves—very much a tribute to Joel’s proficiency as the eighth-inning man. When DHL listed their Top 10 Delivery Man of the Year finalists, Jones was not on the list, and Joel was.

On paper, the loss of the division crown looked like a knockout blow. The Twins would get the Oakland A’s and home field, while Detroit had to deal with the juggernaut Yankees. As it turned out, this was a blessing. The A’s swept the Twins, and the Yankees underestimated the young Tigers, who played loose and confident baseball, even after dropping the opening game in the Bronx.

Joel got into Game Two of the series, with his team ahead 4-3 and one out in the seventh inning. He retired all five Yankees he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, reaching 103 on the radar gun a couple of times. As if that weren’t intimidating enough, the Yankee hitters literally saw blood in his right eye—Joel had popped a blood vessel sneezing before the game. He struck out Jeter, Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez, and handed the game to Jones, who closed out the ninth.

The Tigers won Game Three in Detroit, as Kenny Rogers pitched a gem. Joel came on in the eighth inning to face ARod with two out, and induced a harmless fly to right to end the inning. The Tigers won 8-3, then shocked the Yanks again the following day with a 6-0 shutout to close out the series.

Playing with house money, the Tigers moved on to face the Oakland A’s in the ALCS. Joel was on the shelf when the series began. He had a sore wrist and forearm, caused by gripping the ball too tight out of his glove when starting his delivery. Fortunately, Leyland didn't need him. The Tigers swept Oakland with ease, advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1984.

The future looks bright for Detroit, a team that has talent, youth and, now, confidence. So often on a club with this kind of makeup, the Achilles heel is the 7th and 8th and 9th inning. Will Joel in that mix—perhaps soon as the closer—Tiger fans should have plenty to purr about in the years to come.

JOEL THE PITCHER

A young player who burns it in at 100 mph is likely to get his mechanics out of whack and fall into slumps, and Joel is no exception. His timing, pace, position on the rubber are watched carefully by the Detroit coaching staff. So is his arm angle. It's clear when Joel doesn’t feel right, and he may overthrow trying to compensate.

When it’s all working, Joel not only delivers a blazing heater, he throws a heavy ball. He is still struggling to control his off-speed pitches, and occasionally his emotions. Once he can locate his curve and changeup more consistently, he has the potential to become an elite closer.

EXTRA

* In 2005, Joel allowed the second lowest batting average in the minors (.189).
* Joel pitched for the United States in the 2005 Futures Game at Comerica Park. Tiger fans watched him twirl a scoreless inning.
* Joel’s 97 strikeouts in 2006 set a new team record for rookie relief pitchers.
* Joel roomed with Curtis Granderson during his rookie year.
* After each fastball, Joel takes a peek at the stadium radar-gun display.
* Each winter, Joel and his father go to Cabal, Mexico on a fishing vacation.
* When Joel and Justin Verlander play catch, it can get painful. Soft toss quickly turns into an exchange of palm-burning fastballs.
* When Joel takes the mound in Comerica Park, the PA plays "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. He had originally requested the rap song BYOB, but the Tigers refused, citing its profane lyrics.
* Joel still calls his parents five times a day.
* Joel is proud of his family’s Mexican roots. He has the country’s flag hanging over his locker, and also

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