Married to Catherine¡the couple has a son, Jackson, and daughter, Scotlyn...Played 3 seasons (2007-09) at Arizona State University¡as a junior in 2009, earned Baseball America First-Team All America, Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Pac-10 honors¡also led NCAA D-I pitchers in wins (16) and led the Pac-10 in ERA (1.71), IP (142.0) and strikeouts (162)...Was inducted into the ASU Athletic Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony at the Sun Devils' football game on Oct. 12, 2019 vs. Washington State...In 2009, earned National Player of the Year from the American Baseball Coaches Association and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy and National Pitcher of the Year...His 40 career wins are second most in school history in the aluminum bat era and tied for the third-most overall...Is 1 of 8 Sun Devils to play for Arizona: Jake Barrett, Willie Bloomquist, Kole Calhoun, Jake Elmore, Tuff y Gosewisch, Merrill Kelly and Deven Marrero.
2019
Combined to go 12-11 with 2 complete games, a 4.29 ERA (94 ER in 197.0 IP) in 32 starts with the Mariners and D-backs...Fell 3.0 innings shy of his second 200.0-inning campaign (214.1 in 2014)… his 12 wins tied for the second most in his career (also: 2011)...Was 1 of 2 pitchers with 190.0+ innings and fewer than 30 walks (also: Zack Greinke/ARI-HOU)...Went 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA (29 ER in 60.0 IP) in 10 starts with Arizona and 9-8 with a 4.27 ERA (65 ER in 137.0 IP) in 22 starts with Seattle...Acquired from the Mariners on July 31 with cash considerations for OF Jose Caballero...Ranked second in baseball in walks per 9.0 innings ratio (1.23)…only Hyun-Jin Ryu/LAD (1.18) was better...Did not issue a walk in 14 of his 32 starts, the second-highest total among Major League starters in 2019 (16 by Ryne Stanek/TB-MIA [opener])... Induced 315 ground balls, second most in the Majors behind Brett Anderson/OAK (328).
2018
The Totals - Went 10-10 with a 4.36 ERA (90 ER, 185.2 IP) with 119 strikeouts and 34 walks in 31 starts with the Mariners...7th Heaven - Recorded his 7th straight season of at least 30 starts and 50-or-fewer walks in 2018 (31 GS, 34)…joined Greg Maddux (13, 1996-2008) as the only pitchers in the live ball era with 7+ consecutive seasons of 30 starts and 50-or-fewer walks...Workhorse - Ranked 13th in the American League with 185.2 innings pitched…also ranked T14th in the AL with 31 starts...No Free Passes - Ranked 3rd in the American League, averaging 1.65 walks per 9.0 innings (34 BB, 185.2 IP)...Painting the Corners - Recorded the 2nd-longest streak in 2018 of consecutive batters faced without issuing a walk…from May 10 - June 7, faced 140 consecutive batters without a walk…trailed only Corey Kluber-CLE (179, 5/8 - 6/15) for the longest such streak in the Majors this season (STATS LLC)...Gotta Earn It - Among Mariners pitchers with at least 150.0 innings pitched in singleseason club history, ranks 6th for fewest walks allowed with 34...Start It Up - Had 9 starts of at least 7.0 innings pitched and 2 or fewer runs allowed, tied with Trevor Bauer-CLE and Sean Manaea-OAK for 6th-most such outings in the AL...Going for Distance - Logged 42.0 innings pitched in the month of June, tied with Jacob deGrom-NYM for the Major League lead…only deGrom (43.2 IP, August) and James Paxton (43.0 IP, May) tossed more innings in a calendar month in 2018...Pick Six - Worked into at least the 6th inning in 26 of his 31 starts, including 23 outings of at least 6.0 complete innings, 9 of 7.0+ innings and 4 of 8.0 innings of work...Beast vs. the East - In 8 starts against AL East opponents, was 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA (16 ER, 55.2 IP) with 38 strikeouts and 6 walks…had 7 quality starts vs. the AL East…among pitchers with 50.0+ innings pitched vs. the AL East in 2018, his 2.59 ERA was 5th-best. ...Give 'Em a Chance - Exited 20 of his 31 starts with a lead (14) or tied (6)...Hitting His Stride - From May 22 - June 12, went 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA (7 ER, 35.2 IP) with 20 strikeouts and 4 walks in 5 starts…the Mariners went 5-0 in those 5 starts…each of his 5 starts were quality starts, including 3 outings of 7.0+ innings and 2 or fewer runs allowed...Milestone - Recorded his 1,000th career strikeout on April 18 vs. Houston...Outliers - Gave up more than one-half (55.6%/50x90) of his earned runs in 9 starts: April 18 vs. Houston (5 ER), April 23 at Chicago-AL (8 ER), May 15 vs. Texas (5 ER), June 17 vs. Boston (5 ER), July 10 at Los Angeles-AL (5 ER), Aug. 26 at Arizona (5 ER), Aug. 31 at Oakland (6 ER), Sept. 18 at Houston (5 ER) and Sept. 25 vs. Oakland (6 ER)…subtracting those 9 starts, had a 2.52 ERA (40 ER, 143.0 IP) in 22 starts. PERSONAL: Michael Raymond Leake…resides in Paradise.
2017
The Totals - Was 10-13 with a 3.92 ERA (81 ER, 186.0 IP) with 130 strikeouts in 31 combined starts with St. Louis and Seattle... Seattle Finish - Was 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA (9 ER, 32.0 IP) with 27 strikeouts in 5 starts for Seattle... Trade - Acquired with cash and International Slot money from St. Louis in exchange for Rayder Ascanio on Aug. 30... Thirty - 6th consecutive season with 30+ starts…he's one of four pitchers who have recorded 30+ starts in the last 6 seasons, joining Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and Ian Kennedy... Birdie - Was 7-12 with 4.21 ERA (72 ER, 154.0 IP) with 103 strikeouts in 26 starts for St. Louis... Strong Start - Began season 6-6 with 2.97 ERA (35 ER, 106.0 IP) with 72 strikeouts in his first 16 starts; 1-6 with a 6.94 ERA (37 ER, 48.0 IP) with 31 strikeouts over his last 10 starts... Grounded - Ranked 4th in MLB with a ground ball rate of 54.3%, trailing only Toronto's Marcus Stroman (62.9%) and San Diego's Luis Perdomo (62.0) and Clayton Richard (60.2%)... Workhorse - Tossed 186.0 innings, his 4th season of 185.0+ innings... No Minor Thing - Started for St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh in Little League Classic at BB&T Ballpark in Williamsport, Pa. on Aug. 20…3rd career pro appearance in a minor league ballpark…made 2 appearances (1 start) with AAA Louisville (Cincinnati) in 2011... Going For Distance - Recorded 3 starts of 8.0+ innings pitched and 1-or-fewer runs allowed (4/7 vs. CIN, 5/24 at LAD and 6/30 vs. WAS)…only 6 pitchers in the Majors had more such starts this season (Corey Kluber-CLE, 8, Chris Sale-BOS, 4, Carlos Martinez-STL, 4, Zach Greinke-ARI, 4, Jacob deGrom-NYM, 4 and Carlos Carrasco-CLE, 4).
2014
Established career highs in strikeouts, starts and innings pitched...ranked sixth in the National League in innings pitched and finished 1 start shy of the 3 co-leaders...a team-high 5 times was the victim of blown saves...in his 3-1 win on 6/26 at SF recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts, tied with Johnny Cueto for the most by a Reds pitcher in a game all season...missed his first scheduled spring training appearance because of an abdominal strain but then made 4 exhibition starts for the Reds and another on 3/29 in Louisville for the Bats vs the Major League club...made his season debut in the Reds' fourth regular season game, a 4-3 loss at NYM...as a batter hit 2 home runs (4/15 vs Pit off Gerrit Cole, 8/13 vs Bos off Anthony Ranaudo)...his 7 extra-base hits (5 2b, 2hr) tied LAD's Zack Greinke for the most by any pitcher in the majors...ranked T2nd among pitcher in doubles and third in HR.
2016
Made 30 starts in his first season with St. Louis after signing a five-year deal with a mutual option for 2021...Issued a career-low 30 walks in 176.2 innings pitched to rank 2nd in the National League in BB/9 IP (1.53) (Bartolo Colon, 1.50). Was N.L. co-leader with Colon with 0.40 BB/TBF...Walked one batter or less in 24 of his 30 outings, including zero walks in 10 of his outings...Did not walk a batter in July (30.0 IP) as part of a career-best 36.0 inning streak without a walk issued, 2nd-longest in Majors in 2016 [6/30 (7th inn.) - 8/4 (1-5 inn.)], trailing LAA's Matt Shoemaker (39.1, 5/16-6-11) (Elias)...His 36.0 inning walk-less streak was the longest by a Cardinals pitcher since Bob Tewksbury's 55.0 IP in 1993 [6/15 (3-7 inn.) - 7/22 (1-6 inn.)] (Elias)...Finished 3rd in the N.L. with a 54.1 ground ball percentage, trailing teammates Jaime Garcia (57.9) & Carlos Martinez (57.7)...Pitched at least 6.0 innings in 21 of 30 starts (16 quality starts)...Threw 100 or more pitches in only four starts with a 3-1 record in those games...Co-led the N.L. with Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff with a career-high 10 sacrifice flies allowed...Led Major League pitchers in total chances (65), was 2nd in putouts (24), T2nd in double plays (5) and 3rd in assists (37)...Seven of his nine wins came on the road, 12th-most in the N.L...Dropped a 5-1 decision at PIT in his Cardinals debut on 4/6, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits in 4.1 IP (99 pitches)...In his Busch Stadium debut on 4/13, was charged with 4 ER on 8 hits over 6.0 IP in the Brewer's come-from-behind 6-4 win...The Cardinals 8-5 win on 4/24 at SD marked the first time that the team was victorious in a game he pitched...In eight starts between 5/10-6/10, went 5-1 with 2.70 ERA (53.1 IP/16 ER) and 36 strikeouts (seven quality starts)...Earned his first win as a member of the Cardinals in his start at LAA on 5/10; allowed one run over a season-best 8.0 innings...Recorded his second consecutive win at LAD on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball on 5/15, surrendering one run over 6.0 innings. Exited with the game tied at 1-1 as St. Louis scored three runs in the next frame for a 5-1 win...Joined Bob Gibson as only Cardinal pitcher to have consecutive starts with 10 or more K's and no walks issued, doing so on 7/10 at MIL (10K) & 7/18 vs. SD (11K). Snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 win at Milwaukee in the final game before the All-Star Break (7/10). Fanned a season-high 10 batters in his 7.0 IP with no walks allowed, the third 10+ strikeout game of his career and first with no walks...Won his second-straight start with a 10-2 win over SD on 7/18, striking out 11 of his 24 batters faced in 6.0 innings pitched with no walks allowed...Recorded his 100th strikeout 8/14 at CHI, giving him 6-straight seasons with 100 strikeouts...Missed 14 games from 8/22-9/6 while on the 15-day disabled list with shingles.
2015
Made 30 starts splitting the season between Cincinnati (21 GS) and San Francisco (9 GS)…Posted a 11-10 record, his third highest win total (11) in a regular season (14, 2013 & 12, 2011)…Was traded from the Reds to the Giants on July 30 for INF Adam Duvall and minor league RHP Keury Mella…Was 4-0 with an 0.60 ERA (2 ER, 30.0 IP) in his last four starts with Cincinnati prior to being traded…Was 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 21 starts with Cincinnati and 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA in nine starts with San Francisco…Placed on the disabled list for 18 days (8/3-21) with a left hamstring strain...was scheduled to make his second start with SF at CHI (8/7), however his hamstring tightened up during routine sprints at ATL (8/3), one day after he made his debut with 6.1 innings in a 2-1 loss at TEX (8/2)…Surpassed the 1,000 career inning mark in a start at Miami (7/10), tossing 8.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball in a 1-0 win…Made five scoreless starts of 8.0 or more innings pitched, the second-most such starts in MLB behind Clayton Kershaw (7)…Registered a 19.1-inning scoreless streak from April 30 to May 11, the longest by a Reds pitcher during the 2015 season…Threw his first career shutout in his final start of the season vs. LAD (9/30)...allowed just two hits and three walks with one strikeout the day after the Giants were eliminated from playoff contention…Tied for first among MLB pitchers with three doubles (Kennedy, SD) and T2nd among MLB pitchers with two home runs and 2nd with eight RBI (Bumgarner, SF, 5 HR & 9 RBI).
2013
Established career highs in starts, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts...ranked among the National League leaders in winning percentage (.667, T5th) and road ERA (2.81, 7th)...as the Reds battled for a Wild Card playoff spot, in 3 starts from 9/6-9/17 went 3-0, 0.84 - including a career-high 21.2-inning scoreless streak (9/6-9/24) that tied Mat Latos for the longest by a Reds starting pitcher in 2013 - before suffering a 4-2 loss on 9/24 vs NYM in his final appearance of the regular season...from 5/15-7/29 went 8-2, 1.82 in 14 starts, including 9 starts in which he threw at least 6.0 innings while allowing 0 or 1 earned run and a 16.2-inning scoreless streak from 5/15-5/27...his 1.82era was the second-best in the Major Leagues in that span (Bartolo Colon 1.52, minimum 14 starts)...in 19 starts from 4/17-7/29 went 10-4, 2.18 and produced the second-best ERA in the majors in that span (Clayton Kershaw 1.99, minimum 19 starts)...in the 11-2 win on 4/17 vs Phi threw 7.0 shutout innings and produced 2 singles and a triple (1rbi)...became the first Reds pitcher to score at least 3 runs in a game since Danny Jackson scored 4 runs on 9/4/88 vs Cubs...in the 4-3 walkoff loss on 6/22 at Ari retired his first 17 batters until pitcher Patrick Corbin doubled with 2 outs in the sixth inning, followed by Gerardo Parra's 2-run HR...in the 8-3 win on 7/24 at SF allowed a career-high 12 hits but just 1 run while stranding 10 baserunners...became the first pitcher to allow 12 hits and produce 3 hits as a batter since Hou's Mike Hampton on 7/28/99 at Col...as a batter, from 5/8-7/24 went a career-high 0-for-26, a skid snapped with a 3-hit game on 7/24 at SF...was on the Wild Card playoff roster but did not pitch in the 6-2 loss at Pit.
2012
In his third full Major League season at age 24 established career highs in starts and innings
pitched ... was part of a staff in which 5 pitchers started 161 of the club's 162g (Bronson Arroyo, Homer Bailey,
Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos) ... the Reds became only the eighth team in Major League history to produce 5
pitchers with at least 30 starts each (1977 Dodgers, 1980 A's, 1993 Dodgers, 2003 Mariners, 2005 Cardinals,
2005 Indians, 2006 White Sox) ... the Reds used 6 or fewer starting pitchers in a season for only the fourth
time since 1900 (1900, 1942, 1951, 2012) and were the only team in the Major Leagues in 2012 to use as
few as 6 starting pitchers ... produced 17 quality
starts ... 4 times was the victim of blown saves...
in his 30 starts the Reds went 16-14 and scored
139 runs (4.63 r/g) ... in 13 starts from 5/16-7/29
went 4-1 with a 3.02era, the sixth-best ERA
in the National League and 10th-best in the
majors in that span ... in the 5-1 win on 6/29 at
SF threw the first complete game of his career
(9h), produced 2 hits and homered off Matt
Cain ... became the first Reds pitcher to homer
while throwing a CG since Pete Harnisch
did it on 8/9/00 vs Atl ... as a batter, led Major
League pitchers in hitting (.305) and hits (18)
and tied Wsh's Stephen Strasburg for the lead
in extra-base hits (5) ... 3 times produced 2 hits
while earning the victory (6/29 at SF, 8/25 vs
StL, 9/11 vs Pit) ... also pinch hit 3 times (struck
out, walked, struck out) ... hit his first career
home run on 5/21 vs Atl off Mike Minor, a 2-out
homer that was the first of 3 consecutive HR off
Minor (Zack Cozart, Drew Stubbs) ... his homer
off Cain was the second of his career ... prior to
Game 4 of the Division Series vs SF replaced
on the roster injured Johnny Cueto and started
that night's 8-3 loss at GABP.
2011
In his second season in the
starting rotation, the 23-year-old led the staff
in the pitching Triple Crown categories of
wins (12), ERA (3.86, among qualifiers) and
strikeouts (118) and tied Johnny Cueto for the
staff lead with 18 quality starts...all were career
highs...threw at least 8.0 innings 4 times, tied
with Cueto for the staff lead and including
consecutive starts twice, and 8 times threw at
least 7.0 innings...on 6/6 vs Cubs and 6/11 at
SF threw 8.0 innings in each start, the first Reds
pitcher to throw at least 8ip in consecutive apps
since Bronson Arroyo in 2009...did it again in
his final 2 apps of the season, on 9/6 at Chi (9ip,
2er) and 9/13 vs Chi (8ip, 1er)...in his 26 starts
the Reds went 15-11 and scored 130 runs (5.00
r/g)...his career-high scoreless streak of 17.0
innings from 6/6-6/17 tied Travis Wood's (6/20-
9/24) for the longest by a Reds pitcher in 2011...
began the season in the starting rotation and
went 3-1, 5.77 in 6 apps before he went to the
bullpen in early May, when Homer Bailey and
Cueto came off the disabled list within 3 days
of each other...made 3 relief apps before he
was optioned to Louisville on 5/14, when Jose Arredondo came off the disabled list...after 2 apps at Louisville was
promoted on 5/27, started that night's game at Atl and earned the 5-1
win...spent the rest of the season as one of the best pitchers in the
Reds' rotation...in 20 starts after he returned from Louisville went 9-7,
3.36...didn't pitch after 9/13, when he reached 175.0 innings for the
season, including 7.1ip at Louisville...in his 10-2 win on 6/11 at SF,
threw 8.0 scoreless innings and as a batter singled and doubled off
Tim Lincecum...became only the third pitcher in the last 20 years to
throw at least 8.0 scoreless innings and record 2 hits off a Cy Young
Award winner in the same game...he joined Hou's Doug Drabek,
who had a shutout vs Atl and 3 hits off Tom Glavine in 1994, and Pit's Jeff Karstens, who had a shutout vs Ari
and 2 hits off Randy Johnson in 2008...as a batter produced 11 hits, including a 2-hit game on 6/11 at SF...
led the entire team with 10 sac bunts...his 27 hits over the last 2 seasons are third-most among all pitchers
behind Yovani Gallardo (31) and Randy Wolf (29)...in the 12th inning of the 13-inning, 5-4 win on 9/27 at NYM
made his only pinch-hitting appearance of the season and struck out vs Josh Stinson.
2010
Was 1 of 10 Reds players to make his Major League debut...became the 21st player since
the draft began in 1965 to play in the majors without appearing in a minor league game (first since Xavier
Nady in 2000), the seventh Reds player to do
it (first since Bobby Henrich in 1957) and the
first player from the June 2009 draft to make his
debut...made his first 22 apps as a starter (8-4,
3.78) and his last 2 apps in relief (0-0, 27.00,
2.2ip, 8er)...after his final start, a 5-4 win on
8/14 vs Fla, led all National League rookies in
innings pitched (135.2)...finished the season
ranked among NL rookie pitchers in ERA (4.23,
9th), wins (8, T5th), starts (22, 3rd), innings
pitched (138.1ip, 3rd) and strikeouts (91, 7th)...
produced 13 quality starts...pitched into the
seventh inning in 9 of his 22 starts and threw
6.0 innings in 9 others...from 8/27-9/9 was on
the disabled list with a fatigued right shoulder...
didn't pitch after he came off the DL but did
make 1 appearance, on 9/26 at SD pinch-hit and
struck out...received votes for National League
Rookie of the Month for May (6gs, 2-0, 1.88)...
was the first Reds pitcher to begin his Major
League career 5-0 since RHP Tim Layana in
1990 and the first Reds starter to win his first 5
career decisions since 1976, when RHP Santo
Alcala began 5-0...at 5-0 was the first pitcher in
Reds history to remain undefeated through his first 12 Major League starts...his 7-1 start was the best by a Reds
rookie pitcher since Wayne Simpson began the 1970 season with a
13-1 record...in his 22 starts the Reds went 12-10...4 of the 10 losses
were by 1 run, 2 more were by 2 runs, 6 were in the opponent's
final at bat, 3 were in extra innings and 3 were walkoff losses...Cin
is the first team in Major League history to lose 2 games in a single
season in which they led by 6 runs or more entering the bottom of
the ninth inning, and Leake started both of those games...he is the
only pitcher in Major League history to start more than 1 game in his
entire career in which his team lost after leading by at least 6 runs
heading into the bottom of the ninth inning...was the victim of a blown save in the 10-9 loss at Atl on 5/20,
when the Reds failed to hold 8-0 and 9-1 leads and allowed 7 runs in the bottom of the ninth...was the victim
of another blown save in the 10-inning, 9-7 loss at Phi on 7/9, when the Phillies tied the game with 6 runs in
the bottom of the ninth and won in the 10th...on 4/11 vs Cubs, in his first professional appearance allowed
just 1 run in 6.2 innings but received no decision in the 3-1 victory (4h, 7bb, 5k, 1wp, 106 pitches)...in the top
of the first inning loaded the bases with nobody out but didn't allow a run...first career strikeout was Marlon
Byrd (first inning)...following that game donated his cap to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
in Cooperstown...the autographed lineup card and a game-used baseball went to the Reds Hall of Fame...led
all National League pitchers in hitting (.356 as a pitcher, 3rbi, 6sh)...hit safely in 11 of his 22 starts...produced
2-hit games on 4/11 vs Cubs, 5/20 at Atl and 6/5 at Wsh and a 3-hit game on 7/9 at Phi...became the first
Reds pitcher with 4 multi-hit games in a season since Jose Rijo produced 4 multi-hit games in 1993...on 7/9 at
Phi became the first Reds pitcher with 3 hits in a game since Bobby Livingston had 4 hits on 7/16/07 at Atl...
from 5/20-6/5 had a 4-game hitting streak (6-10, .600, 1 2b), the longest by a Reds pitcher since Livingston's
4-game hitting streak from 6/1-7/26, 2007...in his Major League debut singled twice off Tom Gorzelanny to
become the first Reds pitcher with 2 hits in his first career game since Benny Frey did it on 9/18/29 vs Phi...
on 7/28 at Mil made his first career pinch-hit appearance and drew a walk off Carlos Villanueva...overall pinch
hit 4 times, on 7/28 at Mil (walked), 8/15 vs Fla (F7), 8/25 at SF (K) and 9/26 at SD (K)...earned his spot in
the season-opening rotation by going 1-0, 3.00 in 2 starts and 4 relief apps during spring training (18ip, 16h,
6er, 4bb, 10k, 1hr)...wore uniform number 76 in camp...entered his first professional season rated by Baseball
America as the third-best prospect in the organization behind IF Todd Frazier and 1B Yonder Alonso...was
not on the club's National League Division Series roster.
2009
As the Reds' No. 1 draft pick made his professional debut in the prestigious Arizona Fall
League, where he went 1-2, 1.37 in 5 starts and 1 relief appearance for the Peoria Saguaros...in his 5 starts
posted a 0.54era (16.2ip, 1er)...his curveball already has been rated by Baseball America as the best in the
organization...in his junior season at Arizona State University went 16-1, 1.71 with 7 complete games and
2 shutouts in 18 starts and 1 relief appearance...led the country in wins and led the Pac-10 in ERA, innings
pitched (142.0) and strikeouts (162).
