Athletes - Jorge Sosa

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	Athletes - Jorge Sosa

Jorge Bolivar Sosa was born April 28, 1977 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is a Major League Baseball player with the Atlanta Braves.

Signed by the Colorado Rockies as an amateur free agent in 1995, Sosa spent his first five minor league seasons as an outfielder, but was converted to a pitcher when it was discovered that his arm was much better than his bat. He throws his fastball as high as 99 MPH, but usually resides in the mid-90's. He also throws a curveball, slider, and a changeup.

Sosa spent time in the minor league organizations of the Rockies, Seattle Mariners, and Milwaukee Brewers before heading to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Sosa was traded from the Devil Rays to the Atlanta Braves for young infielder Nick Green during the 2005 season.

Sosa enjoyed a breakout season with the Braves in 2005. After starting the year in the bullpen, he was moved to the rotation in June following a rash of injuries to Braves starting pitchers. Sosa was excited about having the opportunity to start, and responded by going 11-3 as a starter and giving the rotation a major shot in the arm for the season's stretch run. For the year Sosa was 13-3 with an impressive 2.55 ERA. More impressive, however, was his 8-0 record on the road. This earned him a start in game three of the National League Division Series in Houston, Texas against the Houston Astros.

Sosa pitched well in his postseason debut, but was outdueled by Astros ace Roy Oswalt in an eventual Houston win, finally handing Sosa a defeat away from Turner Field in Atlanta. Still, if not for his performance, it's likely that Atlanta's consecutive string of division championships (now at 14) would have been snapped.

During his strong '05 season, Sosa earned a reputation for his extraordinary ability to get out of jams he created for himself, as opposing batters hit just .194 with runners in scoring position, and .063 with the bases loaded.

Sosa recently signed a 1 year contract worth 2.2 million with the Braves, and heads into the 2006 season likely to be a key contributor to Atlanta's starting staff again.

Facts

Sosa will pitch for the Domincan Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Sosa is not related to former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Jorge Sosa ]

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