Athletes - Kris Benson

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	Athletes - Kris Benson

Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974 in Superior, Wisconsin) is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Baltimore Orioles. Benson pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates system from 1997 to 2004 and for the New York Mets through the 2005 season. Benson graduated from Sprayberry High in Marietta, Georgia in 1992.

College career

Benson attended Clemson University from 1993 to 1996. He won the Rotary Smith Award in 1996 and still holds many school pitching records. His teammates included fellow future major-leaguers Billy Koch and Matthew LeCroy, who also played with him in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA where they won the bronze medal.

Professional career

Benson was the first pick of the 1996 MLB Draft. His best season came in 2000 with Pittsburgh when he posted career bests in earned run average, strikeouts, innings pitched and games pitched as well as his only double-digit strikeout games and his career-best three-hit complete game, despite the fact that he is a groundball pitcher. After 2000, he needed Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2001 season. The New York Mets acquired him near the trading deadline of the 2004 season. On January 21, 2006, Benson was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine.

Career Major League statistics

Through the 2005 season:

Pitching

Games started: 165
Win-Loss: 57-61
Complete games: 5
Shutouts: 2
Earned run average: 4.25
WHIP: 1.37
Strikeouts: 699
Strikeouts per nine innings: 6.14

Batting

Batting average: 40 hits in 307 at-bats (.130 average)
Runs: 22
Doubles: 7
Triples: 0
Home runs: 0
RBI: 20
Walks: 15
Strikeouts: 123
Stolen bases: never attempted

Personal life

Benson is married to model Anna Benson. They have 3 children. Benson and his wife have founded the non-profit organization Benson's Batallion.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Kris Benson ]

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