Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 63.2 | 81 | 43 | 34 | 32 | 6.08 | 1.77 |
| 2006 | 30 | 27 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 140.1 | 157 | 70 | 84 | 57 | 4.49 | 1.52 |
| Career | 43 | 40 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 204.0 | 238 | 113 | 118 | 89 | 4.99 | 1.60 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1 | -- | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10.13 | -- |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Jaret Wright was a pitcher who played for the New York Yankees from 2005 to 2006. Career stats: 16-12 record, 4.99 ERA, 118 strikeouts.
Jaret Wright's first real moment against the New York Yankees was ending their season. His last real moment with them was getting shipped to Baltimore with $4 million taped to his back so somebody else would take the contract off Brian Cashman's hands. That's an eight-year round trip from villain to disappointment, and somehow Wright never got to be the hero in either building.
The Kid Who Ended the Dynasty (Briefly)
Wright showed up on the Yankees' radar the hard way. Cleveland's 1994 first-round pick (10th overall, son of former Angels All-Star Clyde Wright) debuted in 1997 and immediately looked like a problem for everybody in the AL. As a 21-year-old rookie, he beat Andy Pettitte in Game 2 of the ALDS, then beat him again in Game 5 to eliminate the defending champs. Cleveland won that series in five. Three weeks later, Wright started Game 7 of the World Series against Florida and held the Marlins to one hit through six innings before the bullpen let it slip in extras. He lost that one. He'd already made his point about the other team, though -- the Yankees knew exactly who Jaret Wright was.
What followed wasn't a rise. Wright blew out his shoulder before he turned 25, needed multiple surgeries on the labrum and rotator cuff, and spent the better part of four seasons (1999-2002) barely resembling the pitcher who'd terrorized New York in October. Cleveland moved on. San Diego took a flyer in 2003 and used him almost exclusively out of the bullpen. Then Atlanta grabbed him midseason, and something clicked.
Resurrection in Atlanta, Then the Bronx Comes Calling
The 2004 version of Jaret Wright was the best one anybody ever saw: 15-8, 3.28 ERA, 32 starts, Atlanta's best pitcher on a division winner. He started Game 1 of the NLDS against Houston and lost to Roger Clemens, 9-3, but the larger point had already landed around the league -- the talent everybody remembered from 1997 hadn't disappeared, it had just been waiting behind a scalpel for five years.
The Yankees needed pitching badly. The 2004 ALCS collapse against Boston had gutted the rotation's reputation, and Cashman went shopping with real money. He got Randy Johnson from Arizona. He signed Carl Pavano to four years and $39.95 million (a decision with its own freakin' miserable ending). Wright agreed to terms on three years and $21 million on December 7, 2004 -- pending a physical he then failed. He had to take a second physical and pass it before the Yankees would actually put pen to paper, and the deal wasn't officially signed until December 28. That should've been a sign. Nobody wanted to read it as one.
2005-2006: The Body Didn't Show Up
It wasn't a sign, it was a preview. Wright hit the DL on April 24, 2005, with torn scar tissue in his shoulder and made all of 13 starts that year, going 5-5 with a 6.08 ERA. He didn't pitch a single postseason inning while the Yankees lost the ALDS to the Angels. (Pavano was hurt too. Kevin Brown was cooked. A career minor leaguer named Aaron Small and a guy Colorado had given up on named Shawn Chacon rescued the 2005 rotation Cashman built for $200 million-plus. Baseball's funny that way.)
2006 was actually fine -- 11-7, 4.49 ERA, 27 starts, a perfectly respectable fourth starter's season for a team that needed one. Then October showed up. Down 2-1 to Detroit in the ALDS, the Yankees handed Wright the ball for a season-saving Game 4 and he lasted 2.2 innings, three earned runs, done before the Tigers even got to their bullpen. Detroit won 8-3 and closed out the series. It was Cory Lidle's final big-league relief appearance -- he'd die in a plane crash four days later -- and it was Wright's last meaningful moment in pinstripes. The Yankees traded him to Baltimore that November, kicking in $4 million just to make the roughly $21 million commitment go away a year early.
Sixteen wins, twelve losses, a 4.99 ERA, and zero rings across two seasons that were supposed to fix everything. The kid who'd once been good enough to end a Yankees dynasty in its tracks never got the chance to be part of building the next one.
| Yankees Record | 16-12, 4.99 ERA (2005-2006) |
| Yankees Innings | 204.0 IP, 118 K |
| Yankees Postseason | 0-1, 10.13 ERA (1 G, 2006 ALDS) |
| Signed | 3 years, $21 million (agreed Dec. 7, signed Dec. 28, 2004) |
| 1997 ALDS (Cleveland) | 2-0 vs. NYY, eliminated defending champs |
Beats the Yankees to End Their Season
As a 21-year-old Cleveland rookie, Wright outduels Andy Pettitte in Game 5 of the ALDS, eliminating the defending World Series champions. It's his second win over Pettitte in the series.
Comeback Season in Atlanta
After years lost to shoulder surgeries, Wright resurfaces as the Braves' best starter -- 15-8, 3.28 ERA, 32 starts -- and starts Game 1 of the NLDS against Roger Clemens.
Signs with the Yankees
After agreeing to terms on December 7 and then failing his first physical, Wright passes a second physical and officially signs a three-year, $21 million deal as part of the post-2004-ALCS rotation rebuild, alongside Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano.
Shoulder Injury Derails Year One
Wright lands on the disabled list with torn scar tissue in his shoulder, finishing 2005 at 5-5 with a 6.08 ERA in just 13 starts and missing the playoffs entirely.
ALDS Game 4: Season Over
With the Yankees facing elimination against Detroit, Wright lasts just 2.2 innings and allows three earned runs. The Tigers win 8-3, ending New York's season.
Traded to Baltimore
The Yankees send Wright and $4 million to the Orioles for reliever Chris Britton, closing the book on the $21 million deal a year early.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Jaret Wright's record with the Yankees?
Wright went 16-12 with a 4.99 ERA across the 2005 and 2006 seasons, throwing 204.0 innings with 118 strikeouts. He was better in 2006 (11-7, 4.49 ERA) than in an injury-shortened 2005 (5-5, 6.08 ERA).
Did Jaret Wright ever pitch against the Yankees before joining them?
Yes, and it wasn't pretty for New York. As a 21-year-old Cleveland rookie in 1997, Wright beat Andy Pettitte twice in the ALDS, including a Game 5 win that eliminated the defending champion Yankees. He later started Game 7 of that year's World Series against Florida.
Why did the Yankees sign Jaret Wright?
After the 2004 ALCS collapse against Boston, Brian Cashman overhauled the rotation, trading for Randy Johnson and signing Carl Pavano and Wright as free agents. Wright had just gone 15-8 with a 3.28 ERA for Atlanta in 2004, suggesting his career-long shoulder problems were finally behind him. They weren't.
Why did the Yankees trade Jaret Wright to Baltimore?
After a disappointing two years marked by injury (2005) and a season-ending playoff loss to Detroit (2006), the Yankees traded Wright to the Orioles on November 12, 2006, for reliever Chris Britton -- and sent along $4 million to help cover what remained of his contract.