Virginia Alum Sean Doolittle Named to 2014 MLB All-Star Game
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July 15, 2014
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Virginia baseball standout Sean Doolittle competed in the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday (July 15) at Target Field in Minneapolis. Doolittle pitched to three batters in the eighth inning for the American League, striking out a pair and giving up one hit in the AL’s 5-3 win over the National League.
A member of the Oakland Athletics, Doolittle is the second former Cavalier to be named to the MLB All-Star Game. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals played in the contest in 2009.
A left-handed pitcher who has moved into the closer role this season for Oakland, Doolittle is 1-3 with a 2.89 earned run average and 14 saves in 2014 for the Athletics. In 43 2/3 innings, he boasts the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in baseball, with 63 strikeouts to just two walks.
Doolittle was the 41st overall pick as a first baseman/outfielder in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. After reaching triple-A in 2009, Doolittle had his career derailed by injuries. He missed the next two seasons before returning to the mound in during the instructional league in the fall of 2011.
After starting the 2012 campaign at single-A Stockton, Doolittle ripped through the minor leagues and made his MLB debut on June 5, 2012. In 16 games at three levels of the minors, Doolittle posted a 0.72 ERA while striking out 48 batters in just 25 innings and limiting foes to a .096 batting average.
Doolittle played at Virginia from 2005-07 and was a two-time All-American. The 2006 ACC Player of the Year, Doolittle went 22-7 with a 2.23 ERA in his UVa career. In 222.1 innings, he struck out 243 and limited opponents to a .213 batting average. His 22 career victories ranks No. 4 all-time in the Virginia annals, while his 243 strikeouts ranks seventh.
Doolittle also hit .312 in his career (181 games) with 22 home runs and 167 RBI. He ranks second in school history in career RBI and walks (125).