| Name |
George Sherrill |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
19-April-1977 |
| Place of Birth |
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Baseball Player |
George Sherrill also known as "The Brim Reaper", "Flat Breezy", and "Duckbill" (all because he keeps the brim of his hat very flat while he plays), is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Sherrill was not drafted after graduating from Austin Peay State University. Sherrill began his professional career in the independent Frontier League pitching for the Evansville Otters.
In 22 games he was 2-4 with a 3.15 ERA. He played for Evansville in 1999 and 2000. He also pitched for the Quebec Capitales in the Northeast League in 2000. He moved to the Northern League in 2001 and pitched for the Sioux Falls Canaries. In 2002 and 2003, he played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League. On July 30, 2009, Sherrill was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two prospects: third baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Steve Johnson. The next night, he struck out the side against the Atlanta Braves on his debut. He appeared in 30 games for the Dodgers, finishing with an 0.65 ERA and 22 strikeouts. Sherrill struggled in 2010 to the point where he was once put on outright waivers, though he refused a minor league assignment and remained on the Dodgers roster the full season. He appeared in 65 games with the Dodgers in 2010 with a 6.69 ERA, the highest total in his Major League career. On December 2, 2010 the Dodgers chose not to offer him a new contract, and he became a free agent. On December 8, 2010 George Sherrill signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves worth 1.2 million dollars. During the regular season, Sherrill made 51 appearances out of the Braves bullpen, totaling 36.0 IP. His final stats for the season included a 3–1 win-loss record with a 3.00 ERA. On December 17, 2011 Sherrill agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.1 million to return to the Mariners. After appearing in 2 games and giving up 4 runs, on Sherrill was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained flexor bundle in his left elbow. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Sherrill missed the remainder of the 2012 season.
Sherrill is noted for wearing his hat flat-billed as a statement of independence (his teammates in the minor leagues used to joke that he did not even know how to bend the brim of his hat like a proper professional). During the 2008 season, some of Sherrill's Baltimore teammates would flip up the brims of their hats every time he successfully closed out a game. Orioles fans nicknamed this move the Flat Breezy, and the Orioles television announcers would sometimes announce an Orioles win after a Sherrill save as "flat breezy time." In a MASN post-game interview, Sherrill credited former Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar, a noted prankster, as the originator of this gesture. Sherrill also acquired the nickname of the "Brim Reaper" from Millar which Sherrill carried over to the L.A. Dodgers and eventually trademarked in 2009 (although it was abandoned as of February, 2010).
