Major league pitcher Jake Odorizzi, a native of Highland, is in the National League for the first time in his career.
Earlier this week, Odorizzi was traded from the Houston Astros to the Atlanta Braves. This season with the Astros, he had a 4-3 record with a 3.75 earned run average. He spent some time out due to injury.
The 32-year-old Odorizzi was a star baseball player at Highland High School. He led the Bulldogs to a state championship in 2008, with a pitching record of 14-0. At the plate he hit .422 with 15 home runs.
Odorizzi began his major league career in 2012 with Kansas City. He then spent five seasons with Tampa Bay, three with Minnesota and was in his second season with Houston.
As of this week’s trade, Odorizzi had a 72-66 career won-loss record with a 3.94 earned run average.
