Ryan Rowland-Smith

Ryan Benjamin Rowland-Smith (born 26 January 1983) is an Australian former professional baseball pitcher and current television broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners. He debuted in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Mariners in 2007 and pitched with the team through 2010. He briefly pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014. Rowland-Smith also represented Australia in the 2004 Summer Olympics and three World Baseball Classic tournaments. Born in Sydney, Rowland-Smith grew up watching MLB games on videocassette. Signed out of high school by the Mariners, he spent the next several years pitching for their minor league teams. Promoted to Seattle for the first time in June 2007, he struck out the first batter he faced, former Mariners' star Ken Griffey Jr. Rowland-Smith began 2008 as a relief pitcher for the Mariners but converted into a starting pitcher in August, pitching in the starting rotation the rest of the year. After his first start in 2009, he went on the disabled list with triceps tendinitis. Rejoining the Mariners in July, he completed the eighth inning in three of his remaining starts for Seattle. In 2010, he made a career-high 20 starts for the Mariners but posted a 1–10 record and a 6.75 earned run average (ERA). Seattle did not offer him a contract after the season. Over the next three seasons, Rowland-Smith pitched in the minor leagues for several teams. In 2014, he began the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, much to his excitement as the Diamondbacks were opening the 2014 season in Australia. His time with the Diamondbacks did not last long, as the team designated him for assignment on 18 April. Rowland-Smith pitched for some minor league teams the remainder of the year, then joined the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2015. He pitched for the...