AARON JAMES CIVALE...Wife, Fran...Attended Loomis Chaffee High School (Windsor, CT) and Northeastern University (Boston, MA)…After pitching in relief his first two years at Northeastern, he went 9-3 with a 1.73 ERA (114.1IP, 91H, 22ER, 22BB, 121SO) in 15 starts as a junior and ranked among the top 15 Division I pitchers in innings (second), strikeouts (seventh) and ERA (13th)…After the season he was named a 2016 Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American and CAA Co-Pitcher of the Year... Attended Northeastern because it had the best combination of mechanical engineering and baseball...Enjoys cooking as well as video and board games...Resides just outside Boston in Braintree, MA, home of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum & The USS Salem.
2022
Logged 97.0 innings around three nearly month-long stints to the Injured List, missing 69 games with forearm, wrist and glute injuries…Posted a 7.04 ERA (36ER/46.0IP) in his first 10 starts from April 11-July 2, before rebounding with a 3-1 mark and a 3.00 ERA (17ER/51.0IP) in his final 10 outings from July 8-Oct. 5 (.86 WHIP over span was 2nd in AL to Justin Verlander’s .77 over the span)…Struck out a season-high 10 batters on Aug. 15 vs. Detroit, marking the second time in his career he fanned double-digit batters (also: June 11, 2021 vs. SEA - career-high 11SO)…Earned the win in Cleveland’s AL Central-clinching 10-4 victory on Sept. 25 at Texas (5.0IP, 3H, 2ER, 7SO)…His campaign was interrupted by injury...Had three separate stints on the 15-day Injured List: May 25-June 21 (left glute soreness), July 14-Aug. 10 (sprained right wrist) & Sept. 2-20 (right forearm inflammation)…Went 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 starts vs. the AL Central (54.1IP, 45H, 20ER)…Started Game 5 of the ALDS at New York on Oct. 18, lasting just five hitters while recording just one out (0.1IP, 2H, 3R/ER, 3-run HR to G. Stanton)…Equaled shortest postseason start in Cleveland history (Doc Gooden 1998 ALDS vs. BOS; Ray Caldwell 1920 WS vs. Brooklyn).
2021
Was one of MLB’s best pitchers over the first two-and-a-half months prior to injuring his right middle finger…Set new career-highs with 21 starts (+9), a team-high 12 wins (+8), 124.1 IP (+50.1) and 99 K's (+30)...Earned a spot in club's season-opening rotation and Opening Day roster for a second straight year and was on course for an All-Star caliber season until suffering a finger injury June 21 at Chicago-NL that sidelined him for nearly 2.5 months...Sustained a sprained middle finger on his right hand while starting the club's 4-0 win on June 21 at Wrigley Field; exited one out shy of completing 5.0 scoreless frames, which would have delivered his 11th win in 15 starts...Had pitched at least 5.0 innings in all 14 prior starts...Made 15 starts prior to the injury (10-2, 3.32 ERA, 97.2IP, 81H, 36ER, 14HR) and six after returning in early September (2-3, 5.74 ERA, 26.2IP, 27H, 17ER, 9HR)...At the time of his injury, he was leading all MLB pitchers in wins (10) and innings (97.2 IP) and was ninth in the A.L. in ERA (3.32) and eighth in WHIP (1.06)…Cleveland went 14-7 in Civale starts, including 12-3 prior to injury and 2-4 after return (received zero runs of support in 3 of last 6 outings)...Activated on Sept. 7...Began year as the rotation's No. 3 starter (won season debut, April 4 at DET), posting a career-best 5-game win streak over his first 7 starts...Did not take first loss until 8th start of year, May 14 at Seattle... Went 6.0+IP in 13 of 21 starts, including 7.0-or-more seven times… Tossed a season-high 8.0 innings on a pair of occasions, earning a 4-1 win on May 25 at Detroit (6H, 1R/ER) and, just 3 starts later, 8.0 shutout IP on June 11 vs. SEA (1H, 0R, career-high 11 SO)... Allowed a career-high 4 homers on Sept. 23 vs. CWS (day)…Became MLB's first 10-game winner of 2021 on June 16 vs. Baltimore...First start for Cleveland following June 21 injury/2.5-month rehab came on Sept. 7 vs. Minnesota (4.2 IP, 1R/ER)…Won final start in club's last game of 2021, tossing 6.0 scoreless frames of 6-0 SHO on Oct. 3 at Texas, lowering his ERA from 4.03 to 3.84 for the season...Went 7-1 with a 3.03 ERA across his 11 road starts (23ER/68.1IP) compared to 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 10 starts at home (30ER/56.0IP)…Ended year having won each of his last 5 road decisions…Held left-handed batters to a .215 clip (49-for228) & .659 OPS (11HR); right-handers hit .257 (59-for-230) with an .802 OPS (12HR)...Opponents hit .228 (36-for-158) w/runners on & .225 (18-for-80) w/RISP...opp. avg 1st time thru order: .286 (50-for-175), 2nd time: .214 (36-for-168), 3rd time: .185 (20-for-108)...Carried a 4.96 ERA (34 ER/61.2IP) across innings 1-3, but a 2.73 ERA (19ER/62.2IP) from the 4th inning on...Was a perfect 12-0 across 16 starts when receiving just 3-or-more runs of support (18-0 across 24 such career starts, team is 22-2)…Combined to make three rehab starts between Double-A Akron (2) & High-A Lake County (1), going 1-0 w/ 0.79 ERA (11.1IP, 5H, 2R-1ER, 3BB, 12SO, .128 AVG), Aug. 22-Sept. 1.
2020
Averaged over 6.0 innings per start and was a reliable member of the rotation in his first "full" Major League season...Made every turn in the rotation and finished third in the AL with 74.0 IP but also yielded the most hits (82) in the league... His 11 starts working at least 6.0 IP was tied for first in MLB with Cubs' Yu Darvish and Texas' Lance Lynn...His seven quality starts were tied for seventh in the league...Tossed his first career complete game, the only by a Cleveland starter in 2020, on August 19 at Pittsburgh (9.0IP, 5H, 1R/ER, 0BB, 6SO)... Marked 2nd CLE pitcher to throw a CG in their first 15 career starts since 2010 and first since Cody Anderson worked 8.0 IP in his 3rd career start on July 4, 2015 (Tribe lost, 1-0)...the quickest MLB pitcher to record a complete game since PHI's Ben Lively threw 8.0IP in 12th GS on Sept. 10, 2017, against Washington...Civale has never lost in his career (6-0 across 8 GS) when he has received three-or-more runs of support in an outing...Has gone 1-10 in 14 GS of two-or-fewer runs of support in his career and was 0-6 in games of two-or-fewer runs of support in 2020 (club scored 5 runs in his 6 losses)...Started year with three consecutive QS's...Civale (fanned 9 in each GS) & Shane Bieber (14 K in 1st GS, 13 K in 2nd GS) became just 2nd starting pitcher duo in Cleveland history to each strike out at least nine batters in each of their first two respective starts to begin a season, joining Sam McDowell (3 GS) & Luis Tiant (2 GS) in 1966...Allowed a career-high 10 hits, 8 R/ER and three homers in final start on Sept. 26 vs. PIT…Over his last four starts, he was 1-2 w/a 7.36 ERA (22.0IP, 32H, 18R/ER)...Was on the AL Wild Card Series roster vs. New York-AL, but did not pitch...Had a 6.09 ERA at home; 3.60 ERA on the road...RHH batters hit .333 (48-for-144) w/8HR and a .941 OPS allowed...Batters hit .301 (37-for-123) with runners on and .333 (21-for-63) with RISP...
2019
Entered the 2019 season ranked as the 19th-best prospect in the Indians system according to MLB.com, Aaron concluded the season as one of the most consistent starters on the staff, recording a 2.34 ERA over 10 mostly impressive starts after entering the spring injured and starting the campaign at AA Akron...Recorded the lowest ERA (1.82) for any pitcher that made his first 9 career starts with the Indians (11ER/54.1IP) and was just the fifth MLB pitcher since 1908, and the first since 1910, to work at least 5.0 innings and allow 2-or-fewer earned runs in each of his first 9 appearances, joining Pittsburgh's Harley Young (1908), Detroit's Ed Summers (1908), Boston's Cliff Curtis (1909) and Chicago-NL's King Cole (1909-10)...The previous franchise low for ERA over their first nine starts was held by MikeGarcia (2.07 in 1949)...in his final and tenth start Sept. 26 at Chicago-AL, he allowed 4 runs in 3.1 IP, taking the loss in the 8-0 White Sox win..Civale spent most of the first four months of the season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, going 7-1 with a 2.35 ERA (19ER/72.2IP) with 15 walks and 70 strikeouts over 13 starts...Started the year on the IL recovering from an August 2018 right lat strain that set back his 2019 preparation...Was also on the IL at Columbus, July 8-19, with right shoulder tightness...Season debut came on May 11 at Reading...Went 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA (9ER/30.1IP) with six walks and 24 strikeouts over 5 starts for Akron, including striking out a career-high tying 10 and allowing just one run on five hits with no walks over 6.0 innings at Erie in his final Double-A start on June 2...Promoted to Columbus on June 6 and made his first start for the Clippers on June 8 vs. Norfolk, limiting the Tides to two runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over 5.2 innings...Went 3-1 in 8 starts with the Clippers, carrying a 2.13 ERA (10ER/42.1IP), nine walks and 46 strikeouts...Elevated to theMajor League level for the first time tomake hisMLB debut on June 22 vs. Detroit, working 6.0 scoreless innings (2H, 3BB, 6SO) in notching his first win, a 2-0 win over the Tigers... Start was necessitated by Mike Clevinger going back on the IL with an ankle injury precipitated by the absences of Kluber and Carrasco... Became the first Indians pitcher to earn the win in his Major League debut since Danny Salazar did so on July 11, 2013 vs. Toronto (and the first in a scoreless debut of least 6.0IP since 2015)...Optioned back to Columbus on June 24...Made six starts with Columbus, June 27-July 30, around his 12 days stint on the IL, going 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA (6ER/31.2IP)...Recalled for the second and final time on August 5 to make second start that night vs. Texas (6.0IP, 3H, 1R/ER)... Civale became just the fifth Cleveland pitcher since 1908 to record six-or-more strikeouts in each of his first two career starts, joining Bieber (2018), Salazar (2013), Luis Tiant (1964) and Herb Score (1955)...In his third start at Minnesota on Aug. 11 (6.0IP, 4H, 1R/ER), became just the third Indians pitcher since 1908 to allow four-or-fewer hits in each of his first three starts (no relief appearances), joining Josh Tomlin (2010) and Clarence Garrett (1915)...Right-handed hitters hit just .203 (25-for-123) off him, including an OPS allowed of just .602...Overall OPS allowed on the year was .638...Batters hit just .209 (14-for-67) off him with runners on base and .211 (8-for-38) with RISP... Entering the 2019 season, Aaron was voted as having the "best control" in the Indians organization (Baseball America).
2018
Limited to 21 starts due to three DL stints: 5/6-6/8 (right shoulder strain), 8/8-17 (blister) and 8/29-on (right back/lat strain)…Voted Best Slider in Indians Farm System entering 2018 by Baseball America.
2017
Led organization with 13 wins, divided between Lake County (2) and Lynchburg (11)...Ranked 2nd among all Indians minor leaguers with 164.2 innings pitched.