Lendon James Rusch is a professional baseball pitcher who plays in his native country, the United States of America. Rusch began his playing career at the Shorecrest High School where he was a part of the baseball and basketball teams of his High School. In his senior year, Rusch pitched a no-hitter game that became his claim-to-fame of sorts.
His professional career began with the Kansas City Royals in 1997, a team where he would stay until 1999. He moved to the New York Mets for 3 seasons before signing a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. In 2004, Rusch was traded out to the Chicago Cubs where he played between 2004 and 2006.
In September 2006, Rusch was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lungs and was forced to sit out the remainder of the season. He decided to spend the entire 2007 season on the sidelines as well, recovering from his surgery and getting back to full fitness. Upon intimating the club of his desire to sit out the entire year, the Chicago Cubs decided to release him even though he had a year left on his contract.
| Team |
Colorado Rockies
|
| Position | Pitcher |
| Born | 7 Nov 1974 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Team History | |
|
Colorado Rockies
|
2008 - present |
San Diego Padres
|
2008 |
Chicago Cubs
|
2004 - 2006 |
Milwaukee Brewers
|
2002 - 2003 |
New York Mets
|
1999 - 2001 |
Kansas City Royals
|
1997 - 1999 |
In 2007, Rusch became a free agent and announced his availability for 2008. He began bullpen sessions in November for teams that were interested in him and a month later, Rusch was signed up by the San Diego Padres in a minor league contract. In early 2008, the Padres called Rusch up into the Majors but a couple of months later, decided to assign him to the AAA-League. Rusch decided to opt out of that demotion and became a free agent instead.
The very next day, he signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies and a couple of weeks later, he made it to the Major League team roster. In January 2009, Rusch signed a $750,000 minor league contract for a year with the Colorado Rockies’ organization.
