A native of Spring, Texas, Beckett has grown to become one of the premier young pitchers in the major leagues. He was discovered by Florida Marlins scout Bob Laurie (responsible for Jason Stokes as well). His career thus far has been impressive, but injuries (most of the time blister problems) have limited him to only 99 starts (101 appearances) over the past four years. His most productive season came in 2007, when he posted career-highs in wins(20),and strikeouts(194), and allowed the lowest amount of walks of any season so far in his career(40).
Beckett's first start of his career was in Houston, Texas on September 4th, 2001. There was a crowd of at least 500 fans seated near the baselines, cheering for Josh, called "The Beckett Bunch."
Beckett achieved fame in the 2003 postseason by winning the World Series MVP Award with two great performances on only three days' rest. Teamed up with star catcher Iván Rodríguez, he helped the Marlins win the World Series over the favored Yankees, 4 games to 2.
In a deal that was made official on Thanksgiving Day, 2005, Beckett was traded to the Red Sox along with third baseman Mike Lowell and relief pitcher Guillermo Mota for minor league prospects shortstop Hanley Ramírez and pitchers Aníbal Sánchez, Jesús Delgado and Harvey García. Beckett and Lowell, along with fellow players Carlos Delgado , Luis Castillo, Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota, Alex Gonzalez, are the most prominent among a list of veterans the Marlins traded in what was organizationally termed a market correction. The Marlins drastically trimmed their payroll, possibly in preparation for a future relocation of the franchise out of Florida. [1]
Josh Beckett became the first Red Sox pitcher to hit a home run in 35 years — since the advent of the designated hitter rule — when he took Phillies' pitcher Brett Myers deep during an interleague game on May 20, 2006.
On July 18, 2006, Beckett signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension with a $10 million club option for 2010. [2]
Beckett completed his first season with the Boston Red Sox with a record of 16-11 and a 5.01 ERA. In 204.2 IP, he gave up 191 hits and struck out 158 batters while walking 74. Beckett allowed 36 home runs, tied for second most in the majors.
