Atlanta Braves Millwood was drafted by the
Atlanta Braves in the 11th round of the
1993 MLB draft. After four years in the
minors, Millwood made his debut with the Atlanta Braves on July 14, 1997. A year later, he
won 17 games. Millwood formed a part of the Braves' star pitching rotation, which also consisted of
Greg Maddux,
John Smoltz and
Tom Glavine. According to
Nate Silver, the 1997 Braves starting rotation was the best in the history of baseball as of the 2010 season. In 1999, Millwood posted career-highs in wins (18, also achieved in 2002),
earned run average (2.68),
strikeouts (205) and
WHIP (0.996). He finished third in the National League
Cy Young Award voting (losing to the
Arizona Diamondbacks'
Randy Johnson) and 26th on the National League
MVP ballot. He was selected as an
All-Star in
1999, his only appearance in the Midsummer Classic.
Philadelphia Phillies Before the 2003 season, Millwood was traded by the Braves to the
Philadelphia Phillies for
catcher Johnny Estrada in order to cut their payroll in the midst of economic difficulties. He went 14–12 with his new team, including throwing a
no-hitter against the
San Francisco Giants on April 27 coming in the Phillies' final season at
Veterans Stadium (this was one of only two no-hitters ever thrown at the now-demolished stadium, both coming against the San Francisco Giants). He also led the majors in
stolen bases allowed, with 41.
Cleveland Indians In 2005, Millwood signed a one-year contract as a
free agent with the
Cleveland Indians. He came back from injury well, leading the
American League in ERA (2.86). However, he managed a record of only 9–11, due to poor run support. In 2005, Millwood again led the majors in
stolen bases allowed, with 33. He finished tied for sixth in balloting for the AL Cy Young Award.
Texas Rangers in . On December 26, 2005, the
Texas Rangers signed Millwood to a five-year, $60 million deal. In 2008, when batters did hit the ball against him, it was with uncommon success, as his .358 batting-average-against on balls in play was the highest in the major leagues. 26% of all balls put in play against him were line drives, the highest percentage in the majors.
Baltimore Orioles Millwood was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles on December 9, 2009, for
Chris Ray and a
player to be named later (left-handed pitcher Ben Snyder, a Rule 5 pick from San Francisco). During the 2010 season, Millwood went 4–16 with a 5.10
earned run average, leading the league in losses.
New York Yankees On March 25, 2011, Millwood was signed to a minor league contract by the
New York Yankees. After making three starts in the minor leagues, he opted out of his contract on May 1.
Boston Red Sox Millwood signed a minor league contract with the
Boston Red Sox on May 19, 2011. He was released on August 7, exercising an opt-out clause.
Colorado Rockies On August 8, 2011, Millwood signed a minor league contract with the
Colorado Rockies. Millwood was called up August 10 to fill a void after an injury to
Juan Nicasio.
Seattle Mariners On January 22, 2012, it was reported that the
Seattle Mariners had signed Millwood to a minor league contract. He was called up from
Triple-A and made his first major league start of the season on April 22 against the
Chicago White Sox. On May 13, Millwood became the 67th pitcher to record
2,000 career strikeouts when he struck out
Yankee Curtis Granderson. Millwood notched a win over Yankee starter
Andy Pettitte, who was pitching in the majors for the first time since 2010. On June 8, Millwood pitched the first six innings of a combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers before leaving the game due to a groin injury.
Charlie Furbush,
Stephen Pryor,
Lucas Luetge,
Brandon League, and
Tom Wilhelmsen helped him complete the bid. Millwood was put on the disabled list in September with soreness in his shoulder and missed the remainder of the regular season.
Retirement On February 3, 2013, Millwood was reported to be retiring. ==Pitching style==