C.J. Wilson

Lore & Background

Wilson attended Fountain Valley High School (graduating in 1998), then played at Santa Ana College where in 2000 he was named MVP of the Orange Empire Conference and awarded the California Junior College Co-Player of the Year award. He played outfield, first base, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher at Loyola Marymount University during the 2001 season. Wilson was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round (141st overall) of the 2001 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2005 and later signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Angels on December 8, 2011. Wilson ended his career after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in July 2016.

In Their Own Story

The October air at Edison International Field hung thick and warm, the kind of Southern California night where the stadium lights cut through a haze of orange and gold. C.J. Wilson stood in the on-deck circle, glove tapping his thigh in a slow rhythm, watching the Giants' third batter square up. He could feel the curveball sitting in his hand like a live wire. The crowd noise was a low, constant hum—ten thousand people breathing together. He stepped to the rubber, set his front foot, and let the ball leave his fingers. It started high, outside, and then the world tilted. The batter's bat swung through air that had been occupied a half-second earlier. The umpire called it. The dugout exhaled. Wilson didn't celebrate. He just wiped his forehead, looked at the catcher's sign, and waited for the next man. That was the thing about C.J. in October: he never let the moment finish before he was already in the next one.

Reader's Guide

Wilson's pitching repertoire included a four-seam fastball (90–93 mph), a two-seam fastball (90–93), a cutter (88–91), slider (83–85), curveball (77–80), and changeup (84–87), thrown from a 3/4 arm angle. He hardly ever threw his changeup against left-handed hitters, while his slider was much more commonly used against lefties. Wilson said he attempted to keep opponents' batting average on balls in play down by using his pitch mix a certain way and taking into account his defense's alignment.

Did You Know?

• Wilson was a two-time MLB All-Star (2011, 2012).
• He led the American League in games started (34) in 2011.
• Wilson threw a complete game win against the Kansas City Royals on May 7, 2010.
• He has the words 'Straight Edge' tattooed across his torso and Japanese characters on his shoulder that read 'Poison Free'.
• Wilson married Brazilian model Lisalla Montenegro on December 15, 2013; their wedding guests included professional wrestlers CM Punk and AJ Lee.