On June 12, 2014, pitcher Ken Giles made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He rapidly established himself as one of the team’s most dependable relievers, producing a sub-zero ERA in his first few weeks and winning the right to be closer Jonathan Papelbon’s top set-up man.
He entered a game against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning on September 1st, after starter Cole Hamels had pitched six hitless innings and Jake Diekman had followed with a flawless seventh.
Not to be outdone, he struck out Jason Heyward, Emilio Bonifacio, and Freddie Freeman in order before handing the ball to Papelbon, who pitched a spotless ninth inning to finish the combined 7-0 no-hitter.
Giles was sent to the Houston Astros on December 12, 2015, along with Jonathan Arauz, for five prospects: Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Thomas Eshelman, Brett Oberholtzer, and Vincent Velasquez.
Giles was expected to develop into a dependable closer for the Astros, but things did not go according to plan. In 69 games, he went 2-5, 4.11, with 15 saves in his rookie season with the squad in 2016.
In 2017, he pitched significantly better as the Astros won the AL West, saving 34 games with a 2.30 ERA in 63 appearances and ending strong.
He gave up a run in both of his Division Series outings, despite saving the Astros’ win against the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 to send them to the ALCS.
How Old Is Ken Giles?
Ken Giles is 31 years old. He was born on September 20, 1990.