About Jake Petricka

Jacob Steven Petricka (born June 5, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Los Angeles Angels.

Career
Chicago White Sox
Petricka played college baseball at Iowa Western Community College from 2006 to 2008 and Indiana State University before he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 2nd round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He started his career in 2010 with the Rookie Level Bristol White Sox and Single–A Kannapolis Intimidators. He finished the 2010 season with a combined record of 2–5 in 17 games (8 starts), 44+1⁄3 innings, 3.05 ERA, 38 hits, 15 walks and 48 strikeouts. In 2011, Petricka split time between Bristol, Kannapolis and High–A Winston-Salem Dash. He finished the 2011 season with a combined record of 7–8 in 23 games (22 starts), 113+1⁄3 innings, 3.65 ERA, 114 hits, 39 walks and 99 strikeouts.

Petricka suffered a back injury that forced him to miss time during the 2011 and struggle in 2012. In 2012, he started the season with Winston-Salem but was later promoted to Double-A Birmingham Barons. He finished the 2012 season with a combined record of 8–8 in 29 games (29 starts), 140+1⁄3 innings, 5.39 ERA, 156 hits, 81 walks and 111 strikeouts. Before the start of the 2013 season, he was ranked the White Sox #20 prospect.

Petricka is no longer a starter, having been moved to the bullpen for the 2013 season. He started the season at Birmingham pitching 21 games (1 start) with a record of 3–0. In 39+1⁄3 innings of work at Birmingham, Petricka had a 2.06 ERA, 36 hits, 18 walks and 41 strikeouts. He was then promoted to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights.

The White Sox promoted Petricka on August 17, 2013. On August 22, he made his Major League debut against the Kansas City Royals. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and earned his first career Major League victory during the 4–3 Sox win in 12 innings. He finished the 2013 season with a 3.26 ERA in 16 games. From 2014 to 2015, Petricka was a major asset for the White Sox' bullpen, posting an ERA of 2.96 and 3.62 respectively in each year. He also recorded 14 saves in 2014. On July 6, 2016, he was moved to the 60-day disabled list.