Tyler Lanier Walker (born May 15, 1976 in San
Francisco, California) is a Major League Baseball
pitcher who currently plays for the San Francisco
Giants. He is an alumnus of San Francisco University
High School and University of California, Berkeley.
Walker has pitched for the New York Mets (2002), the
San Francisco Giants (2004-2006, 2007-present), and
the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2006).
Tyler Walker's big break came in 2005, when Giants'
closer Armando Benítez was out of action for three
months. With only one Major League save in his
career to that point, Walker filled in admirably by
converting 23 out of 28 save opportunities. On June
17, in a game against the Detroit Tigers, Walker
made history by becoming the first pitcher to record
a save (since the save rule became an official stat
in 1969) by entering a game with the bases loaded
with nobody out and proceeding to strike out all
three batters he faced without allowing a run to
score.
Early in the 2006 season, Walker was traded to the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Carlos Hines. On June 14 of
that year, he was placed on the disabled list with a
strained right elbow, and later underwent
season-ending Tommy John surgery. On December 10,
2006, he signed a minor league deal with the Giants.
He pitched in 15 games late in the 2007 season and
is expected to play an important role as a set-up
man for closer Brian Wilson in 2008.
