Jason Marquis (born August 21, 1978, in Manhasset, New York), is an American Major League Baseball pitcher, although his last name has the French pronunciation of "Mar-kee". He pitches for the St. Louis Cardinals. Marquis grew up in Staten Island, New York's Arden Heights neighborhood, where he played Little League Baseball on a team that made it to the Little League World Series in 1991.
The right-hander was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 1996 free agent draft after having graduated from Tottenville High School. He was the 35th selection overall.
Marquis made it to the majors with the Braves in September 2000, appearing strictly in relief, finishing seven games in his 15 appearances and winning one. He became a starting pitcher in 2001, and was used exclusively as a starter in 2002, making 22 appearances. In 2003, Marquis returned to the bullpen, as he only made two starts in 21 appearances that season.
On December 13 2003, Marquis was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with relief pitcher Ray King and rookie prospect Adam Wainwright for outfielder J. D. Drew and catcher Eli Marrero. Marquis became a full-time starter in 2004 with the Cardinals and posted a career-best 15-9 record, with a 3.71 earned run average and a career-high 138 strikeouts, for the National League champions. Manager Tony La Russa tabbed Marquis to start Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. He turned in the best performance of any Cardinal starter in the series, pitching six innings and giving up three runs. Unfortunately, he was bested by Boston pitcher Derek Lowe, who threw shutout ball for seven innings to win the series for the Red Sox.
Marquis had an up and down season in 2005. Although he started the season strong, he slid into a personal seven-game losing streak that took a toll on his confidence. His losing streak ended on August 27, 2005 when Marquis pitched a two hit shutout at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC against the Washington Nationals, for his first career complete game shutout. Overall Marquis posted a 13-14 record in 2005, with an 4.13 earned run average in 207 innings pitched. He appeared in 33 games, and started 32.
Rather uncharacteristically for a pitcher, Marquis is a very good hitter. In 2005 he had 27 hits, posting a .310 batting average with one home run and 10 RBI in just 87 at-bats. He was the first pitcher to bat over .300 since Mike Hampton batted .344 in 2002 (minimum of 50 at-bats). For his excellent work at the plate, Marquis won the Silver Slugger Award for the first time in his career.
For his career Marquis is 42-36 with a 4.15 ERA in 716 innings pitched. He has three complete games, one shutout and one save in 161 games (104 starts).
On January 17, 2006 Marquis and the Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration. While the terms of the deal were not immediately released, it is speculated to be worth about $3 million.
