John Halama (born February 22, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who plays for the Baltimore Orioles. Previously, Halama played with the Houston Astros (1998), Seattle Mariners (1999-2002), Oakland Athletics (2003), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004), Boston Red Sox (2005), and Washington Nationals (2005). He bats and throws left-handed. A native from Brooklyn, New York, Halama has a resilient arm that lends itself to starting or long relief. He relies basically on a sinking fastball that tops out in the mid-80's with an occasional slider and change-up mixed up. When his sinker is working, Halama doesn't need much else. He is one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in baseball.
Halama made his debut with the Astros in 1998. In the midseason he was sent to Seattle along with Freddy GarcĂa and Carlos GuillĂ©n in the same trade that brought Randy Johnson to Houston. Halama won 41 games for the Mariners in a four-year span, with a career high 14 victories in 2000. In 2004, Halama went 7-6 with a 4.70 ERA in 34 appearances, including 14 starts for the Devil Rays. He was signed by Boston as a free agent at the end of the season. He was later released by Boston and ended up with the Washington Nationals.
Spanning a career of seven-plus seasons in the Major Leagues, Halama has compiled a 53-44 record with 469 strikeouts and a 4.60 ERA in 860.1 innings pitched.
