• Ziegler and Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols began their careers just 27 miles from each other years ago in Missouri. Before he converted to a submariner in the A's organization, Ziegler was just another pitcher at Odessa High School in Odessa, Missouri. Pujols, meanwhile, was a slugger during his days at Fort Osage High School in Independence, Missouri.

  Yet the 30-minute distance that separated these two future big leaguers didn't keep them from playing with—and against each other—in summer ball, a time during which Ziegler admits he didn't exactly own Pujols.

  "He hit a couple home runs off me," Ziegler said with a laugh. "He hit a couple balls hard off me that were right at guys. Average-wise, I think I did OK against him. But it's not like I was punching him out every at-bat. He was a phenomenal hitter in high school, and we all knew that he was going to go on to bigger and better things."

  Ziegler and Pujols played in the same district, and their respective performances in American Legion ball often brought them together as teammates for all-star games. On June 20, 2010 in St. Louis, they were opponents in interleague play, but that didn't stop the A's reliever from lending a hello to Pujols.

  "He didn't recognize my face, but as soon as I said who I was he knew right away," Ziegler said. "He was very gracious and very encouraging. He was always such a nice guy then, and it sounds like he's the same guy now."

• "I was decent friends with Albert Pujols in high school when we played against each other in American Legion ball," Ziegler said. "He was, without question, the best hitter I’ve ever faced, even at that time—Albert was a man. And now that he’s with St. Louis, he’s very easy to follow here in Springfield.

  "I love to watch Tim Hudson pitch. His stuff is absolutely nasty, and he’s a bulldog on the mound. I think we’re very similar in physical build and the way we pitch, but he throws harder and has that nasty splitter. I’m a Royals fan even through the hard times. I’m also a big fan of Oakland. How could you not like watching those guys pitch? Plus, they drafted me, so I’m a little partial."

• In the summer of 2001, Brad pitched with Chatham in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He came back to college in 2002 with a lot more confidence after posting a 3-1, 1.96 ERA.

• In 2002, Ziegler was disappointed by his 31st-round selection by the Athletics in the draft. So Brad went back to Southwest Missouri State for his senior season and was named Missouri Valley Conference pitcher of the year. He set school records for career wins, starts, complete games, innings and strikeouts and tied the single-season victory mark before the Bears began NCAA regional play.

• On May 31, 2008, Brad made his Major League debut—at age 28. "It's extremely exciting," Ziegler said about making it to the big leagues. "It's a lifelong dream, and there were times I didn't know if it was even realistic. But it was still my goal, and the last couple of years, I realized there was a distinct possibility and to get to this place—well, I just hope I can help them (the A's)."

• August 12, 2008: When reliever Brad Ziegler was asked if he would accept an offer to ride into an A's game in an IndyCar, the relief pitcher replied with a question rather than an answer.

  "Can I get a Danica Patrick autograph?" he inquired.

  The answer was yes, so Ziegler agreed to the proposition, which was his reward the pitcher for his career-opening Major League record scoreless streak.

  "I'm no more of a car-racing fan than the average person," he admitted, "but I became a fan of Danica Patrick after meeting her in spring training."

  Ziegler rode to the ballpark in a street-legal two-seat IndyCar driven by Davey Hamilton, a former Indy 500 participant. "It was a lot of fun," Ziegler said of the promotional event for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

  Patrick's husband, Paul Hospenthal, happens to be the team's physical therapist while the A's are at spring training in Arizona.

• Brad is very thankful for the support he has had through the tough times in his career. "My friends and family have been a great supporting cast in urging me never to give up, but I've always just trusted God to lead me down a path that allows me to glorify Him and however that needed to happen was fine with me," Ziegler said.

• In January 2009, Ziegler got to fly with the Blue Angels. "One word: incredible. It was so much more than I had even pictured in my head, and I can't imagine anything being more exhilarating," Brad said of the experience.

  How did he get the such an exciting ride?

  "My brother-in-law is training to be a pilot in the Marines. He got me some contact information and my agent did the rest of the work. The Blue Angels were gracious enough to make me one of their 20 VIP flights for this year," Brad said.

• Asked what his daily routine is in the offseason, Brad said, "My day starts when my daughter wakes up. I'll play with her for an hour or two, and then wake my wife up so I can go start my workouts. I lift weights for an hour and half, four days per week, and play catch six days per week. Then I go back home and try to spend as much time with my family as possible, because I know the season is coming up."

  FRIEND OF THE MILITARY

• Between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2010, Zeigler spent a week with troops in the Middle East. Brad's seemingly charmed life as a pro ballplayer will never stray from the belief system on which he was raised by parents Greg and Lisa. That structure includes a strong dose of pride for a country in which he's grateful not only for his Christian religion but also just for the chance to believe in such.

  "The opportunities we have as Christians are kind of parallel to opportunities we have as Americans," he said. "A lot of what we have in America when it comes to religious freedoms is because of our soldiers. I know religion is kind of a touchy subject with a lot of people, and I don't want to be a brow-beater on the subject, but the fact that we can make choices in that area is something a lot of people in other countries don't get."

• Ziegler, whose grandfather and grandfather's four brothers served in the military during the Korean War and whose brother-in-law is training to be a Naval aviator, loved being involved on Memorial Day on May 30, 2011.

• Brad on collecting baseball cards and memorabilia: "Most are signed baseballs on the sweet spot. I have some jerseys for guys that are Hall of Famers or likely to be Hall of Famers. That's just kind of a fun thing. I figured I'd collect it all now and then maybe display it someday when I have time and have a really cool room."

  Brad also said, according to azcentral.com, that 90% of his collection is for his personal collection and 10% goes towards his foundation. He has things such as a Jackie Robinson card, a Lou Gehrig jersey card, and a Babe Ruth bat card.

• Brad and his wife, Kristen, have one daughter, Kaylin. He met Kristen at spring training. She is his second wife.

• Ziegler supports the military through his Pastime for Patriots foundation. The foundation, which was originally designed to give baseball tickets to families of soldiers who were overseas, has since developed into much more.

• "Jackie Robinson is my favorite player of all time so there's a certain specialness for me that everybody around the sport and everybody in the public that follows baseball gets to learn a little bit more about him each year," D-backs closer Brad Ziegler said. "To wear the No. 42 it's always just a great celebration."

  Robinson was not Ziegler's favorite player growing up, but that changed as he began to do some more research on Robinson.  "What really stuck with me is the courage it took to do what he did," Ziegler said.

  Ziegler, who collects baseball memorabilia, has a couple of Robinson autographs in his collection, but those are not his favorite Robinson-related items. That honor belongs to the autograph of another Robinson—Rachel, Jackie's wife.

  "My wife and I went and met her in New York a couple of years ago," Ziegler said. "And after that visit she mailed us a book about Jackie and wrote us a little note on the inside. That's pretty special."  (Gilbert - MLB.com - 4/14/16)

• July 1, 2016: D-backs pitchers Josh Collmenter and Brad Ziegler have both had relatives in the military. Any opportunity the two get to give back to those who have served hits a little bit closer to home for them.

  Collmenter and Ziegler visited the MANA (Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force) House in downtown Phoenix, a peer-run organization of homeless and formerly homeless veterans offering personal, individualized basic resources, community and advocacy for all veterans.

  Collmenter and Ziegler chatted with veterans, provided them pizza for lunch and began the Fourth of July weekend by giving back to those who served the country.

  "It's always been a soft spot, just for what they do, and it's all voluntary; it's not like they're forced into it. They choose to live their lives that way," said Collmenter, who has a brother in the Marine Corps.

  "Being able to come and talk to these guys and just what they've done, what they've done with their lives, putting it on the line for us, is special. Talking to them, they always think so much of us, but it's the complete opposite way around. They're the heroes."

  Collmenter and Ziegler interacted with veterans from the moment they stepped inside MANA House. Some veterans asked for autographs and many took pictures with the pair of D-backs relievers. The duo went on a tour of the house, also visiting with the veterans who weren't physically able to make it to the lobby or lunch room.

  "Living corridors, laundry room, kitchen, everything here's free for them," Ziegler said. "They want to take these guys in and not just give them a place to live, but also help them right themselves and get themselves back out where they're living on their own and they're self-sufficient at that point."

  Ziegler said supporting the military is something he's done since a young age. His grandfather was a colonel in the Army and his brother-in-law is currently a Marine fighter pilot. The visit from Collmenter and Ziegler was the start of All-American Weekend at Chase Field.

  "It's something we think about on a daily basis, that these guys have done so much for our country, that we need to find a way to give back to them, even if that's just shaking some hands and showing our support," Ziegler said. "When you get a place like this that is really reaching out and trying to take care of these guys that have fallen on a little harder times, it's really special." (J Rill - MLB.com - July 1, 2016)

• After his first year in pro ball, Ziegler was released the first week of 2014 spring training. Brad went to Schaumberg of the independent Northern League and was 3-0, 1.50 ERA in four starts when the A’s came calling again. Ziegler signed and went to high Class A Modesto, going 9-2, 3.90 in the regular season. He found himself starting in the Cal League playoffs. That’s when the line drive caught him on the right temple.

  “I was at risk for seizures and hemorrhaging,” he said. “They wanted me to keep my heart rate down, so I just sat around and played a lot of video games and got out of shape.”

  Ziegler got medical clearance to play and was told that after the fracture healed, even if he was hit in the exact same spot, “it would be like a completely new injury.” That provided the peace of mind for him to continue to pursue the dream.

  “At that point I hadn’t even gotten out of A-ball yet,” he said. “I had some success at A-ball. I knew there was more there for me.”

  He even had a scare two winters later. After working a session with a youth camp, he was in his offseason throwing routine.

  “One of the campers was still there,” he said. “We were goofing around. When the ball was thrown to me he tried to jump in front of me and catch it, and it deflected off the end of his glove and hit me square in the forehead. It left me this dent right here (in the middle of his forehead) that is permanent. I didn’t even get admitted to the hospital.”

  Even taking a line drive off his right temple in 2004, splitting open his head, and forcing him to spend six days in intensive care wasn’t enough to scare him away.

  “I was going to keep going until the game pushed me out,” he said. “That was the mindset. That was part of what drove me. I didn't have security. Now that I had an opportunity I wanted to make sure I gave it everything I got.”

  It hasn’t necessarily been the route he envisioned. He was initially heistant when Ron Romanick, Oakland’s minor league pitching coordinator, approached him in the spring of 2007 to suggest adopting a submarine style.

  “It was, ‘Do you think you can pick this up?’” he said. “It never occurred to me that I was going to be moved to the bullpen. My first thought was, ‘How am I going to be able to do this for seven innings?’ That was the first time anyone legitimate said, ‘We think you can pitch in the big leagues.’ So I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’” (Tracy Ringolsby - Baseball America - 7/15/2016)

• A unicorn, legend has it, is a mythical animal most commonly represented as a horse with a single, straight horn protruding from its forehead.  So, what does a unicorn have to do with Brad? Basically, nothing but then again, everything because he will sport "Unicorn" on the back of his jersey during MLB's Players Weekend on Aug. 25-27, 2017.

  The story behind the nickname was born in Spring Training 2017.  Ziegler, an offseason free-agent signing, came into Spring Training with a specialized throwing program. Mostly he was pitching on back fields, while his teammates were playing in Grapefruit League games.

  The infrequency of being seen by the regulars didn't go unnoticed, and first baseman Justin Bour eventually dubbed Ziegler the "Unicorn."  "Justin Bour was the one who coined the name," Ziegler said. "March 12 was my first Spring Training game. Even then, about half of my games in Spring were on back fields. I was more like this mythological creature. They didn't know if I existed or not."

  You have to do some digging, but there is indeed statistical evidence that Ziegler pitched in Grapefruit League games. It wasn't often, five games and five innings.  Although he had an abbreviated number of outings, Ziegler now has a nickname that he will proudly wear on the back of his jersey.

  "To this day, there are still guys calling me that every day," Ziegler said.  "I like stuff that shows some personality, as long as it's not offensive to other guys or derogatory in any way," said Ziegler, who also will have "Unicorn" written on his cleats.  (Frisaro - mlb.com - 8/20/17)

• Marlins closer Brad Ziegler has never squatted behind the plate and caught another pitcher during a major league game.

  Ziegler does his catching before the games begin….and usually the baseballs are thrown by some of the biggest names in sports.

  “It’s in my contract that I get to catch all the big-time celebrities that throw the first pitch,” Ziegler joked. May 11, 2018, a few hours before he recorded his 100th career save, Ziegler caught more than likely the biggest pitcher he’s ever seen.

  Ziegler watched the towering 7-foot, 1-inch frame of former Miami Heat center and basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal as he fired a strike to the plate.“It was a natural cutter, front door to a righty,” Ziegler said. “I did my best to frame it. Compared to some others I’ve caught that was good especially for a guy whose hand is four times the size of the ball.”

  Ziegler’s chance to mingle with O’Neal was not his first brush with celebrity stardom from the sports world or beyond.During an 11-year career that’s taken him from Oakland to Arizona to Boston to Miami, Ziegler has caught ceremonial first pitches from football stars like Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald and Calais Campbell to known musicians like MC Hammer.It’s something Ziegler has eagerly volunteered to do at every stop along the way.

  “Those guys are fun to have around,” Ziegler said. “We’re all big football and basketball fans so it’s cool that they want to come out and support our team. It gives the guys a big emotional boost.”Ziegler got to meet O’Neal hours prior to the game and was shocked when ‘Shaq’ already knew ‘Zieg.’“They came in about 3 o’clock and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good one for you today.’” Ziegler said. “As soon as [O’Neal] walked in, I shook his hand and introduced myself and he said, ‘I know who you are, Zieg.’ I said, ‘Whoa, I have an international superstar.’ Whether it was true or not, it made me feel good.”

  This Marlins' catcher is embracing role as mentor to young Marlins’ pitching staff

  Ziegler, an avid memorabilia collector, has had plenty of non-baseball celebrities sign balls or other items for him over the years. Ziegler said O’Neal was happy to add to his collection on Friday.“They probably don’t sign a lot of baseballs just walking down the street so that’s a unique thing to have,” Ziegler said.

  O’Neal interacted with several Marlins’ players even taking part in a little mock one-on-one with Martin Prado.“He was very gracious and very polite the whole time, having fun with the guys,” Ziegler said. “It’s fun to have guys like that around and take your mind off baseball." (Andre C. Fernandez - Miami Herald - May 12, 2018) 

•  

  October 10, 2018 : After 11 years in the big leagues, D-backs reliever Brad Ziegler announced via Twitter that he was retiring from baseball.
  
  TRANSACTIONS

• June 2004: The A's signed Ziegler after he'd been released by Philadelphia and pitched 24 innings for Schaumburg in the independent Northern League (not listed in his statistics above).

• January 15, 2011: The A's and Ziegler avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.25 million contract for 2011. (He was arbitration eligible because of his Super Two status.)

• July 31, 2011: The Diamondbacks sent LHP Jordan Norberto and 1B Brandon Allen to the A's, acquiring Ziegler.

• December 20, 2013: Brad and the D-Backs agreed on a two-year, $10.5 million contract that pays $4.5 million for 2014 and $5 million for 2015, with a $5.5 million option for 2016 that includes a $1 million buyout. (Editor's note: The D-backs picked up his option for 2016.)

• July 8, 2016: The Diamondbacks traded Brad to the Red Sox for RHP Jose Almonte and 2B Luis Alejandro Basabe.

• Nov 3, 2016: Brad chose free agency.

• Nov 19, 2016: Free agent Brad signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Marlins.

• July 31. 2018: Arizona Diamondbacks traded RHP Tommy Eveld to Miami Marlins for RHP Brad Ziegler.

• Oct 10, 2018: After 11 years in the big leagues, D-backs reliever Brad Ziegler announced via Twitter that he was retiring from baseball. "For the last 11 years, I've been living out the dream of almost every little boy that grows up in this great country and in many other countries around the world," Ziegler said in his Twitter message. "It's been absolute privilege to wear the uniforms of the four teams for which I played. But it's time for me to move on to the next chapter in my life, whatever that may be." Ziegler, who turned 39, said toward the end of the year he was considering retiring because at his age and with the injuries that have cropped up over the years, preparing for games had become much, much harder.

• Ziegler throws an 82-85 mph two-seam sinking FASTBALL, a four-seam fastball, a CUT FASTBALL, a SLIDER and a 73-75 mph SLIDER, and a 75-78 mph CHANGEUP. Brian can drop down for a sidearm slider and fastball. Coming at hitters from different arm slots keeps a hitter from getting comfortable at the plate.

• 2016 Season Pitch Usage: Sinker 58.2% of the time; Change 23.8%; and Slider 18% of the time.
  
  2017 Season Pitch Usage: Sinker 56.7% of the time; Change 22.6%; and Slider 20.7% of the time.
  
  

• In 2011, Ziegler began throwing his two-seamer again, a pitch he used back when he was a normal, overhand pitcher. But when he made the transition to submarining, he decided to go to a four-seam grip. Why?

  “My thought process was, if I’m throwing four-seamers like this, it’s going to have the same rotation that a left-handed curveball does,” he said.

  Ziegler decided to change things up. He was warming up, throwing to Oakland bullpen catcher Casey Chavez, when he decided to see what would happen if he threw his two-seamer from down below.

  “I threw it and I got really good sink,” he said. “I located it at the knees and he kind of caught it and looked at me and nodded his head.”

  And in 2012, hitters almost never lifted a ball in the air, not even pop-ups.

• Brad throws strikes.

  "I’m definitely not a power pitcher but more of a control pitcher," Brad said. "I rely heavily on hitting spots and changing speeds. I throw a fastball (two-seam and four-seam), changeup, curve and slider. I also try to focus strongly on the mental aspect of the game."

• Ziegler now comes at hitters exclusively submarine/low-sidearm style. It was Oakland A's pitching coordinator Ron Romanick who first threw out the bold suggestion that Brad convert from starter to reinventing himself as a submarining reliever.

  "I toyed with it in the bullpen, and it went okay," Ziegler said. "After talking to my agent and my family, I decided that if this is my best chance to get there, then we should do it."

  So after the 2006 season, Ziegler went to Instructional League to learn to sling, and the results were startling. He began the 2007 season back at Double-A Midland, where he posted a 1.14 ERA in 15 appearances before being promoted to Triple-A Sacramento. With the River Cats, Ziegler proved to be one of the Pacific Coast League champions' most durable and effective relievers. He went 8-3, 2.96 in 55 innings over 35 appearances, giving up just 46 hits and 14 walks while striking out 44.

• He has a real good feel for pitching. He has very good makeup, works hard, and really wants to succeed. He can be a middle reliever in the Majors for several years.

• Ziegler has ecome more than a right-on-right reliever—he was retiring lefthanders as well. He got outs against the last 16 lefties he faced in Triple-A in 2007—the kind of success that gives hope that he won't be locked into a specialist role.

  ROOKIE RECORD

• In June, July, and August of 2008, Ziegler threw 39 consecutive scoreless innings to begin his career—an A.L. record. Brad passed Dave (Boo) Ferriss's 22 innings in 1945 for the Red Sox. He then passed George McQuillan of the 1907 Phillies with 25 scoreless innings. And he then pitched 14 more scoreless innings for a total of 39 scoreless innings before the Tampa Bay Rays ended it on August 14, 2008.

  "It's pretty crazy. But it's a tribute to the team. I rely on my defense; I don't strike guys out," Brad said

  On his way to the other record, Ziegler also passed the A's longest scoreless streak by a relief pitcher, Rick Honeycutt's 24 1/3 innings in 1995. 

• Ziegler is a ground-ball/double play inducing machine. Brad, who throws sidearm, does not have overpowering stuff, so he focuses on throwing strikes and keeping the ball down.

  "Ideally, I want to attack those guys, and I'm trying to get bad contact," Ziegler said. "I pitch to contact most of the time. If I get a chance to strike a guy out, I'll go for it, but I hardly ever start an at-bat thinking, 'I want to strike this guy out.' I'm hoping they hit it on the ground, and hopefully at that point it's at somebody.

  "I can't control whether it goes through the hole, but I can hopefully have an idea, or at least attempt to control, how hard they hit it, so even if it is in a hole, maybe we can get over and at least knock it down and keep them to a single and then get a double play with the next guy."

• D-backs manager Kirk Gibson has marveled at the way Ziegler consistently gets hitters to pound the ball into the ground, and while some relievers pitch better if they come in to start an inning, Ziegler is more valuable coming on when there are runners.

  "With me, a guy on first base sometimes can be a weapon, because I'm still a pitch away from having two outs," Ziegler said.

• In July 2013, Ziegler notched save number two on the season. Let's see if he takes over as the closer for the D'Backs, who, thanks to J.J. Putz and David Hernandez, were leading the league in blown saves. (Editor's note: Ziegler finished the season with 13 saves and 8 wins. But in the offseason, the D'Backs acquired Addison Reed from the White Sox to be their closer for 2014. That lasted only one year, however, with Ziegler taking back the closer role from Reed in 2015.)

• June 19, 2015: Ziegler joined the company of some of the greatest closers of all-time with his 500th appearance. Among pitchers with at least that many career outings, Ziegler's 2.49 ERA (at the time) ranked eighth.

  "That's pretty crazy, some of the names that guys talk about that are the best pitchers in the history of the game," Ziegler said. "It's a really neat thing, but for me, I still feel like a lot of the success I've had is because of the teammates I've had."

  Among the list are dominant closers such as Mariano Rivera (2.21), Billy Wagner (2.31), and Jonathan Papelbon (2.32). The only two pitchers on the list with ERAs lower than Rivera are Christy Mathewson (2.13) and Walter Johnson (2.16).

• June 2016: Ziegler set a D-backs club-record streak of 43 consecutive saves, the seventh-longest streak in Major League history.

• As of the start of the 2017 season, Ziegler had a Major League career record of 34-28 with a 2.44 ERA, having allowed only 28 home runs and 526 hits in 596 innings.

• 2004: After a solid season helping Modesto to the league playoffs, Ziegler was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Fred Lewis of the San Jose Giants. Ziegler suffered a fracture of the skull but recovered in time to pitch again in 2005

• February 2008: Ziegler was working at a youth baseball camp when a line drive glanced off his glove and struck him in the forehead. Ziegler was diagnosed with a slight skull fracture, according to A's officials. He was treated and released from the hospital on the same day.

September 5, 2014: Brad will have his ailing left knee surgically repaired. Ziegler initially felt the injury during pregame conditioning drills June 27 and was diagnosed by team physician Michael Lee with fraying of the cartilage just under his kneecap. Ziegler said the knee does not bother him on the mound, but manager Kirk Gibson said he has noticed that Ziegler is not able to bend down as low in his delivery because of it.

September 9, 2014: Ziegler underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee, a more serious procedure than initially anticipated. The procedure is known as microfracture surgery because tiny fractures are made in the underlying bone of the knee to help new cartilage to develop.