Ryan Scott Dempster (born May 3, 1977 in Sechelt, British Columbia) is a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball.
Dempster bats and throws right-handed. He has a win-loss record of 56-59 and an earned run average of 4.83 in 247 games (162 starts) [all statistics are through the 2005 season]. He has played for the Florida Marlins (1998-2002), the Cincinnati Reds (2002-2003), and the Chicago Cubs (2004-present). In August 2003 he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and made a miraculous recovery from the surgery, taking a little under a year to recover from it, coming back in the last half of 2004 to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. In 2005, after starting 6 games, Dempster was named the closer for the Chicago Cubs, replacing LaTroy Hawkins.
He collected 33 saves in 35 opportunities, the best save percentage in the league; in both blown saves, he collected the win. He is the only Cub and one of just three players ever to start a game and collect 30 saves in a single season. On October 1, 2005, the Cubs signed him through 2008 in a US$15.5 million contract extension. He emerged as one of the team's most consistent closers in 2007. At one point, Lou Pinella, the Cubs' manager, was considering promoting Dempster to a starting pitcher.blank">http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2877350 However, the idea was short lived, as a struggling bullpen forced Dempster to remain as closer. He recorded sixteen saves in eighteen opportunities before missing two weeks of playtime on account of an injured oblique muscle.http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/story/2007/06/26/mlb-cubs-dempster.html?ref=rss
Dempster is widely known for his laid-back attitude, constantly joking with fans and teammates and is said to be a positive contribution to a team's clubhouse. Dempster's fun and easy-going personality was especially evident when in comments to an Arizona newspaper in March of 2007, Dempster stated that if his career as a closer began to tumble, he would pursue ninja training.http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/174627.php He is also known for his _Harry Caray impression. Most notably, he announced the Cubs' starting lineup while speaking like Caray before a nationally televised baseball game on Fox Sports.
