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A look back at the season for Eric Surkamp, one of a franchise-record 31 different pitchers used by the Dodgers in 2015, and one of only two to pitch exactly one game this season for Los Angeles.
What went right
Acquired from the White Sox as minor league starting pitching depth on May 22 for minor league reliever Blake Smith, the left-handed Surkamp was 9-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, including 15 starts, with 70 strikeouts and 23 walks in 88⅓ innings.
Surkamp laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in his only major league plate appearance of the season.
What went wrong
After striking out 23.2 percent of his batters faced in his two previous seasons in Triple-A, totaling 175⅔ innings, Sukamp's strikeout rate fell to 18.4 percent with Oklahoma City.
Surkamp was called up for a spot long-man appearance on July 6 against the Phillies, but he allowed four runs in 3⅓ innings, including home runs to left-handed hitters Ryan Howard and Odubel Herrera. Aside from allowing the two home runs to left-handers in the majors, the left-handed Surkamp allowed lefties to hit .346 (36-for-104) with three home runs while with Oklahoma City.
Surkamp's major league stint in 2015 lasted all of one day, optioned back to the minors on July 7.
2015 particulars
Age: 27
Stats: one game with Dodgers, 10.80 ERA, one walk, four strikeouts, 3⅓ innings
Salary: $516,000 while in the majors, though that was just one day with the Dodgers, for 1/183rd of the season, or roughly $2,820.
Game of the year
Surkamp pitched seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Aug. 17 against Tacoma, allowing just one hit, one walk and one hit by pitch, with five strikeouts. Surkamp retired the first 14 batters of the game.
Roster status
Surkamp was designated for assignment on July 8 and then cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A, the second time he was sent outright to the minors in 2015. As someone who had previously been outrighted, Surkamp had the right to decline the minor league assignment in July and become a free agent, but he accepted and was sent back to Oklahoma City.
That gave Surkamp the right to elect free agency by Oct. 15, which he did.