Colby Preston Lewis (born August 2, 1979), popularly nicknamed "Cobra", is a former American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and Texas Rangers and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Lewis was originally a first-round draft choice (sandwich pick) of the Texas Rangers in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut in . He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Central League from 2008 to 2009, during which he won two awards for most strikeouts. Upon his return to the Rangers, he helped lead the team to two consecutive American League pennants in 2010 and 2011. Amateur career Lewis is a graduate of North High School in Bakersfield, California. Lewis attended Bakersfield College, where, as a sophomore, he won first team Western State Conference honors, going 4–5, striking out 108, and posting a 2.86 ERA. Professional career Texas Rangers Lewis was the 38th overall player selected in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a highly regarded prospect coming up in the Rangers' system and in three seasons with them had a career ERA of 6.83. Of particular note was his unusual season, where he managed to post a winning record of 10–9 in 26 starts despite a 7.30 ERA. Detroit Tigers Lewis suffered an injury early in the season and missed most of the year after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. He was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers after the 2004 season. Lewis made only 2 appearances in 2006 with an ERA of exactly 3.00. Lewis would also be eligible to participate in the postseason despite his short tenured 2006 season. The Tigers ventured in the postseason but lost in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Washington Nationals In 2007, Lewis signed a minor league deal for the Washington Nationals. On March 20, , the Nationals released him. Oakland Athletics About 4 days after his release from the Nationals, Lewis signed a minor league deal for the Oakland Athletics. Lewis began 2007 on the A's Triple-A team, the Sacramento River Cats, where he posted an 8–3 record with a 1.88 ERA. The A's, in need of another starting pitcher to replace the injured Rich Harden, called up Lewis on May 22, 2007. He started the game that day against the Chicago White Sox. His