Ryan Michael Madson (born August 28, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Madson won World Series championships with the Phillies in 2008 and the Royals in 2015. He is second all-time in postseason pitching appearances; only Mariano Rivera has pitched in more postseason games. Madson throws three types of fastballs. His four-seamer and sinker both average 95 miles per hour. He also throws a cut fastball that averages 93 mph, and a circle changeup around 85 mph. Early life Madson was born in Long Beach, California. He graduated from Valley View High School in 1998 with a 3.5 GPA. He committed to play college baseball for USC. His uncle, Steve Barr, played for the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers. Professional career Philadelphia Phillies (2003–2011) The Philadelphia Phillies selected Madson in the ninth round (254th overall) of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 2003. In 2005, he finished with a 4.14 earned run average in 87 innings. The Phillies converted him back to a starting pitcher, the role he held throughout his minor league career in 2006. By 2008 Madson had become part of the "bridge to Lidge (closer Brad Lidge)", developing into an outstanding set-up man. With a devastating changeup, Madson found increased velocity, hitting as high as 97 miles per hour in the NLCS. Madson earned his first playoff victory when the Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS. He pitched innings, striking out one while allowing one hit and one walk. When Brad Lidge was placed on the disabled list on June 9, 2009, Ryan Madson was the Phillies' choice for interim closer. Madson got his first save in his new role on June 10, 2009, against the New York Mets. In Game 6 of the 2010 National League Championship Series, Madson was the losing pitcher when he gave up a solo home run to Juan Uribe in the eighth inning of a 3–2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Madson began the 2011 season once again as the Phillies' main set-up reliever. However, with Lidge and José Contreras on the disabled list in May 2011, Madson was chosen to close for the Phillies. , Madson converted 23 saves in