J. A. Happ

James Anthony Happ (born October 19, 1982) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Though his name is James Anthony and his initials are "J. A.", he pronounces his name as "Jay".\n', ' Happ was born in Peru, Illinois, and raised with two older sisters. He attended high school at St. Bede Academy, where he was a four-year letter winner in baseball and basketball. He was named Bureau County Athlete of the Year during his senior season.\n', ' After graduating from high school in 2001, Happ enrolled in Northwestern University, where he majored in history and played college baseball for the Northwestern Wildcats. He was named to the All-Big Ten Conference First Team in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, during which he compiled a 16–11 win–loss record, an earned run average (ERA) of 2.88, and 251 strikeouts to 90 walks over ​228 1⁄3 innings pitched.\n', '