Heath Hembree  Richard Heath Hembree (born January 13, 1989), nicknamed Heater, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. He made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2013. Hembree played baseball and high school football at Broome High School in his hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was a standout pitcher and quarterback for Broome, but did not pitch as a senior in 2007, due to a knee injury suffered playing football. Instead, Hembree was a designated hitter his senior season; he had a .320 batting average. Hembree initially attended the University of South Carolina, but only had one pitching appearance his entire freshman season in 2008. He then transferred to Spartanburg Methodist College, a junior college that is part of the National Junior College Athletic Association. As a transfer sophomore, he went 7–0 with a 1.22 earned run average (ERA). After receiving a scholarship to the College of Charleston, an NCAA Division I school, Hembree transferred there, where he spent his final season of college baseball. He also pursued a degree in physical education. Hembree was drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants. Hembree began his professional career in 2010, pitching for the rookie league Arizona League Giants and going 0–0 with a 0.82 ERA over 12 relief appearances, with 22 strikeouts and 3 saves in 11 innings pitched. Hembree began the 2011 season pitching for the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants, and was promoted to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels in late June. He went a combined 1–1 with a 1.86 ERA over 54 relief appearances, with 78 strikeouts and 38 saves in innings. During 2012, Hembree pitched for the San Jose Giants (5 games) and the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies (39 games). Overall, he had a 4.19 ERA with 1–1 record, 15 saves, and 43 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched. Hembree spent most of 2013 with Triple-A Fresno, where he appeared in 54 games, compiling a 4.07 ERA with 1–4 record, 31 saves, and 63 strikeouts is innings pitched. Late in the season, he was called up to the majors for the first time on September 3. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in a 3–2 loss to the San Diego Padres.