Ben Sheets
A pitcher with a hammer curveball who delivered Olympic gold for the USA and flirted with perfection during a career hampered by persistent injuries.
Born 1978 (age 48)·American baseball pitcher·Birthday: July 18·Generation X
Biography
Ben Sheets arrived in the majors with the kind of pure, explosive stuff that makes scouts dream. The Milwaukee Brewers' first-round pick in 1999, he announced himself to the world a year later by pitching a complete-game, three-hit shutout to win the gold medal for the United States at the Sydney Olympics. In Milwaukee, he became the stoic ace, a four-time All-Star whose signature curveball buckled knees. His 2004 season was a masterpiece of control and dominance, highlighted by an 18-strikeout game. But his career narrative became one of tantalizing 'what-ifs,' as a series of arm and shoulder injuries repeatedly sidelined him, preventing a long run of sustained elite performance. When healthy, Sheets possessed some of the most electric and unhittable pure stuff of his generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ben was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Pitched a complete-game shutout for the United States to win the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
- Was selected as a National League All-Star four times (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008).
- Struck out 18 batters in a single game against the Atlanta Braves on May 16, 2004.
- Finished the 2004 season with a 2.70 ERA and 264 strikeouts, placing third in Cy Young Award voting.
Did You Know?
In his 18-strikeout game in 2004, he did not walk a single batter.
He was the winning pitcher for the National League in the 2004 All-Star Game.
He and his wife have twins named Seaver and Singer, named after pitchers Tom Seaver and Bill Singer.
“When my curveball is working, it's like throwing a Wiffle ball off a cliff.”
