A
Los Angeles native, Haren attended
Pepperdine University in
Malibu in a baseball scholarship before being drafted by the
St. Louis Cardinals in
2001. After pitching in 28 games over two seasons for the Cards in
2003 and
2004, Haren was traded to the
Oakland Athletics where he was given a regular spot in the starting rotation. Haren established himself as a reliable starter in
2005 and
2006, earning 14-12 and 14-13 records respectively, but in
2007, Haren had a breakout year. He started the
MLB All-Star Game and finished the season with a stellar 15-9 record and a 3.07 ERA. At the end of the season, the Athletics traded their star pitcher to the
Arizona Diamondbacks for a package of young prospects.