Shawn Chacon: A look at his career

Shawn Chacon has seemingly done it all in the big leagues.

The right-hander has been a starter in the postseason, closer, All-Star, star-turned-disaster in New York, and has had an up and down career.

On Friday, Chacon entered the record books when the Houston Astros rallied to tie the Texas Rangers 8-8 in the sixth inning in interleague action.

Chacon, who had surrendered eight runs before being knocked out in the fourth, was able to escape without a loss, though his Astros eventually lost 16-8.

With the no-decision, Chacon set a big league record by making his ninth straight start without a decision to begin the season.

The first-year Astro has already pitched six quality starts (6+ IP, three runs or fewer), including an eight-inning shutout against Philadelphia on April 15 (but the Phillies rallied for four runs off Jose Valverde in the ninth to win 4-3).

It has been quite a turnaround for Chacon, who started only four games for the Pirates last season and spent the majority of the year pitching out of the bullpen.

Yet Chacon is 0-0 with a team-leading 4.14 ERA in nine starts for Houston this year.

Chacon's teammates, however, have had better luck so far.

Brandon Backe is 2-5 with a 4.62 ERA while ace Roy Oswalt is 4-3 despite a 5.05 ERA. Both Backe and Oswalt have made nine starts.

Even mediocre Chris Sampson has two wins with an ERA of 6.46.

Chacon's stint in the majors certainly has been an odd one, if you've followed his career.

Chacon was an All-Star in 2003 with the Colorado Rockies, when he started out 11-4. However, he didn't win another game the rest of the year and had his season cut short in mid-August.

The Rockies then made Chacon into a reliever in 2004, and he picked up 35 saves, ninth-best in the National League, but was 1-9 with a 7.11 ERA.

The next season was even more bizarre, as Chacon started out 1-7 with a 4.09 ERA for Colorado before he was shipped to the Yankees in the middle of the year.

Thought to be a dumb move by many, the trade actually worked out for the Yankees. Amazingly, Chacon went 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA in pinstripes, teaming up with another surprise on the staff, Aaron Small (10-0, 3.20), to give New York two of the best arms down the stretch.

Chacon even earned a start in the postseason for the Yanks that year with the team facing elimination in the first round. And he delivered. Chacon had to be near perfect since he was going up against the Angels' tough John Lackey (14-5, 3.44).

While Chacon didn't earn the victory, he allowed only two runs on four hits and pitched into the seventh as the Yanks rallied and beat the Angels 3-2 at Yankee Stadium.

The success didn't follow in the Bronx, as both Chacon and Small struggled in 2006. Chacon pitched poorly and went on the disabled list, and had a 7.00 ERA before being shipped to Pittsburgh.

Now Chacon is in the record books. What will be in store for the hard-luck righty now?