Ron Mahay

Infobox MLB player


width = 150px
name=Ron Mahay
position=Relief pitcher
team=Kansas City Royals
number=32
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1971|6|28
birthplace=city-state|Crestwood|Illinois
debutdate=May 21
debutyear=1995
debutteam=Boston Red Sox
statyear=September 13, 2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=24-10
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.73
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=400
teams=
*Boston Red Sox (by|1997-by|1998)
*Oakland Athletics (by|1999-by|2000)
*Florida Marlins (by|2000)
*Chicago Cubs (by|2001-by|2002)
*Texas Rangers (by|2003-by|2007)
*Atlanta Braves (by|2007)
*Kansas City Royals (by|2008-present)

Ronald Matthew Mahay (pronEng|məˈheɪ) (born June 28, 1971 in Crestwood, Illinois) is a relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals.

Professional career

Mahay was drafted as an outfielder in the 18th round of the Major League Baseball Draft in by|1991 by the Boston Red Sox out of South Suburban College, a junior college in South Holland, Illinois, where he both pitched and played center field. When the 1994 Major League Baseball strike lasted into spring training the following year, Mahay was one of the replacement players called up by the Red Sox. As a consequence, Mahay (and all other replacement players who later made the big leagues in mlby|1995) is not eligible for membership in the Major League Baseball Players Association. [ [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/replacement_players.shtml Replacement Players in the Major Leagues by Baseball Almanac ] ]

Mahay made his Major League debut with the Red Sox on May 21, 1995, as an outfielder, and appeared in five games, batting .200 with four hits in 20 at-bats, including two doubles and a home run. However, he was returned to the minors after a month. In mlby|1996, Mahay moved from the outfield to the pitching mound. He returned to Boston for the latter half of mlby|1997, but was waived after the mlby|1998 campaign. The Oakland Athletics claimed him off the waiver wire, but he saw limited action with the team before being traded to the Florida Marlins in May mlby|2000. While pitching for the Marlins, Mahay recorded his last two Major League hits, a single and a double, in four at-bats. After a "cup of coffee" in the San Diego Padres organization, Mahay signed with the Chicago Cubs, remaining with the team until the end of mlby|2002.

Mahay signed with the Texas Rangers in December 2002, and started the mlby|2003 season with the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks. In June of that year, he was called up to Texas, and remained with the big league club almost exclusively until his tenure with the Rangers ended. mlby|2004 was a career year for Mahay, as he notched a career-highs in appearances (60), ERA (2.55) and strikeouts (56). He was one of the mainstays of the Rangers' bullpen from 2003-mlby|2007, especially in the mlby|2005 and mlby|2006 seasons, as Mahay (along with C.J. Wilson) was one of only two regular left-handed relievers on the Rangers' roster.

On July 30, 2007, Mahay was traded along with Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves. In his Braves debut, he tossed a scoreless eighth inning in a 12-3 rout of the Houston Astros. He earned his first win as a Brave on August 11 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He finished the season 3-0 with a combined 2.55 ERA. After the 2007 season, Mahay reached an agreement on a two-year, $8 million contract with the Kansas City Royals.

References

External links