Ben Jukich (born October 17, 1982) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played for the

LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

(KBO).

Early years

Jukich was born on October 17, 1982, in

Duluth, MN Duluth ( ) is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population was 86,697 at the 2020 census, m ...

. He played college baseball at both McCook Community College and Dakota Wesleyan. He was the first Dakota Wesleyan graduate to be selected in the MLB draft.

Professional career

Jukich was originally drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. During the 2006 season, Jukich went 3–2 with a 2.52 ERA in 16 games pitching primarily for the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

. In 2007, Jukich was sent to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

to complete an earlier trade. He pitched in the Reds' organization until 2010 eventually reaching AAA. In 2010, he compiled a 7–4 record with an earned run average of 3.90. On December 12, 2009, Jukich was selected by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

in the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

, though he was eventually returned to the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

. In the fall of 2010, while Jukich was pitching for Los Leones del Caracas in Venezuela, he was informed that the Reds had sold his contract to

of the

Korea Professional Baseball The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most succes ...

league. Jukich played three seasons with the Twins. Overall, he posted record of 25–22 with an ERA of 4.00.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

* 1982 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Duluth, Minnesota Chattanooga Lookouts players Dakota Wesleyan Tigers baseball players Kane County Cougars players KBO League pitchers Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela LG Twins players Louisville Bats players Sarasota Reds players Stockton Ports players Vancouver Canadians players 21st-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1980s-stub

Early years

Professional career

See also

References

External links