Robert John Korecky (born September 16, 1979) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

High school

Korecky graduated from

Saline High School (Michigan) Saline High School is a public high school near Saline, Michigan, United States. The school, a part of the Saline Area Schools, moved to its facility on roughly 81 hectares (200 acres) of land on Industrial Drive in August 2004 in Pittsfie ...

in 1998, where he led the Hornets to the Division 1 state championship baseball game. During his senior season, he led the team with an 11–1 record on the mound with a 1.43

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

and 118

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 78 innings pitched. Korecky also had a .516

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

striking out only once in 155

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s. Also in Korecky's senior season, he set the Michigan High School Baseball record for most

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in a season with 80.

College

Korecky is a graduate of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, which he attended for four years. His best season came in , when he made 12 starts and one relief appearance and went 6–4 with a 3.39 ERA. In 2001, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

for the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...

, and returned to the league in 2002 to play for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

Korecky was drafted by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in the 19th round (569th overall) in the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis (author), Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first r ...

. In the first professional season of his career in , Korecky played in Single–A for the

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city o ...

and the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

. He went a combined 4–4 with one save and a 2.61 ERA in 15 games (nine starts). In , Korecky pitched for the Single–A

Clearwater Phillies Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Britis ...

. Converting full-time to a relief pitcher, Korecky went 5–4 with a 2.26 ERA in 49 relief appearances, and led the team with 25 saves as their closer.

Minnesota Twins

On December 17, 2003, Korecky was traded to the

as a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

, completing an earlier trade that sent Carlos Silva and

Nick Punto Nicholas Paul Punto (born November 8, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder and current coach (baseball), coach for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minneso ...

to the Twins for Eric Milton. In , Korecky played for the Double–A

New Britain Rock Cats The New Britain Rock Cats were a minor league baseball team that competed in the Eastern League (1938–2020), Eastern League. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for 12 years, the Minnesota Twins for 20 years and the Colorado ...

and served as their closer. Making a team-high 55 relief appearances, he went 3–4 with a 3.36 ERA and had 31 saves. Korecky was also named to the Eastern League postseason All-Star game. Korecky played for the Rock Cats again in , but was limited to just two games after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. Korecky returned in and played for the Rock Cats again and the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. In a combined 50 games, he went 6–5 with 13 saves and a 3.30 ERA. In , Korecky played for the Red Wings again. Appearing in a career high 66 games, he went 5–6 with a career-high 35 saves and a 3.71 ERA. Korecky was named to the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

midseason All-Star game that year. On November 20, 2007, Korecky's contract was purchased by the Twins, protecting him from 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 ...

. On April 25, , Korecky was promoted to Minnesota from Rochester for the first time when All-Star Francisco Liriano was sent down. He made his Major League debut April 26 against the Texas Rangers, pitching one inning, giving up one

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

on one hit and two walks. In only his sixth major league appearance, on May 19, 2008, he made a name for himself in the Twins organization by becoming the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

game since the introduction of the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

, while also picking up his first major league

victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

in a 7–6, 12-inning victory over the Texas Rangers. The hit—and the at-bat—occurred in what is to date the only ML plate appearance of Korecky's career.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 18, 2009, Korecky was claimed off waivers by the

. He pitched five games in relief for Arizona in 2009, posting a 13.50 ERA.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Korecky signed as a free agent with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

on February 9, 2010. However, the Angels were unaware that Korecky had surgery while with Arizona, and they released him on May 27. He subsequently spent the season with the independent

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

of the Northern League, going 0–2 with 10 saves and a 5.32 ERA in 23 relief appearances.

Toronto Blue Jays

Korecky signed a minor league contract with the

on March 6, 2011. He split the 2011 season between the Double–A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

and the Triple–A Las Vegas 51s, posting a 4–3 record with 13 saves and a 2.04 ERA in 44 combined appearances. He appeared in one game for the Blue Jays in the 2012 season, and spent the rest of that season with the 51s. On October 4, 2012, Korecky was outrighted to the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. He became a free agent on October 10. On April 6, 2013, Korecky was assigned to Triple–A Buffalo. On April 8, he was placed on the disabled list. He was activated from the disabled list on April 16. The Blue Jays re-signed Korecky on December 16, 2013. His contract was selected from Triple-A Buffalo on May 30, 2014. Korecky retired the four

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

batters that he faced that night, and he was then placed on optional waivers in order to send him back to Buffalo. He was designated for assignment on July 11 to make room for Dan Johnson on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to the Bisons again on July 13. Korecky made just two appearances for Toronto in 2014, posting an 8.10 ERA with two strikeouts in 3 innings pitched. He elected free agency after the season ended. Korecky signed another minor league deal with the Blue Jays on November 1, 2014. He elected free agency on November 7, 2015. On November 9, 2015, Korecky re–signed with the Blue Jays organization on a new minor league contract. In 13 appearances for Triple–A Buffalo, he compiled a 4.30 ERA with 21 strikeouts across 23 innings pitched. Korecky elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korecky, Bobby 1979 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona Diamondbacks players Batavia Muckdogs players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cardenales de Lara players Chatham Anglers players Clearwater Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Desert Dogs players Michigan Wolverines baseball players Minnesota Twins players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Britain Rock Cats players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players People from Hillside, New Jersey Reno Aces players Rochester Red Wings players Baseball players from Union County, New Jersey Tigres de Aragua players Toronto Blue Jays players Toros del Este players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players