Curtis John Leskanic (; born April 2, 1968) is an American former

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 ...

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 ...

. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1993 to 2004 for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

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

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 ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. He is currently a professional scout for the Red Sox.

Career

Leskanic was drafted in the eighth round of the 1989 baseball amateur entry draft out of

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, but was traded in 1992 to 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 ...

with Oscar Múñoz for Paul Sorrento. Later that same year, he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 1992 Expansion Draft. In 1993, he made his major league debut with the Rockies. In 2004, during the Kansas City Royals' disastrous 58–104 season, he was released on June 18. On June 22, he was picked up by the Boston Red Sox and then made three appearances during the 2004 ALCS against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and was credited with the Game 4 win. His innings of shutout baseball during Game 4 were the last he would ever throw; he retired following the 2004 season. He did make a return to

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

for Opening Day 2005; there he received his World Series ring, as well as a large ovation. For Opening Day 2008, he got to carry out the World Series trophy. Leskanic was a Little League coach in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and a scouting consultant for Boston before joining the Red Sox professional scouting staff for the 2008 season.

Personal life

Leskanic has a son, Brandon, and two daughters, Chloe and Chandler. His cousin

Katrina Leskanich Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the British pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song "Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song), Walking on Sunshine" was ...

was the lead singer of

Katrina and the Waves Katrina and the Waves were a British Rock music, rock band formed in Cambridge in 1981, widely known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song), Walking on Sunshine". They won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the ...

, known for their 1985 hit " Walking on Sunshine."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leskanic, Curtis 1968 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Red Sox players Kansas City Royals players Colorado Rockies players Milwaukee Brewers players Sportspeople from Homestead, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania LSU Tigers baseball players Kinston Indians players Orlando Sun Rays players Portland Beavers players Wichita Wranglers players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Salem Avalanche players Huntsville Stars players Indianapolis Indians players Pawtucket Red Sox players Boston Red Sox scouts American people of Slovak descent 20th-century American sportsmen

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links