Ronald Matthew Mahay (; born June 28, 1971) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

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

, Texas Rangers,

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

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

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 ...

. After retiring from active play in January 2013, he was named a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

for the season. He is currently the pitching coach for the

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

of the

MLB Draft League The MLB Draft League is a baseball league that began play in 2021. Created by Major League Baseball (MLB) and ''Prep Baseball Report'' (PBR), the league operates a split-season format of 80 games with a hybrid amateur–professional structure: f ...

Professional career

Boston Red Sox

Mahay was drafted as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

in the 18th round (486th overall) of the

1991 Major League Baseball draft The 1991 Major League Baseball draft began 3 June 1991 to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 1990 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be distributed for players who did ...

by the

out of South Suburban College, a junior college in

South Holland, Illinois South Holland is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, within Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census. It is named after the Dutch province of South Holland. History The area ...

, where he both pitched and played

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the cen ...

. When the

1994–95 Major League Baseball strike The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike was the eighth and longest work stoppage in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12, 1994, and resulted in the remai ...

lasted into

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

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) is not eligible for membership in the

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...

. 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 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 20

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, b ...

s, including two doubles and a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

. He was returned to the minors after a month. In , Mahay moved from the outfield to the pitching mound where he spent the off-season with the

Gold Coast Cougars The Gold Coast Cougars were the re-branded Daikyo Dolphins after major sponsor Daikyo had to end sponsorship of the team due to financial problems with the Australian arm of the company. History See also *Sport in Australia *Australian B ...

in the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...

perfecting his adaptation to pitcher. On July 15, , Mahay was called up by Boston. He made his first pitching appearance on July 17 against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. In his one inning of work, he struck out

Roberto Alomar Roberto Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seventeen seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest second basemen and all-around pla ...

and allowed a home run to

Rafael Palmeiro Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964) is a Cuban-American former baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three teams. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State Univer ...

, ultimately earning the win in Boston's 12–9 victory. Mahay finished the season with a 3–0 record and a 2.52

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 ...

in 28

appearances Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or p ...

. In , Mahay went 1–1 with one save and a 3.46 ERA in 29 appearances. He struck out 14 batters while

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

15 in 26

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

Oakland Athletics

On March 30, , the

claimed Mahay off waivers. He spent most of the 1999 season with the Triple-A

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 ...

, going 7–2 with a 4.29 ERA in 32 games (15 starts). On September 2, Mahay was recalled as part of Oakland's September call-ups. He appeared in six games (one start) for the A's in 1999, going 2–0 with one save and a 1.86 ERA. Mahay struggled to begin , going 0–1 with a 9.00 ERA in five games (two starts). He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on May 8.

Florida Marlins

On May 11, 2000, Mahay's contract was purchased by the

. While pitching for the Marlins, Mahay recorded his last two Major League hits, a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

and a double, in four at-bats. He appeared in 18 games with the Marlins, and posted a 1–0 record and a 6.04 ERA.

San Diego Padres

Mahay signed with the

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

as a free agent on November 20, 2000. He was released on May 15, 2001. At the time, he had posted a 1–2 record and a 3.78 ERA in 14 games with the Triple-A

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

Chicago Cubs

Mahay signed with the

on May 19, . He split his time over the next two seasons with the Cubs and their Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

. At the major league level in 2001, Mahay posted a 2.61 ERA in 17 relief appearances. In , he was 2–0 with an ERA of 8.59 in 11 appearances with the Cubs.

Texas Rangers

On December 13, 2002, Mahay signed with the Texas Rangers. He started the season with the Triple-A

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. On June 27, he was called up to Texas, and remained with the big league club almost exclusively until his tenure with the Rangers ended. Mahay went 3–3 with a 3.18 ERA in 35 relief appearances in 2003. was a career year for Mahay, as he notched a career-highs in appearances (60), ERA (2.55) and strikeouts (54). He was one of the mainstays of the Rangers'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

from 2003-, especially in the and seasons, as Mahay (along with C. J. Wilson) was one of only two regular

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply l ...

relievers on the Rangers' roster.

Atlanta Braves

On July 30, 2007, Mahay was traded along with

Mark Teixeira Mark Charles Teixeira ( ; born April 11, 1980), nicknamed "Tex", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anahe ...

to the

for

Elvis Andrus Elvis Augusto Andrus Torres (born August 26, 1988) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. He was a two-time All- ...

, Beau Jones,

Neftalí Feliz Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rang ...

, Matt Harrison and

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Jarrod Scott Saltalamacchia (; born May 2, 1985) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Between 2007 and 2018, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Boston Red So ...

. In his Braves debut on August 1, Mahay tossed a scoreless eighth inning in a 12–3 rout of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. He earned his first

win Win or WIN most likely refers to: * A victory Win, Winning, WIN or Winner may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), 2021 * WIN (pacifist magazine) * WIN (wrestling ma ...

as a Brave on August 11, 2007, against 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 ...

. He finished the season 3–0 with one save and a combined 2.55 ERA in 58 games with Texas and Atlanta. Mahay elected

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on October 29. On December 7, he declined the Braves' arbitration offer.

Kansas City Royals

On December 20, 2007, Mahay reached an agreement on a two-year, $8 million contract with the

. For the season, he was 5–0 with a 3.48 ERA in 57 relief appearances. Mahay struggled during the season, going 1–1 with a 4.79 ERA in 41 relief appearances. He was released by the Royals on August 24.

Minnesota Twins

On August 29, 2009, Mahay signed with the

. He went 1–0 with a 2.00 ERA in 16 relief appearances with Minnesota. Mahay also saw his first postseason action, recording a 5.40 ERA in 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 ...

' three-game series sweep of the Twins. At the end of the 2009 season, Mahay became a free agent. On March 24, , Mahay signed a minor league contract to rejoin the Twins. He returned to the majors on April 13, 2010. In 41 relief appearances, Mahay went 1–1 with an ERA of 3.44.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On February 3, 2011, Mahay signed a minor league contract with the

, that included an invite to spring training. He was unable to win a spot on the Dodgers major league roster and was released on March 26.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Mahay signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

on April 8, 2011, but was released on May 13.

St. Louis Cardinals

He signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

on July 5, 2011, and was assigned to the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

. He elected to become a free agent on August 12. He made 12 appearances for Memphis, recording a 1.64 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 13, 2012, Mahay signed a minor league contract with the Reds, but was released on May 11 after posting a 4.50 ERA in only 18 innings of work. On January 27, 2013, Mahay officially announced his retirement from baseball. At the time of his retirement, Mahay was the last active

replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an sportsperson, athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a Strike action, strike or Lockout (industry), lockout, serving as a strikebre ...

from the 1995 spring training.

Personal

Mahay and his wife, the former Alison Palmieri, were married on November 7, 1998. They have two daughters, Madison Parker and Mackenzie Reece, and a son, Mason Patrick. Mahay now lives in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, where he has been an assistant varsity baseball coach at

John Burroughs High School John Burroughs High School is a public high school located in Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California. It is known for its notable alumni, and being the filming location for many television shows. History The building was built in the 192 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahay, Ron 1971 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Chicago Boston Red Sox players Calgary Cannons players Chicago Cubs players Florida Marlins players Fort Myers Miracle players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Iowa Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Los Angeles Dodgers scouts Louisville Bats players Lynchburg Red Sox players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball replacement players Memphis Redbirds players Minnesota Twins players New Britain Red Sox players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma RedHawks players Palm Beach Cardinals players Pawtucket Red Sox players Portland Beavers players Reno Aces players Sarasota Red Sox players South Suburban Bulldogs baseball players Texas Rangers players Trenton Thunder players Vancouver Canadians players Winter Haven Red Sox players American expatriate baseball players in Australia