Stefan Andrew Karsay (born March 24, 1972) 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 ...

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 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

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 ...

(1993–94, 1997, 2006),

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 ...

(1998–2001),

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 ...

(2001),

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 ...

(2002, 2004–05), and Texas Rangers (2005). He later served as the bullpen coach for the

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 ...

(2019–2021). He is the current bullpen coach for the

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

Early life and amateur career

Karsay grew up in the College Point neighborhood in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, just a few miles from

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Christ the King Regional High School in

Middle Village, Queens Middle Village is a neighborhood in the central section of the Borough (New York City), borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and t ...

. He initially committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

at Louisiana State. He was named the Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year for New York in 1990.

Professional career

A 1st round draft pick of the

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 ...

in 1990, Karsay was traded to the Athletics along with outfielder José Herrera for

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (December 25, 1958 – December 20, 2024), nicknamed "Man of Steal", was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, inc ...

on July 31, 1993. A starter in his early days with the Athletics, Karsay worked mostly in middle relief and as a set-up man from 1998 on, although he also had some notable success as a closer in 2000 with the Indians and 2002 with the Yankees. His career was marred by injuries, causing him to miss the 1995 (elbow surgery), 1996 (

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, ...

) and 2003 (shoulder surgery) seasons; in all, he was on the disabled list seven times.Ryan Quinn. Notes: Karsay returns to Oakland, MLB.com, 5/16/2006
On July 28, 2005, together with

Scott Feldman Scott Wynne Feldman (born February 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Toronto ...

and A. J. Murray, he threw a perfect game against the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

. It was the first combined nine-inning perfect game in

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

history, and the third overall. Finally, at age 34, Karsay announced his retirement on June 18, 2006, the day after pitching two scoreless innings against 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 ...

and getting the win in a 17-inning marathon for the Athletics. He finished his 11-year Major League career with a 32–39 record, 41 saves, and a 4.01 ERA in 357 career appearances, including 40 starts.Press Release. A's reliever Karsay announces retirement, Oakland Athletics, 6/18/2006.
Rick Eymer. Notes: Karsay ends career the right way, MLB.com, 6/18/2006

Coaching

In 2012 the

hired Karsay as pitching coach for the rookie-level AZL Indians. In 2016, Karsay was promoted to be the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians Class-AAA affiliate, the

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

. Karsay was hired by the

as their bullpen coach on November 19, 2018. He stepped down following the 2021 season to spend more time with his family. On November 30, 2023, Karsay was hired as the new

bullpen coach.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karsay, Steve 1972 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Baseball coaches from New York (state) Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Dunedin Blue Jays players Frisco RoughRiders players Huntsville Stars players Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers coaches Minor league baseball coaches Modesto A's players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma RedHawks players People from Flushing, Queens Baseball players from Queens, New York Staten Island Yankees players Texas Rangers players Trenton Thunder players Myrtle Beach Hurricanes players St. Catharines Blue Jays players