Stephen Zachary Day (born June 15, 1978) is an American former

right-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 Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

sinker-ball

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, ...

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 ...

. He played for two teams from 2002 to 2006.

Career history

Day graduated from La Salle High School in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1996, where he played basketball, baseball and golf and was prep player of the year in Cincinnati in 1995. He went on to attend the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

, studying pre-business. Day was drafted in the fifth round in 1996 by 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 ...

. He spent four seasons in the organization before being sent to 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 ...

alongside Jake Westbrook in July , to complete a trade for

David Justice David Christopher Justice (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He won the World Series with the Atlanta Braves and the New York Ya ...

. In July 2001, Cleveland dealt Day to the Montreal Expos for outfielder

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with Milton Bradley Company, his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased ...

2002

Day made his major league debut for the Expos on June 15, 2002, his 24th birthday. He got the win, and was the first pitcher to debut and win on his birthday since at least 1901, possibly ever. He finished 2002 at 4–1 with a 3.62 ERA in 19 games. He also had one save, in which he pitched the final three innings in perfect fashion (0 runs, 0 hits, 5 strikeouts) to nail down a 4–3 win against the Florida Marlins.

2003

Day made 23 starts, going 9–8. He led the majors in wild pitches with 13. He was initially named NL Rookie of the Month in April, but the award was revoked and given to

Hee-seop Choi Hee-seop Choi (; ; ; born March 16, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Kia ...

due to Day having reached the rookie limit of service days in 2002.

2004

Day's 2004 season was cut short due to injury. He hit the Disabled List in July with a shoulder injury and then again in August after breaking his middle finger trying to bunt. He made 19 starts, having a respectable 3.93 ERA despite going 5-10 for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

, who relocated and became the Washington Nationals after the season.

2005

Day pitched in 12 games for the Nationals before being traded to Colorado. He was 0–1 in 5 games for the Rockies.

2006

Day began the season with the Rockies but was designated for assignment after posting an ERA of 10.80 in 3 starts. After being claimed off waivers by the Nationals, Day was looking to bounce back to his former self. However, after five appearances, Day was placed on the 60-day DL on May 23 for right shoulder

tendinitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

and underwent

rotator cuff The rotator cuff (SITS muscles) is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles a ...

surgery on June 6, ending his season. The Nationals released Day on October 3, 2006, ending his second stint with the team.

2007

On December 20, 2006, he signed a minor league deal with the

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 ...

. He spent the year playing for the Triple-A

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...

, starting nine games and relieving in two more. Day became a free agent at the end of the season.

2008

On January 11, 2008, Day signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

, but was released in early May having made 6 appearances for the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

. After his release, he announced his retirement due to continuing shoulder problems. After retiring, Day went back to school to get his degree. He also joined

TrackMan The TrackMan is a radar system that uses Doppler technology to track and record 3D characteristics of a sports ball in motion. History Trackman was created in 2003 by golfers and brothers Klaus (CEO) and Morten Eldrup-Jørgensen and radar e ...

and became a prominent figure in baseball analytics and tracking technology.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Zach 1978 births Living people Akron Aeros players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Cincinnati Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Greensboro Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Montreal Expos players Omaha Royals players Ottawa Lynx players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen La Salle High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) alumni