Michael Joseph Pazik (born January 26, 1950) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of three seasons in the majors, from 1975 until 1977, for the Minnesota Twins.

Mike Pazik
Pazik as pitching coach with the Charlotte Knights in 1988
Pitcher
Born: (1950-01-26) January 26, 1950 (age 74)
Lynn, Massachusetts
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 11, 1975, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
April 22, 1977, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record1–4
Earned run average5.79
Strikeouts20
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Amateur career

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A native of Lynn, Massachusetts, Pazik graduated from Lynn English High School in 1968, and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th round of the 1968 MLB Draft. He opted to play college baseball at the College of the Holy Cross. In 1968 and 1969, Pazik played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and was named a league all-star in 1969. He returned to the CCBL in 1970 and 1971 to play for the Orleans Cardinals, tossing a no-hitter in 1971.[1][2][3]

Professional career

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Pazik was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1971.

Pazik was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1971 MLB Draft. He played for the Yankees' minor league affiliate Syracuse Chiefs for several seasons before being traded to the Minnesota Twins for Dick Woodson in 1974. He made his big league debut for Minnesota in 1975, and pitched a total of 46.2 innings for the Twins over three seasons. Pazik signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox in 1978, and played two seasons in Chicago's minor league system, but was not recalled to the majors.[4][5]

Coaching and scouting career

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After his playing career, Pazik was a minor league coach and manager, including serving as the pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox from 1995 until 1998. He also served as a scout for Kansas City Royals during their 2015 World Series winning season.[6][7]

Personal life

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Mike's daughter, Kristen Pazik, is a model who is married to Ukrainian former soccer player turned manager Andriy Shevchenko.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Curran, Mike (July 17, 1969). "Cape League All-Star Selections Made". The Cape Cod Chronicle. Chatham, MA. p. 24.
  2. ^ Barillari, David (June 24, 1971). "Orleans Hurler No-Hits Harwich". The Cape Cod Chronicle. Chatham, MA. p. 16.
  3. ^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Mike Pazik". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mike Pazik (minors)". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  6. ^ McCullough, Andy. "Royals are World Series champs". Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  7. ^ McManes, Chris. "Mike Toomey retires with World Series ring, now coaching at DeMatha". Hyattsville Community Newspaper. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Andriy Shevchenko: Still has the right stuff The Washington Times, 14 June 2012
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