Of the 40 Major League Ballplayers Born December 30th...

 ...AJ Pierzynski has played in the most games. The well-traveled catcher, who spent 2015 and '16 with the Braves (above) and part of 2014 with the Red Sox (below), is the only player with a December 30th birthday to have appeared in 1000 games in the majors. Actually, he's doubled that feat of durability, seeing action in 2059 games over the last 19 seasons. A .280 career hitter, he's thrown out a respectable 25% of baserunners trying to steal. Pierzynski is currently an unsigned free agent.
Who does AJ share his birthday with?
Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who dazzled and frustrated batters over a dozen big league seasons; the late Frank Torre, the onetime Braves and Phillies 1st baseman, whose kid brother was a standout catcher and even more successful manager with the Yankees; and Australian-born Grant Balfour, who spent 12 years in big league bullpens.
But our spotlight today belongs to Pierzynski -- here sharing a high-five after homering at Yankee Stadium in April 2014.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Another Yankee Trade

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?