Clay C. Christiansen is a retired Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

. He played during one season at the major league level for the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 15th round of the 1980 amateur draft

1980 Major League Baseball Draft

-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.- Compensation Picks :*William Erickson, was drafted in the second round by the San Francisco Giants, 31st pick overall. *Jeff Horne was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates,...

. Christiansen played his first professional season with their Class-A (Short Season) Oneonta Yankees

Oneonta Tigers

The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York - Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at Damaschke Field...

 in , and his last with the Houston Astros

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

' Triple-A Tucson Toros

Tucson Toros

The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....

 in .

Christiansen graduated from Columbus Unified High School in Columbus, Kansas, in 1976. In addition to being an American Legion baseball standout, he was the quarterback of the football team, played basketball and participated in track and field. In his senior year he set a new school record for discus throwing. Ironically, the previous record had been set some 30 years earlier by his father, Galen Christiansen.

After high school, Clay Christiansen attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where he was a member of the Jayhawks baseball team prior to embarking on his professional career.

Life After Baseball

Clay married local Kansas City broadcaster Karen Kornacki as they are still married to this day. Clay currently works for Pepsi

Pepsi

Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...

 in Olathe, KS as an install driver for the vending department.