Mike Bacsik (left-handed pitcher)
Encyclopedia
Michael Joseph Bacsik is a Major League Baseball
pitcher
who is currently signed with the Ft. Worth Cats. Bacsik is the son of Michael James Bacsik
, who was a pitcher
in the majors from -. He is particularly notable for giving up Barry Bonds
' 756th career home run
, which broke the all-time record formerly held by Hank Aaron. A former intern at Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX radio station KTCK
('Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket') for the Bob and Dan (BaD) Radio Show
prior to beginning his Major League career, Bacsik most recently served as the show producer on 'The Ticket' for midday host Norm Hitzges
and performed other fill-in on-air host duties. He was fired in late April 2010 for offensive comments he made on Twitter
.
in the 18th round (543rd overall) in the Major League Baseball draft. He was in his 6th minor league season with the Indians organization before making his debut on August 5, . He was supposed to be serving mop-up duty, as the Seattle Mariners had opened up a huge lead on the Indians. He was knocked around at first and settled in. The Indians rallied from 12 runs down to win the game in extra innings. He had a 9.00 ERA
in 3 relief appearances (9 innings) in 2001.
On December 11, 2001, as part of a big trade, he was traded along with Roberto Alomar
and Danny Peoples to the New York Mets
for Matt Lawton
, Alex Escobar
, Jerrod Riggan
, Earl Snyder
, and Billy Traber
. On July 5, , he got his first big league win when he made his debut with the Mets. He would later go on to have a 3-2 record with a 4.37 ERA in the season. He spent just two seasons with the Mets before becoming a free agent
on October 15, 2003.
Two months later, on December 23, 2003, he would sign a contract with the Texas Rangers
(incidentally, the team where his father was a member when he was born). He spent most of the season for the Oklahoma Redhawks
, the Rangers Triple-A affiliate. He made just 3 starts in 2004 for the big league club, going 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA. He became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed a contract on November 18, 2004, with the Philadelphia Phillies
. However he spent the whole season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
, the Phillies Triple-A team. He opted for minor league free agency after the 2005 season. While in Dallas, he interned for the popular KTCK
mid-day show the Bob and Dan radio program, and gave them many interviews both before and after 756, at one point claiming he would "give up the home run to Bonds" to be immortalized in baseball history.
He signed a contract with the Washington Nationals
on February 9, , with an invitation to spring training
. He made just one start in spring training and gave up 6 runs in 0.2 innings before getting cut in April. Afterwards, he signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks
. He had an impressive minor league season with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team, the Tucson Sidewinders
, in which he went a perfect 11-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 28 games (10 starts). He became a free agent after the 2006 season and later signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals again on November 6, 2006.
, the Nationals Triple-A team. After the Nationals found themselves with four of their five starting pitchers on the disabled list
, Bacsik and other pitchers were brought up from their farm system. Despite a record of 1-3 and a 4.00 ERA with Columbus (and an ERA of 5.26 as a starter), Bacsik made his debut with the Nationals on May 19, throwing six shutout innings in a game the Nats eventually lost. In his following start, he pitched 7-2/3 innings, his longest outing of the year including the minors, allowing three runs, and earning his first win in the majors since August 4, 2004.http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20070525-124026-2692r.htm
On August 7, , Bacsik sealed his name to baseball history as he gave up career home run number 756 to Barry Bonds
, who broke a 33-year-old record previously held by Hank Aaron. During the post-home run celebration, Bacsik tipped his cap to Bonds in a gesture of respect. Bacsik visited the Giants clubhouse to personally congratulate Bonds on his achievement and Bonds gave Bacsik an autographed bat that read: "To Mike, God Bless. Barry Bonds."
Coincidentally, Bacsik's father
had faced Aaron (as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers
) after Aaron had hit his 755th home run. On August 23, , Michael James Bacsik held Aaron to a single and a fly out to right field. The younger Bacsik commented later, "If my dad had been gracious enough to let Hank Aaron hit a home run, we both would have given up 756."
In 2007, he did not miss a start in the rotation after his last callup until he was sent to the bullpen
, and went 5-8 with a 5.11 ERA in 20 starts and 9 relief appearances.
During the 2007 postseason, Bacsik worked as an analyst for ESPN
.
signed Bacsik to a non-guaranteed minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. After spring training, on March 5, 2008, the Nationals reassigned Bacsik to minor league camp and he was assigned to Triple-A Columbus. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
the Ticket that he and his wife are expecting their third child.
account following the loss of the Dallas Mavericks
to the San Antonio Spurs
in game 4 of the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs
. The comments, most notably "Congratulations to all the dirty mexicans in San Antonio," quickly circulated on social networks online before Bacsik deleted the comments. The following Monday, on April 26, 2010, Bacsik was suspended indefinitely from his KTCK duties by owner Cumulus Media
for "comments [that] were unacceptable and offensive, and are inconsistent with the core values of KTCK and Cumulus." The next day, Bacsik was fired by The Ticket.
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...
who is currently signed with the Ft. Worth Cats. Bacsik is the son of Michael James Bacsik
Mike Bacsik (right-handed pitcher)
Michael James Bacsik , was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played most of his career with the Minnesota Twins. Previously, he played with the Texas Rangers, and was invited to spring training with the Seattle Mariners in 1981, but did not make the roster....
, who was a 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...
in the majors from -. He is particularly notable for giving up Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
' 756th career home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
, which broke the all-time record formerly held by Hank Aaron. A former intern at Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX radio station KTCK
KTCK
KTCK , is a sports talk radio station based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station, currently owned by Cumulus Media, has been made popular by the incorporation of humor alongside the sports talk....
('Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket') for the Bob and Dan (BaD) Radio Show
BaD Radio Show
The BaD Radio Show is a midday radio program on Dallas, Texas radio station KTCK, "1310AM, The Ticket"...
prior to beginning his Major League career, Bacsik most recently served as the show producer on 'The Ticket' for midday host Norm Hitzges
Norm Hitzges
Norman R. Hitzges is an author and sports talk radio host at KTCK in Dallas, Texas. Hitzges moved to KTCK after sister station KLIF removed sports talk programming from its lineup....
and performed other fill-in on-air host duties. He was fired in late April 2010 for offensive comments he made on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Early years
Bacsik was drafted by the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the 18th round (543rd overall) in the Major League Baseball draft. He was in his 6th minor league season with the Indians organization before making his debut on August 5, . He was supposed to be serving mop-up duty, as the Seattle Mariners had opened up a huge lead on the Indians. He was knocked around at first and settled in. The Indians rallied from 12 runs down to win the game in extra innings. He had a 9.00 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 3 relief appearances (9 innings) in 2001.
On December 11, 2001, as part of a big trade, he was traded along with Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player , regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second...
and Danny Peoples to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
for Matt Lawton
Matt Lawton
Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...
, Alex Escobar
Alex Escobar
Alexander José Escobar [ess-COE-bar] is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies organization....
, Jerrod Riggan
Jerrod Riggan
Jerrod Ashley Riggan is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Riggan played for the New York Mets and Cleveland Indians . He also played in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers in 2003 and 2004.-External links:...
, Earl Snyder
Earl Snyder
Earl Clifford Snyder is a former Major League Baseball player who played in the major leagues for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox...
, and Billy Traber
Billy Traber
William Henry "Billy" Traber, Jr. is a left-handed pitcher who is currently a free agent.-College:...
. On July 5, , he got his first big league win when he made his debut with the Mets. He would later go on to have a 3-2 record with a 4.37 ERA in the season. He spent just two seasons with the Mets before becoming a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on October 15, 2003.
Two months later, on December 23, 2003, he would sign a contract with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(incidentally, the team where his father was a member when he was born). He spent most of the season for the Oklahoma Redhawks
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
, the Rangers Triple-A affiliate. He made just 3 starts in 2004 for the big league club, going 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA. He became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed a contract on November 18, 2004, with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. However he spent the whole season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a professional minor league baseball club located based in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area. They currently play in the International League's Northern Division and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club...
, the Phillies Triple-A team. He opted for minor league free agency after the 2005 season. While in Dallas, he interned for the popular KTCK
KTCK
KTCK , is a sports talk radio station based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station, currently owned by Cumulus Media, has been made popular by the incorporation of humor alongside the sports talk....
mid-day show the Bob and Dan radio program, and gave them many interviews both before and after 756, at one point claiming he would "give up the home run to Bonds" to be immortalized in baseball history.
He signed a contract with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
on February 9, , with an invitation to spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. He made just one start in spring training and gave up 6 runs in 0.2 innings before getting cut in April. Afterwards, he signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. He had an impressive minor league season with the Diamondbacks Triple-A team, the Tucson Sidewinders
Tucson Sidewinders
The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....
, in which he went a perfect 11-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 28 games (10 starts). He became a free agent after the 2006 season and later signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals again on November 6, 2006.
2007
Bacsik did not make the major league team when the Nationals broke camp, and started with the Columbus ClippersColumbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
, the Nationals Triple-A team. After the Nationals found themselves with four of their five starting pitchers on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
, Bacsik and other pitchers were brought up from their farm system. Despite a record of 1-3 and a 4.00 ERA with Columbus (and an ERA of 5.26 as a starter), Bacsik made his debut with the Nationals on May 19, throwing six shutout innings in a game the Nats eventually lost. In his following start, he pitched 7-2/3 innings, his longest outing of the year including the minors, allowing three runs, and earning his first win in the majors since August 4, 2004.http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20070525-124026-2692r.htm
On August 7, , Bacsik sealed his name to baseball history as he gave up career home run number 756 to Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
, who broke a 33-year-old record previously held by Hank Aaron. During the post-home run celebration, Bacsik tipped his cap to Bonds in a gesture of respect. Bacsik visited the Giants clubhouse to personally congratulate Bonds on his achievement and Bonds gave Bacsik an autographed bat that read: "To Mike, God Bless. Barry Bonds."
Coincidentally, Bacsik's father
Mike Bacsik (right-handed pitcher)
Michael James Bacsik , was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played most of his career with the Minnesota Twins. Previously, he played with the Texas Rangers, and was invited to spring training with the Seattle Mariners in 1981, but did not make the roster....
had faced Aaron (as a pitcher for the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
) after Aaron had hit his 755th home run. On August 23, , Michael James Bacsik held Aaron to a single and a fly out to right field. The younger Bacsik commented later, "If my dad had been gracious enough to let Hank Aaron hit a home run, we both would have given up 756."
In 2007, he did not miss a start in the rotation after his last callup until he was sent to the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
, and went 5-8 with a 5.11 ERA in 20 starts and 9 relief appearances.
During the 2007 postseason, Bacsik worked as an analyst for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
2008 baseball season
On October 26, 2007, the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
signed Bacsik to a non-guaranteed minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. After spring training, on March 5, 2008, the Nationals reassigned Bacsik to minor league camp and he was assigned to Triple-A Columbus. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
Personal
Bacsik married Sue Myers in February 2000. He has a daughter, Mary Grace, and a son Jacob Ryan. Jacob was born in late April due to complications during pregnancy. Mike announced on Dallas radio station KTCKKTCK
KTCK , is a sports talk radio station based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station, currently owned by Cumulus Media, has been made popular by the incorporation of humor alongside the sports talk....
the Ticket that he and his wife are expecting their third child.
Twitter comments
Bacsik made offensive comments on his TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account following the loss of the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
to the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
in game 4 of the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
. The comments, most notably "Congratulations to all the dirty mexicans in San Antonio," quickly circulated on social networks online before Bacsik deleted the comments. The following Monday, on April 26, 2010, Bacsik was suspended indefinitely from his KTCK duties by owner Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
for "comments [that] were unacceptable and offensive, and are inconsistent with the core values of KTCK and Cumulus." The next day, Bacsik was fired by The Ticket.