Jack Lazorko

Jack Lazorko
Lazorko with the Nashville Sounds in 1986
Pitcher
Born: (1956-03-30) March 30, 1956
Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 4, 1984, for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1988, for the California Angels
MLB statistics
Win–loss record5–8
Earned run average4.22
Strikeouts108
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams

Jack Thomas Lazorko (born March 30, 1956) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played five seasons at the major league level for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and California Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career

Born in Hoboken, Lazorko grew up in River Edge, New Jersey.[1] He attended Miami Dade College, thenMississippi State University, and in 1976, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] He was inducted into the Mississippi State Bulldogs hall of fame in 1997.[3]

The Houston Astros selected Lazorko in the 11th round of the 1978 MLB draft. He played his first professional season with their Rookie league Gulf Coast Astros and Class A-Advanced Daytona Beach Astros in 1978. In June 1979, the Texas Rangers bought his contract, though he was released in 1983. He caught on with Milwaukee, who promoted him to the majors that June.[4][5] He was 0–1 with 1 save in his first MLB season.

Lazorko continued moving along teams, signed with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 1985 team, then having the Mariners purchase hours contract and bring him back to the majors. He spent 1986 with Detroit, then his final two MLB seasons with the Angels.[4] He won his first MLB game in June 1987 with the Angels, four years after his MLB debut. He joked after the game that he was trying to catch teammate Don Sutton, who won 300 games.[5]

Lazorko played 20 seasons in American and international baseball, including the Parma Baseball Club and Milan in Italy and the Senior Professional Baseball Association in Florida until 1995. With Parma, he was the MVP of the Italian League in 1991.[1]

Lazorko, who was also a hockey goaltender in high school,[6] is known for a highlight reel of his fielding that was featured on This Week in Baseball for many years. On the telecast of the New York Mets game of July 21, 2015, Ron Darling, himself a Gold Glove winner in the National League, called Lazorko "the best fielding pitcher" he had ever seen. (Darling played against Lazorko in the Texas League in 1981.)

After his playing career, Lazorko worked for the Texas Louisiana Baseball League and was a baseball broadcaster. He also worked for the Rangers.[3]

Personal life

Lazorko is married and has three children. During his playing career, his family resided in Texas.[1] Lazorko's brother attended his first MLB win.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Berkow, Ira. "BASEBALL'S KING OF THE ROAD; Jack Lazorko Doesn't Pitch Here Anymore", The New York Times, July 11, 1993. Accessed February 6, 2013. "Few baseball careers have been anything like Jack Lazorko's, who was born in Hoboken, N.J., and grew up in River Edge to the north, and who has called so many places home since then that, he says, he has single-handedly kept map makers in business."
  2. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Jack Lazorko (1997) - Hall of Fame". Mississippi State. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Jack Lazorko Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Crowe, Jerry (June 5, 1987). "A 3-2 Decision Over Chicago Ends Lazorko's Wait for His First Win". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ California Angels 1988 Media Guide. pp. 42, 43.
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