Dave McKay

David Lawrence McKay

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 195 lb.
• School Columbia Basin College, Creighton University
• High School Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School
• Debut August 22, 1975
• Final Game October 3, 1982
• Born March 14, 1950 in Vancouver, BC CAN

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Biographical Information

Dave McKay was on the Canadian national team in the 1970 Amateur World Series.

He was the only Canadian on the roster of the original Toronto Blue Jays in 1977, having been taken from the Minnesota Twins in the expansion draft. He was the team's starting third baseman on Opening Day.

The Minnesota Twins signed McKay as a free agent in 1971 and he rose through their minor league system to make his major league debut in 1975. In his first career at-bat he hit a home run off Vern Ruhle of the Detroit Tigers. McKay finished his major league playing career with the Oakland Athletics in1982.

The following season he began his coaching career as a minor league player/coach with the Modesto A's and Tacoma Tigers. The A's promoted him to the major league staff on May 24, 1984 as their bullpen coach, a role he continued in 1985. McKay moved to the first base coaching box in 1986 before becoming the A's fitness coach for the next two seasons. He returned to coaching first base in 1989 and has remained a first base coach ever since. McKay stayed with the Athletics through 1995.

McKay followed manager Tony LaRussa to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was the first base coach from 1996 until 2011 when LaRussa retired. He served on Tony La Russa's coaching staff for 28 seasons in all. McKay next moved to the Chicago Cubs as first base coach under new manager Dale Sveum in 2012 and 2013, then in 2014 moved to the Arizona Diamondbacks as first base coach. He remained the Diamondbacks' first base coach through the 2024 season. In addition to coaching first base, McKay usually was responsible for working with a team's outfielders and baserunners, a task he fulfilled very well.

Through the course of his coaching career, McKay served as first base coach on three World Series championship clubs: the A's in 1989, and the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.

He is the father of Cody McKay.