Sam Marsonek

Samuel Ryan Marsonek

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 6", Weight 225 lb.
• High School Jesuit High School (Tampa)
• Debut July 11, 2004
• Final Game July 11, 2004
• Born July 10, 1978 in Tampa, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Sam Marsonek was the 24th overall pick of the 1996 amateur draft, by the Texas Rangers out of a high school in Florida. However, his professional career was a bit of a disappointment. He played from 1997 to 2007, all of it split between the Rangers and New York Yankees organizations, except for his final season which was with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League.

He was traded to the Yankees along with fellow pitcher Brandon Knight in return for OF Chad Curtis on December 13, 1999. It was with the Yankees that he reached AAA for the first time, with the Columbus Clippers in 2003. By then, he had been moved to the bullpen and saved 18 games that season, in spite of an ERA of 4.84. High ERAs were a constant problem, even though his won/loss records were decent: he was at 5.29 in his first pro season, 1997; 5.54 in 1999; 5.01 in 2002; and 6.61 in 2005. He matched the 18 saves in 2004, which was the year he finally made it to The Show. It was for just one game, however: on July 11th, he finished off a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, pitching the final 1 1/3 innings of a 10-3 win and allowing two hits, including a double to Julio Lugo, but nothing else. Given the Yankees had a big lead at the time he entered the game, he was not eligible for a save, and he returned to Columbus after that outing, never making it back.

Further Reading

• Mark Feinsand: "This MLB career lasted only one game: Sam Marsonek filled in for Mo once -- and that was it", mlb.com, April 11, 2020. [1]