Sean Casey

Sean Thomas Casey
(The Mayor)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 215 lb.
• School University of Richmond
• High School Upper St. Clair High School
• Debut September 12, 1997
• Final Game September 28, 2008
• Born July 2, 1974 in Willingboro, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"There's no debate, and there never will be a debate. Sean Casey is the nicest guy in professional baseball. Ever." - Hal McCoy, Cincinnati Reds beat writer

Sean Casey played twelve seasons in the major leagues, hitting .302/.367/.447 with 735 RBI in a 1,405 game career. He finished three times in the top ten in the league in batting average, scored 100-plus runs twice and, although he never had 100-plus RBI, he twice had 99. Spending much of his career manning first base for the Cincinnati Reds, Casey never won a Gold Glove but was a member of three All-Star teams: 1999 (.332/.399/.539 with 25 homers, 99 RBI and 103 runs scored), 2001 (.310/.369/.458, 40 doubles and 89 RBI) and 2004 (.324/.381/.534, 24 homers, 99 RBI and 101 runs scored). Also in 1999, he was the recipient of the Hutch Award.

Nicknamed "The Mayor" for his reputation for chatting with any and everybody that landed on first base, Casey was at the University of Richmond from 1993-1995 and then hit well over .300 each year in the minors until he became a major league regular. He was one of the best hitters when the lights shone brightest; he hit .367 with RISP in 2000, .356 in 2001 and .336 in 2003. With the Detroit Tigers in his first postseason run in 2006, he hit over .300 in the first two rounds, then chipped in at .529/.556/1.000 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 5 RBI in the World Series, a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Casey is the only player to record the first-ever hit at two major league ballparks, turning the trick within three days in 2001. At the Milwaukee Brewers new home, Miller Park, he singled off Jeff D'Amico in the 2nd inning on April 6th. On April 9th, at the Pittsburgh Pirates' christening of PNC Park, Sean homered off Todd Ritchie in the top of the 1st, part of a 4-for-4, 5 RBI day.

In 2012, Sean was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, alongside fellow first basemen Dan Driessen and John Reilly. In his first year of eligibility for the Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 2014, he failed to receive a single vote and dropped off the ballot.

Along with late night talk show host Conan O'Brien, Casey is the founder of Labels Are For Jars, an anti-hunger organization based in Lawrence, MA. In February 2011, he was at work on building a Miracle League park in Upper St. Clair, PA. In late 2013/early 2014, he suffered a blood clot, which split and went into both lungs; while almost everybody who has this happen dies, Casey miraculously survived. Starting in 2009 he worked as an analyst with the MLB Network.

On July 10, 2023, he was hired by the New York Yankees to be their hitting coach after Dillon Lawson had been abruptly fired just before the All-Star break. He only stayed until the end of the season.

Notable Achievements

• 3-time NL All-Star (1999, 2001 & 2004)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 3 (1999, 2000 & 2004)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1999 & 2004)

Related Sites

• Sean Casey at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page
• Brush with Greatness