Jim Mecir

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=gold
bgcolor2=#003831
textcolor1=#003831
textcolor2=gold
name=Jim Mecir


position=Pitcher
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1970|5|16
debutdate=September 4
debutyear=1995
debutteam=Seattle Mariners
finaldate=September 28
finalyear=2005
finalteam=Florida Marlins
stat1label=Win-Loss Record
stat1value=29-35
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=3.77
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=450
teams=
*Seattle Mariners (by|1995)
*New York Yankees (by|1996-by|1997)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|1998-by|2000)
*Oakland Athletics (by|2000-by|2004)
*Florida Marlins (by|2005)
highlights=
*2003 Tony Conigliaro Award

James Jason Mecir (born on May 16, 1970 in Queens, New York) is an American former baseball player. He played for 5 teams in an 11-year career, and retired from the Florida Marlins in by|2005. He is a right-handed pitcher.

Mecir is notable for having overcome a birth defect (namely club feet) to become an effective Major League pitcher, as well as for being the last pitcher to regularly throw a screwball. He spent 4½ years as a member of the Oakland Athletics, and is prominently mentioned in Michael Lewis's bestselling book "".

Career

He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners from Eckerd College in the 3rd round of the by|1991 amateur draft. He played for the Seattle Mariners in by|1995, the New York Yankees in by|1996 and by|1997, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from by|1998 to by|2000, the Oakland Athletics from by|2001 to by|2004, before spending the last year of his career with the Marlins. He announced his retirement on October 2, 2005, following the Marlins' last game of the season.

Adversity

In by|2003, Mecir received the Tony Conigliaro Award, given annually to the player who most effectively overcomes adversity to succeed in baseball. Mecir was born with two club feet; despite several childhood surgeries that enabled him to walk, he was left unable to properly push off the rubber with his right foot. He was forced to develop an unorthodox delivery that gave him an unusually violent screwball. He was one of the last screwball pitchers active in the major leagues.

Mecir was inadvertently involved in a controversy which began on May 15, 2005. On that Sunday, Mecir pitched poorly in a game against the Padres, and ESPN analyst John Kruk cited Mecir's limp when he walked to the mound as evidence that the Marlins were negligent for asking Mecir to pitch while he appeared to be injured. Kruk was apparently unaware of Mecir's birth defect, and he came under heavy public criticism for being insensitive, although Mecir himself did not appear to take offense when informed of the remark.

ee also

* Florida Marlins all-time roster
* Tampa Bay Devil Rays all-time roster

External links

*espn mlb|id=5506|name=Jim Mecir
*baseball-reference|id=m/mecirji01