Brian Patrick Sikorski (born July 27, 1974) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. Although Sikorski made his

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

debut in , he didn't play another game in the big leagues until . He played professional baseball in Japan for five years, until for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

. Sikorski played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

for the

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

. He was named the

Mid-American Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year The Mid-American Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year is an annual award given to the most outstanding baseball pitcher in the Mid-American Conference. The award was first given after the 1988 season. Kent State Kent State University (K ...

in 1995, an award he shared with Mike Nartker of Kent State. Sikorski was drafted in the fourth round of the amateur entry draft by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

acquired Sikorski in a trade July 18, 2006, by sending

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Mike Adams to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

. On May 17, , Sikorski's contract was sold to the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

. He signed to play for the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

in . After two more seasons with the Marines, Sikorski signed a contract with the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

to be the team's closer in 2010. Securing the closer spot for the first time in his Japanese career, Sikorski responded, as of August 29, 2010, he leads the

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

in saves with 30, and he did not blow a save until August 20 against the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

. Until the 2010 season, Sikorski's record for saves was 15; this was broken on May 25 against the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

. Like many pitchers, Sikorski is known for his strict adherence to his pre-pitching routine. Two of his most noticeable routines are how he vigorously swings his right (pitching) arm in a windmill-style circle, both forwards and backwards before throwing his warmup pitches. Also, after getting the third out of the inning, he sprints off the mound and jumps over the foul line on the way to his team's dugout, resulting in him usually being the first one in. In , Sikorski was listed as a member of the Texas Rangers' professional scouting staff, based in

Fraser, Michigan Fraser is a city in Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, ...

. After the season, he left the Rangers organization to become a scout for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. In 2018, his son, Easton, signed a

national letter of intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to play baseball at Western Michigan.

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikorski, Brian 1974 births Living people American people of Slovak descent American people of Polish descent Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Michigan Cleveland Indians players Miami Marlins scouts Texas Rangers players Texas Rangers scouts San Diego Padres players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Chiba Lotte Marines players Yomiuri Giants players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Saitama Seibu Lions players Western Michigan Broncos baseball players Western Michigan University alumni Auburn Astros players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oklahoma RedHawks players Portland Beavers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players People from Fraser, Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit Jackson Generals (Texas League) players Kissimmee Cobras players Quad Cities River Bandits players