Clayton Lee Condrey (born November 19, 1975) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

, who played in

Major League Baseball 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), ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Condrey featured five pitches: a sinker, cutter,

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, and a four-seam

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

Early life

The right-handed pitcher played at

Navasota High School Navasota High School is a public high school located in the city of Navasota, Texas, USA and classified as a 4A school by the University Interscholastic League. It is a part of the Navasota Independent School District located in south central G ...

and

McNeese State University McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...

. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

selected Condrey in the 94th round, with selection No. 1,730 of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft out of Angelina (Texas) Junior College.

Professional career

Condrey would eventually sign with the

in 1998. He was signed by then-Padres scout

Theo Epstein Theo Nathaniel Epstein (born December 29, 1973) is an American Major League Baseball executive, who currently works for MLB as a consultant. He was the vice president and general manager for the Boston Red Sox and then the president of baseball o ...

. Condrey pitched with the

in the and seasons before he moved to the Phillies in the offseason. In the Padres organization as a starter, Clay started 43 games between the Triple-A

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

and the major leagues, giving up 118

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

s in 257.1 innings (

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

of 4.13). Condrey pitched his entire season for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, where he led the team in starts and innings pitched (28 ST, 162 IP), compiling an ERA of 5.50. His campaign dropped slightly in appearances, where he appeared in only 24 starts (132.1 IP), but he subsequently lowered his ERA to 4.15. After being converted to relief, he was off to a strong start in as well, allowing only 3 earned runs in eight appearances, but was called up to the Phillies in May. Condrey began the season on the Phillies' active roster, but on April 14, 2007, Condrey was designated for assignment by the Phillies to make room on the roster for starting pitcher

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

, who had been on the DL since the end of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. Condrey would be designated for assignment three other times, up until August 3, 2007, when he was recalled from Triple-A

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

for his fifth stint of the season with the Phillies. Condrey was included on the postseason roster for the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

Champion Phillies in 2007 and appeared in Game 2 of the

NLDS In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...

against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. In , Condrey made the Phillies' Opening Day squad and pitched well in middle-relief. In accordance with one of the oddities of the baseball rulebook, he earned a save in a 12–2 Phillies victory over the Nationals on May 21 by pitching three innings in relief of

Jamie Moyer Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Boston R ...

and not surrendering the lead, though he entered the game with the Phillies leading by twelve runs. Philadelphia won its second straight NL East title in 2008, and Condrey was again part of the postseason roster. He appeared in Game 3 of the

against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and Game 3 of the

NLCS The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...

against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. Condrey would get a

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

as the Phillies defeated the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

in five games. Though still part of the active roster, Condrey did not appear in any World Series games. Condrey went 6-2 with one save and a 3.00 ERA in 45 appearances for the Phillies in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, but was not included on the postseason roster as Philadelphia returned to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

before falling to the Yankees in six games. On December 12, , Condrey was non-tendered by the Phillies and became a free agent. On January 6, 2010, Condrey signed a one-year deal with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. but experienced some elbow discomfort at the beginning of the season and did not pitch after 2010.https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AlzRBe4GC7DYTC__WZ4NKpGFCLcF?slug=teamreports-2010-mlb-min

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Condrey, Clay 1975 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Angelina Roadrunners baseball players Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from Texas Clearwater Threshers players Fort Myers Miracle players Fort Wayne Wizards players Florida Complex League Phillies players Gulf Coast Twins players Idaho Falls Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers McNeese State Cowboys baseball players Mobile BayBears players Ottawa Lynx players Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Sportspeople from Beaumont, Texas