Darren Christopher O'Day (born October 22, 1982) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

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

, Texas Rangers,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

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) Am ...

, and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. O'Day played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. Undrafted out of college, O'Day signed as a free agent with the Angels in 2006. He made his MLB debut in 2008, and was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 2015. O'Day is one of the few major league pitchers to throw

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

pitches.

Early life and amateur career

O'Day was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. He attended Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, and played high school baseball for the Bishop Kenny Crusaders. O'Day accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

, where he played for coach Pat McMahon's

Florida Gators baseball The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. Florida competes in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the of the Southeastern Conference ...

team from 2003 to 2006.''2009 Florida Gators Baseball Media Guide''
History
, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88, 90, 95, 98, 101, 104 (2009). Retrieved November 2, 2011. He earned

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) Academic Honor Roll recognition for four consecutive years, and was an

Academic All-American An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the ...

as a senior. During the Gators' run in the 2005 College World Series, O'Day made four relief appearances and earned a save. O'Day graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in agricultural and life sciences in 2006.

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Undrafted out of college, O'Day signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

in 2006. He made his major league debut with the Angels in . In 30 games, he was 0–1 with a 4.57 ERA in innings.

New York Mets

The

selected O'Day in the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

on December 11, 2008. He made the Mets' roster out of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. He was widely quoted in the media on the death of his former teammate Nick Adenhart. He was designated for assignment by the Mets two weeks into the season in order to make room on the roster for

Nelson Figueroa Nelson Figueroa (born May 18, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Hous ...

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers claimed him on April 22, 2009 and he made his debut the same day in extra innings against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, just minutes after getting to the bullpen from the airport. His arrival was so quick that he had to wear the jersey of Kason Gabbard in his first appearance. He was an effective reliever for the Rangers, posting an ERA of 1.94 in 64 games. He struck out 54 in innings. The following season he appeared in a career high 72 games, posting an ERA of 2.03 with a 6–2 record. Limited to sixteen appearances due to a pair of injuries, O'Day was 0–1 with a 5.40 earned run average (ERA) in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. He was first sidelined from April 27 to July 1 because of a partial

acetabular labrum The acetabular labrum (glenoidal labrum of the hip joint or cotyloid ligament in older texts) is a fibrocartilaginous ring which surrounds the circumference of the acetabulum of the hip, deepening the acetabulum. The labrum is attached onto the bo ...

tear in his left hip. Right shoulder

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

sent him back to the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

for the second time from August 25 to September 12. He also pitched in eighteen minor league games with the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

and

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

, going a combined 1–0 with a 2.53 ERA. He was not activated to the Rangers' roster for any round of that year's postseason.Lyle Spencer,
Orioles claim O'Day off waivers from Rangers
" MLB.com (November 2, 2011). Retrieved November 2, 2011. During this period, when he arrived at the mound, Texas Rangers' fans began a traditional chant of his last name.

Baltimore Orioles

2012

The

claimed O'Day off waivers on November 2, 2011. He was scheduled to make $1.35 million in the 2012 season. Following the struggles of

Pedro Strop Pedro Ángel Strop (born June 13, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs. Care ...

, O'Day settled into the role of the 8th inning setup pitcher later in the 2012 season, often leaving the game in a manageable state for closer Jim Johnson. O'Day posted a 7–1 record with a 2.28 ERA by the end of the 2012 season.

2013

In 2013, O'Day continued his success as an Oriole, going 5–3 as their 8th inning setup man, while posting a 2.18 ERA in 68 games. He collected two saves and pitched 62.0 innings, while striking out 59 batters and holding opponents to a .210 batting average.

2014

Former Orioles reliever and fellow submarine pitcher Todd Frohwirth worked with O'Day during spring training in 2014 to improve his change-up. O'Day had a career year in 2014, as he pitched 68 innings in 68 games and collected a 5–2 record with four saves. He posted a 1.70 ERA along with a 0.89 WHIP. He also struck out 73 batters and held opponents to a career-best .174 batting average. He set career-bests in innings pitched, saves, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. Despite his most successful season, O'Day struggled greatly in the postseason, as he posted an 0–2 record and a 13.50 ERA in four games. Particularly in the

2014 American League Championship Series The 2014 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in Major League Baseball's 2014 postseason pitting the second-seeded Baltimore Orioles against the fourth-seeded Kansas City Royals for the American League pennant and th ...

, O'Day went 0–2 in three games and posted a 16.20 ERA.

2015

In 2015, O'Day was selected to appear in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. He finished his career year with a 1.52 ERA in 68 appearances, which totaled to 65 innings. He compiled a 6–2 record and set a career-high with six saves. He also set a career-high with 82 strikeouts.

2016

On December 14, 2015, the Orioles re-signed O'Day to a 4-year, $31 million contract. Battling injuries throughout the duration of the season, O'Day had his worst year as an Oriole. He appeared in only 34 games, throwing 31 innings while pitching to a 3.77 ERA, his highest as a member of the Orioles. He compiled a 3–1 record and struck out 38 batters. O'Day also appeared in the

Wild Card Game The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

for the Orioles, tossing 1 innings while striking out one batter in a 5–2 loss.

2017

O'Day rebounded from the previous season, registering a healthy season in which he appeared in 64 games. He also had an ERA of 3.43 in innings.

2018

O'Day appeared in 20 games for the O's before undergoing season ending surgery on his left hamstring.

Atlanta Braves

On July 31, 2018, O'Day, along with Kevin Gausman, were traded to the

in exchange for Brett Cumberland, Jean Carlos Encarnacion, Evan Phillips, Bruce Zimmermann, and international signing money. O'Day opened the 2019 season on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

with a right forearm injury, which followed a single spring training appearance. He was activated to the major league roster on September 5. In 2019 he was 0–0 with a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings over 8 games. On November 8, 2019, O'Day re–signed with the Braves on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, with a club option for a second year. After finishing the season 4–0 with a 1.10 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 16.1 innings (19 relief appearances total), the Braves declined their $3.5 million club option on his contract for the following season, opting to pay his $500,000

buyout In finance, a buyout is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity, or a controlling interest of a company, or a majority share of the capital stock of the company is acquired. The acquirer thereby "buys out" the present equity holde ...

, and he became a free agent.

New York Yankees

O'Day signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the

on February 10, 2021. On May 1, O'Day was placed on the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain, and was activated on June 29 after a near two-month stay on the IL. On July 7, O'Day was placed on the injured list with a “significant” left hamstring strain On July 18, Yankees manager

Aaron Boone Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American professional baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009. As ...

stated that O'Day would likely miss the remainder of the season. On July 20, it was announced O’Day would undergo left hamstring surgery, ending his 2021 season. In 12 appearances with the Yankees, O'Day recorded a 3.38 ERA with 11 strikeouts. He became a free agent after the season.

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On November 29, 2021, O'Day signed a minor league contract to return to the

. On April 3, 2022, O’Day was selected to the Opening Day roster. In July, O'Day strained his left calf muscle and was placed on the injured list. While rehabilitating the injury in the minor leagues, O'Day sprained his right big toe and was transferred to the 60-day IL in September. He announced his retirement as an active player on January 30, 2023.

Personal life

O'Day's original

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

was Odachowski. His paternal grandmother, who had raised his father Ralph and two uncles on her own after his grandfather died in a

car accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

, shortened it to Odach (the "ch" is silent in

Polish phonology The phonological system of the Polish language is similar in many ways to those of other Slavic languages, although there are some characteristic features found in only a few other languages of the family, such as contrasting postalveolar and a ...

) to make it easier to pronounce for her colleagues at

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a mail-order business and later a department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001; its common nickname was "Monkey Wards". ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Ralph and one of his brothers legally changed their last names to O'Day in her honor after they were married. O'Day has "D. Odachowski" stitched on the side of his game glove to honor his family history. "Odachowski" was featured on the back of his jersey worn during MLB's Players Weekend on August 25–27, 2017. O'Day is married to Elizabeth Prann, a University of Florida alumna and an anchor/reporter for HLN. Their first child, a daughter named Claire, was born in December 2014. In 2017, O'Day was honored as the 2017 Major League Baseball recipient of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award for his work with the

United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. His parents are Ralph Leon and Michal (nee Shoemaker) O'Day, and he has an older brother, Kyle Matthew O'Day. He is a descendant of Louis Du Bois, an early settler of

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...

and

New Paltz, New York New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,407 at the 2020 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also with ...

, as well as the Hasbrouck family. Through these relations, his 11th cousin is Zack Short of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

organization.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oday, Darren 1982 births Living people American League All-Stars American people of Polish descent Arkansas Travelers players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Bishop Kenny High School alumni Bowie Baysox players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Florida Gators baseball players Frederick Keys players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Braves players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players New York Yankees players Orem Owlz players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Round Rock Express players Salt Lake Bees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Surprise Rafters players Texas Rangers players Gwinnett Stripers players Florida Fire Frogs players