James Bernard Corsi (September 9, 1961 – January 4, 2022) was an American

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 ...

who played ten seasons 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). He played for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

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 ...

Florida 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 ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

from 1988 to 1999.

Early life

Corsi was born in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, on September 9, 1961. His parents, Ben and Dotty Corsi, had three sons (Jim, John and Mike). He attended

Newton North High School Newton North High School, formerly Newton High School, is the larger and longer-established of two public high schools in Newton, Massachusetts, the other being Newton South High School. It is located in the village of Newtonville. The school f ...

, before studying at

Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts university in St. Leo, Florida. It was established in 1889. The university is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine mon ...

in Florida. He was subsequently drafted by 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 ...

in the 25th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

Corsi played six seasons in the minor leagues from 1982 to 1988, missing the entire 1984 season after being released by the Yankees organization. He made his MLB debut with the

on June 28, 1988, at the age of 26, pitching a scoreless ninth inning and striking out one in a 4–1 loss to 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 ...

. He also made the only

start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

of his major league career on August 7 that year, receiving a

no decision A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports. Baseball and softball A starting pitcher who leaves a game with ...

after surrendering six

earned runs 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 ...

over five innings against the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. He subsequently posted a 1.88

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 21 strikeouts over

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

in 1989. The Athletics went on to win the World Series that year, but Corsi did not pitch in the postseason. After missing the entire 1990 season, he became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

and signed with the

on March 19, 1991. In his only season with the Astros, Corsi compiled a 0–5

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

along with a 3.71 ERA and a career-high 53 strikeouts over innings. After being released by the organization at the end of the season, he rejoined the Athletics in March 1992. He recorded a career-best 1.43 ERA over 44 innings pitched that year, and pitched in the 1992 American League Championship Series. Corsi was subsequently selected by the

in the

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion ...

at the end of the year. He was limited to 15 games in 1993, while his ERA ballooned to 6.64. After the 1994 strike, he once more signed with the Athletics. He then lowered his ERA to 2.20 and had 26 strikeouts in 45 innings. Corsi's playing time increased to innings in 1997, in which he finished with a 6–0 record, a 4.03 ERA, and 43 strikeouts. Corsi played his final major league game on October 3, 1999, at the age of 38. In 10 seasons pitching in MLB, Corsi had a 22–24

in 368 games pitched, all but one in relief. He had a 3.25

(ERA), striking out 290 batters in

, and recorded seven saves.

Later life

After retiring from professional baseball, Corsi worked as a studio analyst for Boston Red Sox coverage on both the New England Sports Network and UPN 38 baseball coverage from 2002 to 2005. He also ran a construction business in Massachusetts with his brothers. He was inducted to his college alma mater's athletic hall of fame in 2003. Corsi has four children, three with his first wife Diane, and the fourth with his ex-partner Jill Doherty. In January 2022, Corsi announced he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer of the liver and colon. He died on the morning of January 4, 2022, at his home in

Bellingham, Massachusetts Bellingham () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,945 at the 2020 census. The town sits on the southwestern fringe of Metropolitan Boston, along the rapidly growing "outer belt" that is Route 495. It ...

. He was 60 years old.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corsi, Jim 1961 births 2022 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Massachusetts Boston Red Sox players Brevard County Manatees players Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts Edmonton Trappers players Florida Marlins players Greensboro Hornets players Gulf Coast Red Sox players High Desert Mavericks players Houston Astros players Huntsville Stars players Major League Baseball pitchers Modesto A's players New Britain Red Sox players Oakland Athletics players Oneonta Yankees players Paintsville Yankees players Pawtucket Red Sox players Rochester Red Wings players Saint Leo Lions baseball players Sportspeople from Newton, Massachusetts Tacoma Tigers players Tucson Sidewinders players