Logan Jared Ondrusek (born February 13, 1985) is an American

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

for the

Uni-President Lions The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL). He has 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 Cincinnati Reds 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for 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 ...

. Ondrusek currently lives in

Shiner, Texas Shiner is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. The town was named after Henry B. Shiner, who donated for a railroad right-of-way. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,127. Shiner was founded by German and Czech emigran ...

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds' organization

The Cincinnati Reds selected Ondrusek in the 13th round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft. Ondrusek began his minor league career with the rookie league

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

. In his first year with the Mustangs, he went 1–6 with a 6.02 ERA. In 2006, Ondrusek pitched for Billings, Single-A

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

and Double-A Chattanooga. In his second year, he went 4–6 with a 3.59 ERA. In 2008, Ondrusek was promoted to the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, where he went 4–1 with a 1.50 ERA. Ondrusek was added to the Reds'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

after the 2009 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

2010

In 2010, Ondrusek made the Reds' Opening Day roster with a strong showing in spring training, throwing 10 scoreless innings. He made his first professional appearance on Opening Day at

Great American Ballpark Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Red ...

, pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. However, with an 11.12 ERA through nine appearances, Ondrusek was sent down to Triple-A

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

on April 22. Due to injuries and struggles in the Reds' bullpen, Ondrusek was recalled to the majors on June 1. Despite a rough initial appearance upon his return to the big leagues (giving up a home run to

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for the ...

in his first game back), Ondrusek settled down, with a 1.27 ERA from his June 1 recall through August 10. This included a streak of 22 scoreless innings in 20 appearances. He earned the first win of his MLB career on July 23 against the Houston Astros after pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Ondrusek picked up four more wins over the rest of the season, finishing the 2010 regular season 5–0 with a 3.68 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 58.2 innings. Ondrusek pitched in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2010 NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. In the first game, he pitched 1.2 innings, allowing no hits or runs despite committing a throwing error. In Game 2, Ondrusek was brought in with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning, and allowed a run on a hit batsman. However, he got the next batter to ground out, escaping the jam with minimal damage. Ondrusek finished the 2010 postseason with a 0.00 ERA with no walks in two innings pitched in two games.

2011

Ondrusek played all of 2011 with Cincinnati, where in 66 appearances, he went 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA and 14 holds, striking out 41 in 61.1 innings. Ondrusek was used mostly in the seventh and eighth innings, usually to pitch one inning per game.

2012

Ondrusek played most of 2012 with Cincinnati, but was optioned to Louisville on August 21 when the Reds were in need of a catcher after

Devin Mesoraco Devin Douglas Mesoraco (born June 19, 1988) is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball catcher, who is the current catching coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati ...

was suspended. He was brought back up when the rosters expanded in September. In 63 appearances in 2012, Ondrusek went 5-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 13 holds, striking out 39 in 54.2 innings. He was used mostly in the 8th inning, with 32 of his appearances coming in the 8th.

2013

On January 17, 2013, Ondrusek signed a two-year, $2.35 million contract to avoid arbitration. As a Super Two player, Ondrusek was granted four years of arbitration versus the normal three. Ondrusek began 2013 with Double-A

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

after a spring training in which he gave up nine runs in 10.2 innings with a WHIP of 2.062. He made three appearances with the Blue Wahoos before being recalled to Cincinnati. Ondrusek was optioned to Louisville on June 8, after an outing in which he gave up four runs. He had a 5.64 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP in 21 appearances at the time. Ondrusek returned on June 29 after

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox ...

went on the disabled list. Ondrusek finished the year in the Reds' bullpen. In 52 appearances with Cincinnati, he was 3-1 with a 4.09 ERA, striking out 53 in 55 innings.

2014

Ondrusek was placed on the disabled list on July 23, 2014, with right shoulder soreness. At the time, he had a 3-2 record and a 4.31 ERA in 29 appearances out of the Reds bullpen. He was activated from the DL on August 18.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows

2015

On December 29, 2014, Ondrusek signed a one-year deal with the

of the

. In his first season, Ondrusek posted an ERA of 2.05 in 72 games. He re-signed for the 2016 season and was named their closer. Ondrusek was suspended by the Swallows for an incident with the team's coaches in a June 26 game and was later released by the club. In his two seasons with the Swallows, he pitched in 102 games, posting an 8-3 record with 11 saves and a 2.17 ERA.

Baltimore Orioles

Ondrusek signed a major league deal on July 29, 2016, with the

after the club designated relief pitcher

Chaz Roe Chaz Daniel Roe (born October 9, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, and ...

for assignment. On November 4, the Orioles declined Ondrusek's 2017 option, making him a free agent. On December 13, 2016, Ondrusek signed a major-league contract with the Orioles before being released on March 17, 2017.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 27, 2018, Ondrusek signed a minor-league contract with 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 ...

. He was released on July 17, 2018.

Long Island Ducks

On July 25, 2018, Ondrusek signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Washington Nationals

On February 6, 2019, Ondrusek signed a minor league deal with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Leones de Yucatán

On December 14, 2019, Ondrusek signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

for the 2020 season. Ondrusek did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On February 19, 2021, Ondrusek re-signed with the Leones for the 2021 season.

San Francisco Giants

On August 7, 2021, Ondrusek signed a minor league deal with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

organization.

Uni-President Lions

On January 14, 2022, Ondrusek signed with the

of the

Pitching style

Ondrusek mostly uses three pitches: a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

averaging about 92–93 mph, a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

around 80 mph, and a cutter in the low 90s. He also has a sinker and a

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 ...

, which is used primarily against lefties. He throws with a straight-over-the-top motion.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ondrusek, Logan 1985 births Living people People from Hallettsville, Texas Baseball players from Texas American people of Czech descent Major League Baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Cincinnati Reds players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Baltimore Orioles players McLennan Highlanders baseball players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Chattanooga Lookouts players Sarasota Reds players Carolina Mudcats players Louisville Bats players Peoria Saguaros players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Bowie Baysox players Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Long Island Ducks players Harrisburg Senators players Fresno Grizzlies players Leones de Yucatán players Uni-President Lions players