Michael James Ignasiak (born March 12, 1966) is a former

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), ...

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 ...

. He pitched parts of four seasons in the major leagues between and , all for 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 ...

Career

Amateur

After graduating from

St. Mary's Preparatory St. Mary's Preparatory is a co-educational, Catholic, college preparatory high school with a Polish-American heritage in the Detroit suburb of Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. Its mission and message is "1. God; 2. Family; 3. St. Mary's." Overview ...

, Ignasiak attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. In 1986 and 1987 he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play t ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named an all-star both seasons. He was selected by the

in the 8th round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

Professional

Ignasiak made his Major League debut on August 22, 1991, allowing two earned runs in 2.1 innings of relief 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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Ignasiak was credited with his first Major League win in that game. He would go on to appear in three more games (one as a start, two in relief) during the 1991 season, finishing with a 2–1 record and an ERA of 5.68. Ignasiak struck out 10 batters and walked 8 in 12.2 innings pitched. Ignasiak spent the entire 1992 season in the minors, appearing in 62 games and pitching 92 innings for Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate, the

Denver Zephyrs The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 ...

. With Denver, Ignasiak went 6–2, with an ERA of 2.93 and 10 saves. In 1993, Ignasiak split time between the Brewers and the New Orleans Zephyrs, who had relocated from Denver. With New Orleans, Ignasiak posted a 1.09 ERA in 35 appearances (57.2 innings), posting a 6–0 record and saving 9 games. At the major league level, Ignasiak saw action in 27 games (37 innings), with a 1–1 record, a 3.65 ERA, 28 K's and 21 walks. During the 1994 season, Ignasiak spent most of his time in the majors, appearing in only 8 games for Triple-A New Orleans. With the Brewers, Ignasiak appeared in 23 games, making 5 starts. He posted a 3-1 record, with an ERA of 4.53 over 47.2 innings. Ignasiak struck out 24 batters and walked 13. 1995 would be Ignasiak's final season in the major leagues. In 25 appearances with the Brewers, Ignasiak posted a 4–1 record and a career-worst 5.90 ERA. Over 39.2 innings, he struck out 26 batters and walked 23. Prior to the 1996 season, Ignasiak signed on with the

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 ...

. However, he suffered a career-ending back injury during Spring Training. For his career, Ignasiak recorded a 4.80 ERA and a .714 win-loss percentage. He appeared in 79 games and threw 137 innings, striking out 88 batters and walking 65.

Personal life

Ignasiak is the younger brother of former major league pitcher

Gary Ignasiak Gary Raymond Ignasiak (born September 1, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball player. He played part of one season with the Detroit Tigers. Ignasiak was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 36th round of the 1967 amateur draft, and appeared in ...

, who is 16 years older than Mike and appeared in 3 games for the 1973

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Ignasiak is now a successful amateur golfer and also owns a

Dairy Queen Dairy Queen (DQ) is an American chain of soft serve ice cream and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc. (a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 1998) which also owns Orange Julius, and formerly owned Karmelkorn and G ...

franchise in

Saline, Michigan Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously. History Before the 18th century ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ignasiak, Mike 1966 births Living people American people of Polish descent Baseball players from Michigan Beloit Brewers players Denver Zephyrs players El Paso Diablos players Helena Brewers players Major League Baseball pitchers Michigan Wolverines baseball players Milwaukee Brewers players New Orleans Zephyrs players Orleans Firebirds players People from Mount Clemens, Michigan Sportspeople from Metro Detroit Stockton Ports players