Michael Charles McKenry (born March 4, 1985), nicknamed "The Fort", is an American former professional

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 ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

. He 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

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

High school and college

McKenry attended Cedar Bluff Middle School,

Farragut High School Farragut High School, located at 11237 Kingston Pike, serves as a high school in Farragut, a suburb of Knoxville, Tennessee. Knox County Schools, the unified Knox County, Tennessee school district, operates the school. The school serves the ma ...

, and

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

International career

McKenry was originally named to the USA roster for the

2009 Baseball World Cup The 2009 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 38th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through ...

, but was injured and replaced by

Lucas May Lucas James May (born October 24, 1984) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played for the Kansas City Royals in Major League Baseball (MLB). May graduated from Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Missouri. From there, he ...

before the tournament began.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

McKenry was drafted by the

in the 7th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2006, he played for the

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home ga ...

. In 2007, he played for the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...

. In 2008, he played for the

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

. In January 2009,

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

rated McKenry the #9 prospect in the

organization. In 2009, he played for the Tulsa Drillers. In 2010, he played for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, before being called up to the Rockies in September. McKenry made his major league debut on September 8, 2010, flying out against

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

pitcher

Carlos Fisher Charles Edward "Carlos" Fisher (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds. Early life Fisher graduated from Duarte High School ( Duarte, Cali ...

in his only at bat. On March 29, 2011, McKenry was traded to 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 ...

for minor league RHP Daniel Turpen.

Boston Red Sox

On March 29, 2011, McKenry was traded to the

for minor league RHP Daniel Turpen. On June 13, 2011, he was traded to the

for cash or a player to be named later. MG 8587 Michael McKenry

Pittsburgh Pirates

On June 13, 2011, he was traded to the

for cash or a player to be named later. McKenry made his debut for the Pirates on June 13 and recorded his first major league hit, a single off

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 ...

starter

J. A. Happ James Anthony Happ (born October 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Y ...

, two days later. He hit his first major league home run on July 8, 2011 against the Chicago Cubs' Carlos Marmol. On July 26, McKenry was involved in a controversial play against the

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 (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

in the bottom of the 19th inning. With runners on the corners,

Scott Proctor Scott Christopher Proctor (born January 2, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2004 and 2011 for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves. In 2012, he p ...

hit a ground ball to Pedro Alvarez, who threw to McKenry, who appeared to tag

Julio Lugo Julio Cesar Lugo (November 16, 1975 – November 15, 2021) was a Dominican professional baseball shortstop. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St ...

out at home. However, home plate umpire

Jerry Meals Gerald William Meals (born October 20, 1961) is an American retired Major League Baseball umpire. After serving as an NL reserve umpire from 1992 to 1997, he became a full-time umpire in 1998. Meals was promoted to crew chief in 2015, and worked ...

called him safe, allowing Lugo to score the walk-off run. McKenry has been given the nickname "Fort McKenry" or simply "The Fort" by fans and media in Pittsburgh due to his defensive skills behind the plate as the Pirates' catcher and the similarity of his name to

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack b ...

, the famous fort in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

known for its role in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. On April 14, 2013 McKenry posted his first multi-homer game in the major leagues as he hit 2 home runs, rallying the Pirates to a 10-7 win over the

. On July 30, 2013, McKenry underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and was ruled out for the rest of the 2013 season. On December 2, 2013, the Pirates acquired Chris Stewart from 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 ...

, and designated McKenry for assignment. He was non-tendered by the Pirates later that day, becoming a free agent.

Second stint with Rockies

McKenry signed a minor league deal with the

on January 16, 2014.

Texas Rangers

McKenry signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers in December 2015. He was released on May 25, 2016.

St. Louis Cardinals

On May 27, 2016, McKenry signed a minor league contract with the

. The Cardinals called him up on July 7; he made two plate appearances, and was designated for assignment on July 19.

Atlanta Braves

On July 22, McKenry signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers

On August 15, 2016, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for an unknown return.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 16, 2016, McKenry signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Retirement

On February 2, 2018, McKenry announced his retirement to join MTSU as the director of player development. On February 9, 2018, the

announced he would serve as a studio analyst on the team's pregame and postgame shows.

Personal life

McKenry is the son of Cliff and Shelia McKenry. He married his wife, Jaclyn, in 2008.

References

External links

Middle Tennessee State Bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenry, Michael 1985 births Living people Baseball players from Knoxville, Tennessee Major League Baseball catchers Colorado Rockies players Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Louis Cardinals players Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders baseball players Tri-City Dust Devils players Asheville Tourists players Waikiki Beach Boys players Modesto Nuts players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Tulsa Drillers players Leones del Escogido players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Pawtucket Red Sox players Round Rock Express players Memphis Redbirds players Gwinnett Braves players Durham Bulls players Farragut High School alumni Major League Baseball broadcasters Pittsburgh Pirates announcers