Ryan Patrick O'Rourke (born April 30, 1988) is a college baseball coach and former American professional baseball pitcher. He is the volunteer assistant and pitching coach at the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

. He played college baseball at Merrimack College from 2007 to 2010. O'Rourke was drafted by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in the 13th round of the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...

and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2015. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

and New York Mets.

Early life

O'Rourke was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and attended St. John's High School in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

where he played on the baseball team. He graduated in 2006. His brother Colin was an All-American lacrosse player for St. John's and played lacrosse for Wagner College. After high school, he attended Merrimack College. Where he broke all of the schools pitching records. During the summer of 2008 O'Rourke played for the Brockport Riverbats in the NYCBL. His 6-1 record helped lead the Riverbats to the league championship.

Career

Minnesota Twins

O'Rourke was drafted by the

in the 13th round of the

out of Merrimack College. O'Rourke was called up to the majors for the first time on July 7, 2015, and made his major league debut that day in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. After numerous callups, he finished with a 6.14 ERA in 28 games, giving up 15 walks in 22 innings, for the Twins.Ryan O'Rourke Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> He began the 2016 season in the minors. He finished 0-1 with a 3.96 ERA in 26 games for the Twins. He began the 2017 season on the disabled list. On November 6, 2017, O'Rourke was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Rochester. However, he rejected the assignment and subsequently elected free agency.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 16, 2017, O'Rourke signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He split the season between the rookie–level

Gulf Coast League Orioles The Florida Complex League Orioles are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Before 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The team plays its hom ...

, Low–A Aberdeen IronBirds, High–A Frederick Keys, and Triple–A Norfolk Tides. In 15 appearances between the four affiliates, O'Rourke logged a cumulative 1.26 ERA with 21 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

New York Mets

On November 15, 2018, O’Rourke signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets and was invited to spring training. O’Rourke has his contract selected to the major leagues on May 1, 2019. On June 26, he was designated for assignment.

Minnesota Twins (second stint)

On August 9, 2019, O'Rourke signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 7 appearances for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

, he compiled a 2–1 record and 4.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings pitched. O'Rourke elected free agency following the season on November 4. On June 8, 2020, O’Rourke officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on Twitter.

International career

In 2019, O'Rourke became a citizen of Ireland via his grandparents. In July 2019, he pitched for the

Irish national baseball team The Ireland national baseball team has been in existence since 1996 and has taken part in several major baseball tournaments and tours. As in many other sports in Ireland, the team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. H ...

during the qualifiers for the

2019 European Baseball Championship The 2019 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament organized by the Confederation of European Baseball. The 2019 Championship was held September 7–15, 2019, in Bonn and Solingen, Germany. The tournament contributed ...

Coaching career

On February 20, 2020, O'Rourke retired and joined the coaching staff of

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

as a volunteer assistant.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:ORourke, Ryan 1988 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Baseball players from Worcester, Massachusetts Beloit Snappers players Bravos de Margarita players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Criollos de Caguas players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Major League Baseball pitchers Merrimack Warriors baseball players Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players New York Mets players Rochester Red Wings players Gulf Coast Orioles players Aberdeen IronBirds players Frederick Keys players Norfolk Tides players Syracuse Mets players Holy Cross Crusaders baseball coaches Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Naturalised citizens of Ireland