| Steve Sax | |
|---|---|
 Sax with theArizona Diamondbacks in 2013 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1960-01-29)January 29, 1960 (age 65) West Sacramento, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 1981, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 8, 1994, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .281 |
| Home runs | 54 |
| Runs batted in | 550 |
| Stolen bases | 444 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stephen Louis Sax (born January 29, 1960) is an American formerMajor League Baseball player andcoach. He played as asecond baseman in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1994, celebrated as a member of theLos Angeles Dodgers with whom he won world championships in1981 and1988. A five-timeAll-Star, Sax was named theNational League Rookie of the Year in 1982 and won the Silver Slugger Award in 1986. He also played for theNew York Yankees,Chicago White Sox, and theOakland Athletics. Sax hosts forSiriusXM'sMLB Network Radio.
Sax starred at James Marshall High School (now known as River City High School) inWest Sacramento, California, from 1975 to 1978. TheLos Angeles Dodgers selected Sax in the ninth round of the1978 MLB draft.[1] Sax was a late season call up in 1981, playing 31 games.[2] Sax broke into the majors as a regular in 1982, earning theNational LeagueRookie of the Year award.[3] Throughout his career, Sax was on theAll-Star team five times and had abatting average over .300 in three seasons. He had great success on the basepaths,stealing over 40 bases in six different seasons, finishing with a career total of 444 stolen bases.[2] His best year arguably came in 1986, when he finished second in the NL with a .332 batting average, 210 base hits, and 43 doubles, and won aSilver Slugger Award.[1] Sax earnedWorld Series rings with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 and 1988.[1]
Following the end of the 1988 season, Sax signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent after feeling disrespected by the Dodgers during contract negotiations.[4][1] In 1989, he made the All-Star team due to a strong start with the Yankees.[1] He finished the season with a .315 batting average, 205 base hits, 88 runs, and 43 stolen bases.[1] Sax made the All-Star team his last time in 1990, finishing the season with 43 stolen bases, though his batting average dropped to .260.[1] In 1991, he had another strong year with the Yankees, finishing the season with a .304 batting average, 198 base hits, and 38 doubles.[5]
Sax was also a higher-up in thePlayers Association during his career.[6]
Though never regarded as one of the top fielding second basemen in the league, Steve Sax inexplicably became incapable of making routine throws to first base in 1983, committing 30 errors that season.[7] This is referred to in baseball terminology as "Steve Sax syndrome", the fielder's variant of "Steve Blass disease", named after the Pirates pitcher who suffered a similar breakdown of basic mechanics (also known as "theyips"). As his accuracy suffered, fans sitting behind the first base dugout began wearing batting helmets as mock protection.[8] TeammatePedro Guerrero, anoutfielder pressed into service atthird base in 1983, once reportedly stated that his first thought whenever he was in the field was "I hope they don't hit it to me", while his second thought was "I hope they don't hit it to Sax."[9] By 1989, however, Sax seemed to be completely "cured", leading the American League in bothfielding percentage[10] anddouble plays.
Sax piloted a new networking site called allsportsconnection.com. Sax has made television cameos, including the "Homer at the Bat" episode ofThe Simpsons,[11] as well as episodes ofSquare Pegs,Who's the Boss,Hollywood Squares,Body Language andSabrina The Teenage Witch.[12] He has also been on the Fox News showHannity. Sax played a supporting character in the 1998 movieGround Control.[12]
He briefly ran for a seat in theCalifornia State Assembly 5th District as aRepublican in 1996.[13] Sax, however, later dropped out of the race, when his divorce became publicized. Ablack belt, he was also a part-owner of amartial arts studio inRoseville, California.[14]
He worked as a financial consultant forRBC Dain Rauscher,LLC, in their Roseville, California, office. He had approximately 25 to 30 clients, including several athletes. He was a partner in the Sax/Hinman Sports Professional Group at RBC Dain Rauscher providing professional wealth management for sports professionals at every level of all professional sports.
In December 2012, Sax was named the first base coach for theArizona Diamondbacks.[15] The Diamondbacks fired him on October 8, 2013.[16]
As of 2015, Sax returned to theLos Angeles Dodgers organization as an alumnus member of the Dodgers' Community Relations team.
Sax currently hostsSiriusXM'sMLB Network Radio.[17] Sax also announces Saturday nightSacramento River Cats broadcasts onKMAX-TV in his hometown ofWest Sacramento. Starting in2025, Sax became a studio analyst for theAthletics.
Steve is the brother of former Major League Baseball playerDave Sax, who also played for the Dodgers.[18] He is the father of Lauren Ashley (Sax) Boyd and son John Jeremy Sax. His nephew David Sax Jr. (son of Dave Sax) was seen on an episode ofIntervention in 2015.[19] His son John, acaptain in theUnited States Marine Corps, was one of five Marines killed in aV-22 Osprey training accident nearSan Diego, California on June 8, 2022.[20]
A nephew,Nick Sogard, plays inMajor League Baseball for theBoston Red Sox.[21]
· Baseball Almanac| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month September 1986 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |