| Dirk Hayhurst | |
|---|---|
 Hayhurst as a member of the San Diego Padres. | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1981-03-24)March 24, 1981 (age 44) Canton, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 23, 2008, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 2009, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–2 |
| Earned run average | 5.72 |
| Strikeouts | 27 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Dirk Von Hayhurst (born March 24, 1981) is an Americanauthor andbroadcaster, and formerly a professionalbaseballpitcher. Hayhurst played inMajor League Baseball for theSan Diego Padres in 2008 and for theToronto Blue Jays in 2009. Following the end of his playing career, Hayhurst wrote four books about his experiences in professional baseball.
Hayhurst attendedCanton South High School inCanton, Ohio. He enrolled atKent State University, and playedcollege baseball for theKent State Golden Flashes until 2003. He was named theMid-American Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year in 2003.[1] He playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBethesda Big Train in 2001.[2]
Hayhurst was selected by theSan Diego Padres in the 8th round of the2003 Major League Baseball Draft. He was called up from the Triple-APortland Beavers and made his major league debut on August 23, 2008, for the San Diego Padres againstBarry Zito and theSan Francisco Giants atAT&T Park inSan Francisco, California.
Hayhurst was claimed off waivers by theToronto Blue Jays on October 6, 2008, but was released four months later before the season started, and re-signed to a minor league deal.[3] On June 2, 2009, Hayhurst's contract was purchased by the Blue Jays from their Triple-A affiliate, theLas Vegas 51s.[4]
Hayhurst missed the entire 2010 season while on the disabled list following surgery on his right shoulder.[5] He was sent outright to the minors following the season.
Prior to the 2011 season, Hayhurst signed a minor league contract with theTampa Bay Rays with an invitation to spring training.[6][7] Hayhurst wasinterviewedArchived July 12, 2011, at theWayback Machine by Frank Stasio forNorth Carolina Public Radio'sThe State of Things on June 27, 2011 about his time playing for the Durham Bulls. He was later released from his contract on August 29, 2011.
After his release from Tampa, Hayhurst began to appear regularly as abaseball insider onTSN Radio 1050. On June 8, 2012, Hayhurst announced that he signed withRogers ownedSportsnet 590 The Fan to co-hostBaseball Central alongsideSam Cosentino, starting July 3, 2012.
Hayhurst continued to work for Sportsnet during the 2013 season. During Spring Training, he worked as a colour analyst on radio and web broadcasts. He has performed colour analyst duties on radio broadcasts whenJack Morris was either off or working on television.
Hayhurst was hired byTBS as a TV studio analyst for the 2013 MLB postseason.
On May 1, 2013, Hayhurst accusedBoston Red Sox pitcherClay Buchholz of cheating. Hayhurst claimed that he observed Buchholz "loading the ball" by usingCrisco or sunscreen to change the movement of the ball.[8] Buchholz and the Red Sox responded by claiming the substance seen on his arm wasrosin, used legally to aid the grip of a pitcher.[9]
On July 4,J. P. Arencibia responded to Hayhurst's criticism of his defensive play, as well as his struggles at the plate during the first half of the season. Arencibia commented, in regards to Hayhurst andGregg Zaun, that "...speaking for myself and the team, there's not one person in our clubhouse that respects those guys". Arencibia went on to say that Hayhurst was a "below-average player" during the time they spent in Triple-A.[10]
In an October 5, 2013 broadcast following Game 2 of theAmerican League Division Series between theTampa Bay Rays and theBoston Red Sox, Hayhurst and fellow commentatorTom Verducci criticized Rays pitcherDavid Price for his performance in the game, in which Price gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in seven innings as the Rays lost to the Red Sox. Price responded via Twitter: "Dirk Hayhurst...COULDNT hack it...Tom Verducci wasn't even a water boy in high school...but yet they can still bash a player...SAVE IT NERDS".[11] Price apologized the next day.[12][13]
Hayhurst was well known for his popular'Non-Prospect Diary' forBaseball America and he has also contributed numerous articles to his hometown newspaper,The Repository.
His book about his time in the minor leagues,The Bullpen Gospels, was published on March 30, 2010.Keith Olbermann plugged the book onMSNBC'sCountdown with Keith Olbermann, saying it "might be one of the best baseball books written in forty years."The Bullpen Gospels debuted on the Paperback Non-fiction New York Times Best Sellers List at #19.[14]
His second book,Out Of My League, was published in 2012. His third book,Wild Pitches, was released in 2013. It consisted of stories cut out ofOut of My League. His fourth book,Bigger Than the Game: Restitching a Major League Life, was released February 25, 2014.[15]
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| National | |