A.J. Pierzynski

Lore & Background

A two-time All-Star player and a Silver Slugger Award winner, Pierzynski was a member of the 2005 World Series winning White Sox team. He is known for having a strong and colorful personality, a fact he acknowledges. During his turn at the microphone following the White Sox victory parade in 2005, he thanked team personnel for 'putting up' with him. Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén summed up the situation by saying, 'If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less.' Guillén also acknowledged Pierzynski's value to the club despite being relatively high-maintenance: 'A.J.'s been great for me. He's worth the work because he always shows up for you.'

In Their Own Story

The October night air at Comiskey Park smells like hot dogs and summer that refuses to die. Pierzynski crouches in the dirt, the clay packed tight under his shin guards, and the Houston pitcher winds up. The crowd is a single breathing organism, forty thousand people holding one collective inhale. The ball leaves the hand, crosses the plate, and Pierzynski's bat comes around like a sledgehammer meeting an anvil. The crack is not a sound so much as a shockwave. The ball sails over the left-field wall, and for three seconds the entire park goes silent—then detonates. He drops the bat, touches the dirt on first, and the roar swallows him whole. He jogs to second, third, home, and the fans are on their feet, arms locked, screaming his name like a prayer. He slides into the dugout, and the bench erupts. He is grinning, sputtering, pointing at the stands. The 88 years are over. He is the reason.

Reader's Guide

Pierzynski was born on December 30, 1976, in Bridgehampton, New York. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, where he won All-State honors in baseball. Future Major Leaguer Johnny Damon was one of Pierzynski's high school teammates. The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame held its 48th Annual Induction Banquet in September 2021, inducting Pierzynski. He graduated from high school in 1994 and signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Tennessee. He was also selected by the Minnesota Twins in the third round (71st overall) of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft and chose to sign with the ballclub on June 9. He began his minor league career with the Gulf Coast League Twins and spent the next four years playing for the minor-league Elizabethton Twins, Fort Wayne Wizards, Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats, and Salt Lake Buzz. After four years in the Twins organization, Pierzynski was called up to the major league team, and made his debut on September 9, 1998, against the Anaheim Angels at the age of 21. Two days later, he singled off Oakland Athletics pitcher Billy Taylor for his first major league hit. He then spent the next five seasons, through the 2003 season, with Minnesota, though he was not a regular starter until 2001. From 1998 to 2000, Pierzynski appeared in just 49 games for the Twins. In 2002, he made the American League All-Star Team as a reserve catcher. In the 2002 American League Division Series, Pierzynski hit an important home run in the ninth inning of Game 5 against the Athletics, helping the Twins clinch the series. In 2003, Pierzynski batted a career-high .312 with 11 home runs and 74 RBI in 137 games. On November 14, 2003, the Twins traded Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. With the Giants, he hit .272 with 11 home runs and 77 RBI in 131 games. He spent one season in San Francisco before being non-tendered on December 15, 2004. Pierzynski was signed as a free agent to a one-year, $2.25 million contract by the Chicago White Sox on January 6, 2005. When he signed with the White Sox, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story claiming that the catcher had kneed Giants trainer Stan Conte in the groin during a spring training game in 2004. Although the incident allegedly happened during the game, it went unreported for nearly a year in

Did You Know?

• Pierzynski is one of only thirteen catchers in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits.
• He caught two perfect games: Philip Humber's in 2012 and Mark Buehrle's no-hitter in 2007 (though not Buehrle's perfect game).
• His famous 'strikeout' in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS led to a walk-off win after the Angels left the field.