Jay Tessmer
Encyclopedia
Jay Tessmer is a former relief pitcher
for Major League Baseball
's New York Yankees
. Tessmer played baseball for six years, nearly all of them spent with an affiliate of the Yankees. He retired after the 2002 season, where he saw the most of his action with the Yankees' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
.
, and would be accepted to the University of Miami
, playing on their baseball team. He would play in the 1994
and 1995 College World Series
for Miami, and was named Coral Gables Regional MVP. He was drafted in the nineteenth round by the Yankees in the 1995 MLB Draft
, and began playing for the team's Single-A affiliate in Oneonta, New York
, pitching 38.0 innings with two wins and a 0.95 ERA. The following season, he moved up to the Tampa Yankees
and had a career-best 12-4 record and a 1.48 ERA. He also had 104 strikeouts, the highest total of his career.
, where he struck out two hitters. He ended his abbreviated Major League season with one win and a 3.12 ERA. In 1999, he had three wins and forty-two strikeouts at AAA, and again played briefly for the Yankees, posting a 14.85 ERA over six games. He struggled with his consistency in 2000, however, going 4-8.
Despite lowering his MLB ERA to 6.75, Tessmer was traded at the end of the season to the Colorado Rockies
for David Lee
. He played for the Rockies' AAA affiliate, and won one game, but had a 6-10 walks/strikeout ratio, and was traded again to the Milwaukee Brewers
. Playing in Indianapolis, he threw 39 strikeouts and had a 4.37 ERA. His contract was not renewed, and he returned to the Yankees in 2002. He played two games in the majors, with a 6.75 ERA. He spent the rest of the year in AAA, winning five game and earning a 4.37 ERA. He would not return to professional baseball.
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Tessmer played baseball for six years, nearly all of them spent with an affiliate of the Yankees. He retired after the 2002 season, where he saw the most of his action with the Yankees' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
.
Early career
Tessmer attended Cochranton High School in Cochranton, PennsylvaniaCochranton, Pennsylvania
Cochranton is a borough in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was recorded as 1,148 in the 2000 census.-Geography:Cochranton is located at ....
, and would be accepted to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, playing on their baseball team. He would play in the 1994
1994 College World Series
The 1994 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 3 to June 11. The forty-eighth tournament's champion was the University of Oklahoma, coached by Larry Cochell...
and 1995 College World Series
1995 College World Series
The 1995 College World Series was played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE from June 2 to June 10. The forty-ninth tournament's champion was California State University, Fullerton, coached by Augie Garrido...
for Miami, and was named Coral Gables Regional MVP. He was drafted in the nineteenth round by the Yankees in the 1995 MLB Draft
1995 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign-Background:Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad compiled a career .356 average in three seasons with the...
, and began playing for the team's Single-A affiliate in Oneonta, New York
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
, pitching 38.0 innings with two wins and a 0.95 ERA. The following season, he moved up to the Tampa Yankees
Tampa Yankees
The Tampa Yankees are a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. They are currently members of the Florida State League and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball team. Home games are played at George M. Steinbrenner Field, a miniature replica of...
and had a career-best 12-4 record and a 1.48 ERA. He also had 104 strikeouts, the highest total of his career.
Later career
Tessmer was promoted to the AA Norwich Navigators for 1997, but struggled and fell to 3-6. He returned to Norwich the next year and after improving his ERA to 1.09, he was promoted to Triple A where it was boosted to 0.49. That season, he made his Major League debut against the Anaheim AngelsLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, where he struck out two hitters. He ended his abbreviated Major League season with one win and a 3.12 ERA. In 1999, he had three wins and forty-two strikeouts at AAA, and again played briefly for the Yankees, posting a 14.85 ERA over six games. He struggled with his consistency in 2000, however, going 4-8.
Despite lowering his MLB ERA to 6.75, Tessmer was traded at the end of the season to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
for David Lee
David Lee (baseball)
David Emmer Lee is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Lee played for the Colorado Rockies , San Diego Padres , and Cleveland Indians . Lee currently lives in a boro of Pittsburgh called Pleasant Hills coaching 6-7-8 year old baseball.-External links:...
. He played for the Rockies' AAA affiliate, and won one game, but had a 6-10 walks/strikeout ratio, and was traded again to the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Playing in Indianapolis, he threw 39 strikeouts and had a 4.37 ERA. His contract was not renewed, and he returned to the Yankees in 2002. He played two games in the majors, with a 6.75 ERA. He spent the rest of the year in AAA, winning five game and earning a 4.37 ERA. He would not return to professional baseball.