Darren O'Day
Darren Christopher O'Day is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He played college baseball for the University of Florida, and has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves. O'Day is one of the few Major League pitchers to throw submarine pitches.
Early life and amateur career
O'Day was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, and played high school baseball for the Bishop Kenny Crusaders.O'Day accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Pat McMahon's Florida Gators baseball team from 2003 to 2006. He earned Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll recognition for four consecutive years, and was an Academic All-American as a senior. During the Gators' run in the 2005 College World Series, O'Day made four relief appearances and earned a save. O'Day graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in agricultural and life sciences in 2006.
Professional career
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Undrafted out of college, O'Day signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2006. He made his major league debut with the Angels in. In 30 games, he was 0-1 with a 4.57 ERA in innings.New York Mets
The New York Mets selected O'Day in the Rule 5 Draft on December 11, 2008. He made the Mets' roster out of spring training. He was widely quoted in the media on the death of his former teammate Nick Adenhart. He was designated for assignment by the Mets two weeks into the season in order to make room on the roster for Nelson Figueroa.Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers claimed him on April 22, 2009 and he made his debut the same day in extra innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, just minutes after getting to the bullpen from the airport. His arrival was so quick that he had to wear the jersey of Kason Gabbard in his first appearance. He was an effective reliever for the Rangers, posting an ERA of 1.94 in 64 games. He struck out 54 in innings. The following season he appeared in a career high 72 games, posting an ERA of 2.03 with a 6-2 record.Limited to sixteen appearances due to a pair of injuries, O'Day was 0–1 with a 5.40 earned run average in 2011. He was first sidelined from April 27 to July 1 because of a partial acetabular labrum tear in his left hip. Right shoulder inflammation sent him back to the disabled list for the second time from August 25 to September 12. He also pitched in eighteen minor league games with the Frisco RoughRiders and Round Rock Express, going a combined 1–0 with a 2.53 ERA. He was not activated to the Rangers' roster for any round of that year's postseason.
During this period, when he arrived at the mound, Texas Rangers' fans began a traditional chant of his last name.
Baltimore Orioles
2012
The Baltimore Orioles claimed O'Day off waivers on November 2, 2011. He was scheduled to make $1,350,000 in the 2012 season. Following the struggles of Pedro Strop, O'Day settled into the role of the 8th inning setup pitcher later in the 2012 season, often leaving the game in a manageable state for closer Jim Johnson. O'Day posted a 7-1 record with a 2.28 ERA by the end of the 2012 season.2013
In 2013, O'Day continued his success as an Oriole, going 5-3 as their 8th inning setup man, while posting a 2.18 ERA in 68 games. He collected two saves and pitched 62.0 innings, while striking out 59 batters and holding opponents to a.210 batting average.2014
Former Orioles reliever and fellow submarine pitcher Todd Frohwirth worked with O'Day during spring training in 2014 to improve his change-up. O'Day had a career year in 2014, as he pitched 68 innings in 68 games and collected a 5-2 record with four saves. He posted a 1.70 ERA along with a 0.89 WHIP. He also struck out 73 batters and held opponents to a career-best.174 batting average. He set career-bests in innings pitched, saves, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. Despite his most successful season, O'Day struggled greatly in the postseason, as he posted an 0-2 record and a 13.50 ERA in four games. Particularly in the 2014 American League Championship Series, O'Day went 0-2 in three games and posted a 16.20 ERA.2015
In 2015, O'Day was selected to appear in the All-Star Game. He finished his career year with a 1.52 ERA in 68 appearances, which totaled to 65 innings. He compiled a 6-2 record and set a career-high with six saves. He also set a career-high with 82 strikeouts.2016
On December 14, 2015, the Orioles re-signed O'Day to a 4-year, $31 million contract. Battling injuries throughout the duration of the season, O'Day had his worst year as an Oriole. He appeared in only 34 games, throwing 31 innings while pitching to a 3.77 ERA, his highest as a member of the Orioles. He compiled a 3-1 record and struck out 38 batters. O'Day also appeared in the Wild Card Game for the Orioles, tossing 1 innings while striking out one batter in a 5-2 loss.2017
O'Day rebounded from the previous season, registering a healthy season in which he appeared in 64 games. He also had an ERA of 3.43 in innings.2018
O'Day appeared in 20 games for the O's before undergoing season ending surgery on his left hamstring.Atlanta Braves
On July 31, 2018, O'Day, along with Kevin Gausman, were traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Brett Cumberland, Jean Carlos Encarnacion, Evan Phillips, Bruce Zimmermann, and international signing money.O'Day opened the 2019 season on the injured list with a right forearm injury, which followed a single spring training appearance. He was activated to the major league roster on September 5, 2019.
On November 8, 2019 he re–signed with the Braves on a one year, $2.5 million contract with a club option for a second year.
Personal life
O'Day's original family name was Odachowski. His paternal grandmother, who had raised his father Ralph and two uncles on her own after his grandfather died in a car accident, shortened it to Odach to make it easier to pronounce for her colleagues at Montgomery Ward in Chicago. Ralph and one of his brothers legally changed their last names to O'Day in her honor after they were married. O'Day has "D. Odachowski" stitched on the side of his game glove to honor his family history. "Odachowski" was featured on the back of his jersey worn during MLB's Players Weekend on August 25-27, 2017.O'Day is married to Elizabeth Prann, a University of Florida alumna and an anchor/reporter for HLN. Their first child, a daughter named Claire, was born in December 2014.