American baseball pitcher (born 1994)
Baseball player
Ryan Joseph Borucki
(born March 31, 1994) is an American
professional baseball
pitcher
for the
Pittsburgh Pirates
of
Major League Baseball
(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the
Toronto Blue Jays
and
Seattle Mariners
.
High school
[
edit
]
Borucki attended
Mundelein High School
in his hometown of
Mundelein, Illinois
.
[1]
In his junior year, Borucki had a 7-1 record with a 1.20 ERA and 57 strikeouts, leading to all-conference, all-Lake County, and all-academic honors. He was considered the number one prospect in Illinois, according to Prep Baseball Report.
[2]
Borucki did not pitch for much of his senior season due to a partially torn
ulnar collateral ligament
(UCL).
[3]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Toronto Blue Jays
[
edit
]
Minor leagues
[
edit
]
Borucki was selected by the
Toronto Blue Jays
in the 15th round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft
, and was signed away from his commitment with the
University of Iowa
with a bonus of $426,000.
[3]
He was assigned to the
Rookie-level
Gulf Coast League Blue Jays
, where he pitched six innings and posted a 1?0 record and a 3.00 ERA before undergoing
Tommy John surgery
to repair his UCL, which caused him to miss the entire 2013 season.
[1]
[4]
In 2014, he pitched for the
Rookie Advanced
Bluefield Blue Jays
and the
Short Season-A
Vancouver Canadians
, and earned a combined record of 3?2, a 2.37 ERA, and 52 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched.
[1]
Borucki made only three appearances in the 2015 season, posting an 0?1 record, 3.18 ERA, and seven strikeouts in 5
2
⁄
3
innings pitched.
[1]
He was assigned to the
Advanced-A
Dunedin Blue Jays
to open the 2016 minor league season.
[5]
Borucki struggled with Dunedin, posting a 14.40 ERA through six starts before being reassigned to the
Class A
Lansing Lugnuts
. He fared much better with Lansing, making 20 starts and posting a 10?4 record, 2.41 ERA, and 107 strikeouts.
[1]
The Blue Jays added Borucki to their 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the
Rule 5 draft
.
[6]
Borucki was assigned to Advanced-A Dunedin to begin the 2017 minor league season. After posting a 6?5 record, 3.58 ERA, and 109 strikeouts in 98 innings, he was promoted to the
Double-A
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
. In seven starts with the Fisher Cats, Borucki went 2?3 with a 1.94 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 46
1
⁄
3
.
[1]
He made a single start with the
Triple-A
Buffalo Bisons
before the season ended, going six scoreless innings.
[7]
Borucki was named Toronto's Minor League Pitcher of the Year on October 5, 2017.
[8]
He began the 2018 season with Buffalo, and through June 24, had posted a 6?5 record, 3.27 ERA, and 58 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched.
[9]
Major league
[
edit
]
On June 26, 2018, the Blue Jays recalled Borucki from Buffalo.
[10]
He made his Major League debut that night at
Minute Maid Park
against the
Astros
, taking a
loss
after allowing two runs on six hits over six innings with three strikeouts.
[11]
Borucki became the twelfth pitcher in franchise history to throw at least six innings and allow two or fewer runs in his debut, and the first to do so since
Zach Stewart
in 2011.
[12]
Borucki made his first start at
Rogers Centre
on July 2 against the
Detroit Tigers
, allowing two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts, which tied him with
Roy Halladay
for the second-most strikeouts for a Blue Jays' pitcher in a home debut.
[13]
On July 14, Borucki was optioned to the minors.
[14]
He was recalled again on July 24.
[15]
On August 3, Borucki earned his first major league
win
when he threw eight innings and allowed one unearned run in Toronto's 7?2 victory against the
Seattle Mariners
.
[16]
Borucki finished the 2018 season with a 4?6 record and a 3.87 ERA over seventeen starts, eleven of which were
quality starts
, the most of any American League rookie that year.
[17]
On December 5, the Toronto chapter of the
Baseball Writers' Association of America
voted Borucki the Blue Jays' Rookie of the Year for 2018.
[18]
Borucki missed the first half of the 2019 season after suffering from elbow inflammation, which was later identified as a
bone spur
, during spring training. He made his season debut on July 22, allowing four runs (two earned) and striking out three over 4
2
⁄
3
innings in a loss to
Cleveland
.
[19]
After making two starts, Borucki returned to the injured list on July 31. On August 9, it was announced that he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his left arm and would miss the remainder of the season.
[20]
As the
COVID-19
-shortened 2020 Major League season began in late July, Borucki failed to make the Blue Jays' 30-man Opening Day roster. He was beat out by rookie
Anthony Kay
for the final spot in the team's starting rotation.
[21]
However, he was soon activated on July 27 and added to the team's bullpen. He made his season debut that night, pitching 1
1
⁄
3
scoreless innings and earning the win against the
Washington Nationals
.
[22]
With the
2020 Toronto Blue Jays
, Borucki appeared in 21 games, compiling a 1?1 record with 2.70 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched.
[23]
On July 6, 2021, Borucki was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left forearm flexor strain.
[24]
Borucki was activated off of the injured list on July 16.
[25]
On September 22, 2021, he "intentionally" hit
Kevin Kiermaier
of the
Tampa Bay Rays
on a pitch that made the benches clear. Borucki and pitching coach
Pete Walker
were ejected, and Borucki was suspended for three days. He appealed and his suspension was reduced to two games.
[26]
On March 22, 2022, Borucki signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration.
[27]
He was designated for assignment on May 31.
[28]
Seattle Mariners
[
edit
]
On June 4, 2022, Borucki was traded to the
Seattle Mariners
in exchange for minor leaguer Tyler Keenan.
[29]
He made 21 appearances for Seattle, posting a 2-0 record and 4.26 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched before he was placed on the injured list with a left forearm strain on August 8. He would spend the remainder of the year on the injured list, and was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A
Tacoma Rainiers
following the season on November 9. He would subsequently reject the assignment in lieu of free agency.
[30]
Chicago Cubs
[
edit
]
On January 4, 2023, Borucki signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago Cubs
. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Iowa Cubs
to begin the year, where he made 8 appearances and struggled to a 12.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched. On April 30, Borucki had his contract selected to the active roster.
[31]
He did not appear in a game for Chicago, and was designated for assignment on May 2 following the promotion of
Miguel Amaya
.
[32]
He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Iowa on May 5.
[33]
Borucki chose to reject the outright assignment and elected free agency on May 7.
[34]
Pittsburgh Pirates
[
edit
]
On May 11, 2023, Borucki signed a minor league contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates
organization.
[35]
In 8 appearances for the Triple?A
Indianapolis Indians
, he tossed
8
+
1
⁄
3
scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts. On June 18, the Pirates selected Borucki's contract, adding him to their active roster.
[36]
He found immediate success in the Pirates' bullpen, finishing out the 2023 season with career bests in wins (4), ERA (2.45), and WHIP (0.744) across a career high 38 appearances.
[1]
On November 9, 2023, Borucki came to a $1.6 million dollar agreement with the Pirates, avoiding arbitration.
[37]
After four appearances in 2024, he was placed on the injured list with left triceps inflammation on April 7.
[38]
On May 1, Borucki was shut down following a diagnosis of
carpal tunnel syndrome
,
[39]
and he was transferred to the 60?day injured list on June 6.
[40]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Borucki's father, Raymond, was an infielder who signed with the
Philadelphia Phillies
as an undrafted free agent in 1979 but never advanced beyond
Triple-A
ball.
[41]
[42]
Growing up in the Chicago suburb of
Mundelein
, Borucki was a fan of the
Chicago White Sox
as a child.
[43]
Borucki married his wife, Leah, on October 5, 2020.
[44]
The couple has an
elf sphynx
cat named Dobby, who is featured on one of Borucki's practice gloves.
[45]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Ryan Borucki Minor League Statistics & History"
.
Baseball-Reference
. Retrieved
February 16,
2015
.
- ^
"Borucki Drafted by Toronto in 15th Round"
.
University of Iowa Athletics
. June 5, 2012
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"Big Read: Ryan Borucki's bumpy road to the Blue Jays' rotation"
.
www.sportsnet.ca
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
"Jay Blue: Borucki Bluefield's best"
.
canadianbaseballnetwork.com
. September 27, 2014
. Retrieved
February 16,
2015
.
- ^
Rosenbaum, Mike (April 7, 2016).
"Where the Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects are starting the season"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 8,
2016
.
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor (November 18, 2016).
"Blue Jays protect Urena, Alford from Rule 5 Draft"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
November 18,
2016
.
- ^
"Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki: Shines in Triple-A debut"
.
cbssports.com
. September 4, 2017
. Retrieved
September 9,
2017
.
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor (October 5, 2017).
"Bichette, Borucki named Blue Jays Prospects of Year"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
October 6,
2017
.
- ^
Bottomley, Andrew (June 24, 2018).
"Blue Jays' Borucki scratched from triple-A start, may start for Sanchez"
.
Sportsnet
. Retrieved
June 24,
2018
.
- ^
"Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki: Called up for big-league debut"
.
CBSSports.com
. June 26, 2018
. Retrieved
June 27,
2018
.
- ^
- ^
"2018 Game Notes"
(PDF)
.
MLB.com
. June 27, 2018
. Retrieved
June 27,
2018
.
- ^
Nicholson-Smith, Ben (July 2, 2018).
"Ryan Borucki solid, but Blue Jays fall to Tigers in extras"
.
Sportsnet
. Retrieved
July 2,
2018
.
- ^
Zwelling, Arden (July 14, 2018).
"Blue Jays call up Chris Rowley, option Ryan Borucki"
.
Sportsnet
. Retrieved
July 14,
2018
.
- ^
"Transactions"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
July 25,
2018
.
- ^
Davidi, Shi (August 4, 2018).
"Borucki goes eight strong in first career win against Mariners"
.
Sportsnet
. Retrieved
August 4,
2018
.
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor (September 29, 2018).
"Borucki lasts into 7th to wrap solid rookie season"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
September 30,
2018
.
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor (December 5, 2018).
"Smoak, Happ nab end-of-year Blue Jays awards"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
December 6,
2018
.
- ^
Brudnicki, Alexis (July 22, 2019).
"Borucki, Blue Jays encouraged by 2019 debut"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
July 23,
2019
.
- ^
"Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki out for season after elbow surgery"
.
Sportsnet
. August 9, 2019
. Retrieved
August 9,
2019
.
- ^
"Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki: Heads to taxi squad"
.
CBS Sports
. Rotowire. July 23, 2020
. Retrieved
July 25,
2020
.
- ^
"Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki: Grabs win in season debut"
.
CBS Sports
. Rotowire. July 27, 2020
. Retrieved
July 27,
2020
.
- ^
"Ryan Borucki Stats, Fantasy & News | Toronto Blue Jays"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
"Blue Jays Activate Thomas Hatch from Injured List"
. July 6, 2021.
- ^
"Blue Jays Designate Joel Payamps for Assignment"
. July 16, 2021.
- ^
"MLB Suspends Blue Jays' Ryan Borucki, Charlie Montoyo"
. September 24, 2021.
- ^
"Arbitration Tracker For 2022"
.
MLBTradeRumors
. Retrieved
March 23,
2022
.
- ^
"Blue Jays designate Borucki for assignment, recall Thornton"
.
Sportsnet
. May 31, 2022
. Retrieved
May 31,
2022
.
- ^
Polishuk, Mark (June 4, 2022).
"Mariners Acquire Ryan Borucki, Designate Mike Ford"
.
MLB Trade Rumors
. Retrieved
June 4,
2022
.
- ^
"Ryan Borucki: Trying luck in free agency"
.
cbssports.com
. November 9, 2022
. Retrieved
April 30,
2023
.
- ^
"Cubs' Ryan Borucki: Added to MLB roster"
.
cbssports.com
. April 30, 2023
. Retrieved
April 30,
2023
.
- ^
"Cubs' Ryan Borucki: Designated for assignments"
.
cbssports.com
. May 2, 2023
. Retrieved
May 2,
2023
.
- ^
"Cubs' Ryan Borucki: Outrighted to Triple-A"
.
cbssports.com
. May 5, 2023
. Retrieved
May 5,
2023
.
- ^
"Ryan Borucki: Heads to open market"
.
cbssports.com
. May 7, 2023
. Retrieved
May 7,
2023
.
- ^
"Pirates' Ryan Borucki: Inks minors deal with PIT"
.
cbssports.com
. May 11, 2023
. Retrieved
May 11,
2023
.
- ^
"Pirates' Ryan Borucki: Called up from Indianapolis"
.
cbssports.com
. June 18, 2023
. Retrieved
June 18,
2023
.
- ^
Farkas, Brady (November 19, 2023).
"Pittsburgh Pirates Come to Terms with Lefty Reliever For 2024"
.
Fastball
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
"Pirates' Ryan Borucki: Lands on injured list"
.
cbssports.com
. Retrieved
June 10,
2024
.
- ^
"Pirates' Ryan Borucki: Dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome"
.
cbssports.com
. June 10, 2024.
- ^
"Pirates To Sign Justin Bruihl To Major League Deal"
.
mlbtraderumors.com
. Retrieved
June 10,
2024
.
- ^
"Mundelein's Borucki: Like father, like son"
.
nbcsports.com
. April 9, 2012
. Retrieved
June 24,
2018
.
- ^
"Raymond Borucki Minor League Statistics & History"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
June 24,
2018
.
- ^
"Blue Jays Borucki Lives Childhood Dream Start vs White Sox"
.
Sportsnet.ca
. Retrieved
July 28,
2018
.
- ^
Borucki, Ryan (October 7, 2020).
"10/05/2020 was the day i got to call you my wife forever! Throughout the last 4 years we have made so many memories together. And now we have a whole lifetime to make many more. I love you Mrs. Leah Borucki ??"
.
X
. Retrieved
March 3,
2024
.
- ^
Gorman, Kevin (February 22, 2024).
"Ryan Borucki's new glove a purr-fect fit, much like lefty's relief role for Pirates"
.
TribLive
. Retrieved
March 3,
2024
.
External links
[
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]
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Active roster
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Inactive roster
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Injured list
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Coaching staff
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