James Karinchak

James Stephen Karinchak (born September 22, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Bryant University, and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2019.

James Karinchak
Karinchak with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023
Cleveland Guardians – No. 99
Pitcher
Born: (1995-09-22) September 22, 1995
Newburgh, New York, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 14, 2019, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record12–11
Earned run average3.31
Strikeouts253
Teams

Amateur career

Karinchak attended Valley Central High School in Montgomery, New York.[1] Undrafted out of high school, he attended Bryant University, where he played college baseball for the Bulldogs.[2] In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3] Karinchak was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB draft.[4]

Professional career

Minor League Career

Karinchak made his professional debut in 2017 with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, going 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA over 23 innings. He split 2018 season between the Lake County Captains, Lynchburg Hillcats and Akron RubberDucks, combining to go 4-2 with a 1.29 ERA over 48+2⁄3 innings.[5] He opened the 2019 season with Akron and was promoted to the Columbus Clippers early in May.[6][7]

Major League Career

On September 13, 2019, the Indians selected Karinchak's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[8][9] He made his major league debut on September 14 versus the Minnesota Twins, pitching 1+1⁄3 scoreless innings and recording three strikeouts.[10]

With the 2020 Cleveland Indians, Karinchak appeared in 27 games, compiling a 1–2 record with 2.67 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.

In 2021, he pitched to a 7–4 record and a 4.07 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 32 walks in 55+1⁄3 innings.[11]

In 2022, with the Cleveland Guardians, Karinchak accumulated a 2–0 record and a 2.08 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched. Karinchak missed the first few months of the season with shoulder injury, making rehab appearances with the Columbus Clippers before returning to the major leagues on July 4. Karinchak's 2.08 ERA was the 9th lowest among AL relievers. [12]

Personal life
Karinchack in 2023

Karinchak grew up a New York Yankees fan.[13]

Karinchak faced criticism in 2021 after making a post on Instagram expressing his views on the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The post included a quote incorrectly attributed to Nazi Party leader Hermann Göring. The post was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League of Cleveland.[14][15] In 2022, Karinchak was unable to travel to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays and placed on the restricted list as he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.[16]

References
  1. Sal Interdonato (June 13, 2017). "Indians pick Valley Central grad in draft". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  2. Bryant Bulldogs baseball (September 12, 2019). "James Karinchak headed to the Big Leagues". bryantbulldogs.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  3. "James Karinchak - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  4. Bill Koch (June 13, 2017). "Bryant pitcher James Karinchak selected in MLB Draft". The Providence Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  5. "Valley Central grad Karinchak called up to Indians' Double-A team". Times Herald-Record. August 1, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  6. Brad Bournival (April 19, 2019). "Routine pays off for RubberDucks reliever James Karinchak". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  7. Joe Noga (May 5, 2019). "Indians prospect James Karinchak continues his rise with another dominant outing for AAA Columbus". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  8. Paul Hoynes (September 12, 2019). "Cleveland Indians will promote rhp James Karinchak on Friday for series against Twins". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  9. R.J. Anderson (September 13, 2019). "Indians promote strikeout expert James Karinchak ahead of pivotal series with Twins". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  10. "Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians Box Score, September 14, 2019". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  11. "James Karinchak Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  12. "MLB Leaders - AL Relief ERA | NBCSports". scores.nbcsports.com. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  13. "Tribe's Karinchak set to face Yanks".
  14. Gaydos, Ryan (2021-04-27). "Indians players 'free to make their own choices and decisions' after pitcher's anti-vaccine post, GM says". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  15. Paul Hoynes, cleveland com (2021-04-07). "Cleveland Indians' James Karinchak takes anti-vaccine stance on social media". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  16. "Unvaxxed Karinchak out for series in Toronto". ESPN. 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
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