Jim Leyritz
Born: 12/27/1963 in Lakewood, OH, USA
MLB Debut: 1990-06-08 | Final Game: 2000-09-13
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs
Full name: James Joseph Leyritz
Biography
Jim Leyritz, born in 1963, was a versatile position player who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball between 1990 and 2000. Known for his clutch hitting and ability to perform in crucial moments, Leyritz participated in 903 games throughout his career, accumulating 667 hits and 90 home runs. His career batting average settled at .264, and he drove in 387 runs while also contributing with 7 stolen bases. Leyritz's playing style was characterized by his power-hitting capabilities and resilience, traits that endeared him to fans and teammates alike.
Leyritz played for several teams, with notable stints with the New York Yankees, where he became particularly famous for his postseason heroics, including a memorable home run in the 1995 American League Division Series. His contributions were especially impactful during the late 1990s as the Yankees enjoyed a period of dominance in Major League Baseball. Leyritz's legacy is marked by his ability to shine under pressure, making him a crucial figure in the Yankees' success during that era. After retiring in 2000, he left an indelible mark on the game, remembered for both his on-field performances and his role in one of baseball's most storied franchises.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 903 | 2527 | 325 | 667 | 107 | 2 | 90 | 387 | 7 | 337 | 581 | 0.264 | 0.362 | 0.415 | 0.777 | 2819.5 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | NYY | AL | 92 | 303 | 28 | 78 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 27 | 51 | 0.257 | -100.4 |
| 1991 | NYY | AL | 32 | 77 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 0.182 | -297.6 |
| 1992 | NYY | AL | 63 | 144 | 17 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 14 | 22 | 0.257 | 318.5 |
| 1993 | NYY | AL | 95 | 259 | 43 | 80 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 53 | 0 | 37 | 59 | 0.309 | 1490.4 |
| 1994 | NYY | AL | 75 | 249 | 47 | 66 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 58 | 0 | 35 | 61 | 0.265 | 788.0 |
| 1995 | NYY | AL | 77 | 264 | 37 | 71 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 37 | 1 | 37 | 73 | 0.269 | 240.9 |
| 1996 | NYY | AL | 88 | 265 | 23 | 70 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 40 | 2 | 30 | 68 | 0.264 | -110.8 |
| 1997 | LAA | AL | 84 | 294 | 47 | 81 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 50 | 1 | 37 | 56 | 0.276 | 163.1 |
| 1997 | TEX | AL | 37 | 85 | 11 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 23 | 22 | 0.282 | 163.1 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | 52 | 129 | 17 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 34 | 0.287 | 484.7 |
| 1998 | SDP | NL | 62 | 143 | 17 | 38 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 21 | 40 | 0.266 | 484.7 |
| 1999 | NYY | AL | 31 | 66 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 17 | 0.227 | -132.3 |
| 1999 | SDP | NL | 50 | 134 | 17 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 37 | 0.239 | -132.3 |
| 2000 | LAD | NL | 41 | 60 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0.200 | -294.9 |
| 2000 | NYY | AL | 24 | 55 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0.218 | -294.9 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 61 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 7 | 16 | 0.213 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | ALDS2 | NYA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1999 | WS | NYA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 1998 | WS | SDN | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.000 |
| 1998 | NLDS2 | SDN | 4 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0.400 |
| 1998 | NLCS | SDN | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0.167 |
| 1996 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0.250 |
| 1996 | WS | NYA | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0.375 |
| 1996 | ALDS2 | NYA | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1995 | ALDS2 | NYA | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.143 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 149 | 107 | 977 | 57 | 9 | 96 |
| 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 105 | 96 | 61 | 137 | 19 | 7 |
| C | 308 | 265 | 1789 | 137 | 10 | 11 |
| OF | 54 | 44 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | NYA | C | 11 | 10 | 55 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | NYA | 3B | 69 | 67 | 43 | 101 | 11 | 5 |
| 1990 | NYA | OF | 14 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYA | C | 5 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYA | 1B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 | NYA | 3B | 18 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 1992 | NYA | C | 18 | 13 | 89 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | NYA | 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | NYA | OF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | NYA | C | 12 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | NYA | 1B | 29 | 24 | 260 | 13 | 2 | 22 |
| 1993 | NYA | OF | 28 | 26 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | NYA | C | 37 | 33 | 202 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 | NYA | 1B | 10 | 8 | 80 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 1995 | NYA | C | 46 | 42 | 286 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | NYA | 1B | 18 | 16 | 131 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 1996 | NYA | C | 55 | 50 | 363 | 19 | 2 | 2 |
| 1996 | NYA | 1B | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1996 | NYA | 2B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYA | 3B | 13 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYA | OF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | ANA | C | 58 | 55 | 361 | 40 | 0 | 4 |
| 1997 | ANA | 1B | 15 | 12 | 79 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| 1997 | TEX | C | 11 | 10 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | TEX | 1B | 9 | 5 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 1998 | BOS | C | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | BOS | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 | SDN | C | 24 | 20 | 139 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| 1998 | SDN | 1B | 20 | 17 | 134 | 8 | 1 | 12 |
| 1998 | SDN | 3B | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | SDN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYA | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYA | 1B | 9 | 9 | 60 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
| 1999 | NYA | 3B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | SDN | C | 24 | 21 | 150 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | SDN | 1B | 19 | 14 | 116 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 1999 | SDN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | LAN | C | 3 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | LAN | 1B | 8 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2000 | LAN | OF | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYA | C | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 308 |
| First Base | 149 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 105 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 25 |
| Right Field | 30 |
| Designated Hitter | 196 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | NYA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1999 | SDN | NL | $1,900,000 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | $2,000,000 |
| 1997 | ANA | AL | $1,916,972 |
| 1996 | NYA | AL | $1,470,000 |
| 1995 | NYA | AL | $1,350,000 |
| 1994 | NYA | AL | $742,500 |
| 1993 | NYA | AL | $152,000 |
| 1992 | NYA | AL | $126,500 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | $135,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $10,792,972 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Georgia College | Cochran | GA | 1983, 1984 |
| University of Kentucky | Lexington | KY | 1985 |