Key to Throw Out First Pitch Tonight

May 12, 2006

Jimmy Key, a 15-year Major League veteran and two-time World Series Champion, will throw out the first pitch at Friday night’s Clemson vs. Florida State game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Key will be joined in the ceremony by former Tiger teammates Frank Russ and Steve Van Dyke. All three were teammates on Clemson’s 1980 College World Series Team.

Key played for the Tigers from 1980-82 and was a first-team All-ACC selection as a pitcher and a designated hitter that year. He also played in the outfield and at first base over his distinguished Clemson career. No Clemson player has been a first-team All-ACC selection at two positions in the same year since Key’s 1982 season. That year he had a 9-3 record on the mound and hit .359 with 21 doubles and 49 RBIs at the plate.

For his Clemson career, Key had a 20-14 record on the mound with 191 strikeouts and a 3.64 ERA. He won seven games and had a 2.99 ERA on Clemson’s 1980 College World Series team.

In 1982, Key was a third-round draft choice of the Toronto Bluejays. He went on to play 15 years in the Major Leagues (1984-98), including four seasons in which he was selected to the American League All-Star team. Key won 186 games in his 15 years, including posting a 35-10 record over the 1993-94 seasons.

The native of Alabama was the winning pitcher in the deciding game of the 1992 World Series for the Toronto Bluejays, then accomplished the same feat for the New York Yankees in the deciding game of the 1996 World Series.

Key will be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame on May 22.