Topic: Jamie Quirk

James Patrick Quirk (pronounced /ˈkwɜrk/; born October 22, 1954 in Whittier, California) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former bench coach for the Colorado Rockies. Jamie attended Whittier College, he played for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles in a career that spanned the years 1975-1992. On November 13, 2008, he was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as a scout.

On September 27, 1984, Quirk hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth for the Cleveland Indians in a game against the Minnesota Twins. It was the only plate appearance Quirk had for the Indians, and was meaningless for Cleveland, which was in 6th place in its division. But the home run was crucial for Quirk's former team of seven years, the Kansas City Royals, which was in a tight race with the Twins for the American Leage West division crown. With Quirk's home run, the Royals moved two games ahead of the Twins with three to play. The Royals clinched the division the next day. Quirk would return to the Royals in 1985 and play four more years in Kansas City.

Jamie was also an all-league and all-state quarterback at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California where, upon graduation, he was offered a four-year scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.