Worcester Native Tanyon Sturtze on growing up in Worcester, playing for the Yankees and his future with the Braves
By Kimberly Dunbar

He has his place in Worcester lore as the local boy who grew up a Red Sox fan and ended up playing for the Yankees. But more importantly, Tanyon Sturtze is one of the great success stories ~ and athletes ~ to come out of Worcester.
 
“I consider myself lucky,” said the former St. Peter Marian High School and Quinsigamond Community College standout, adding that a number of things have to happen and fall into place for a baseball player to make it big.  “I was good, but not the best.  There were better players in Worcester, but they just didn’t get the opportunity to show people what they could do.”
 
Sturtze’s opportunity came from J.P. Riccardi, a fellow Worcester native and the current General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. Riccardi, who was working in the Oakland Athletics organization at the time, influenced the As to select Sturtze in the 23rd round (619th overall) of the 1990 MLB Amateur Entry Draft. “I was lucky because he gave me a chance,” said Sturtze.
 
But it was talent, not luck, that kept Sturtze in the professional baseball circuit. After a few years in the minor leagues, Sturtze made his much anticipated major league debut in 1995 as a member of the Chicago Cubs, and after playing for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, he signed with the New York Yankees in 2004. So what was it like for Sturtze to play for the team his hometown hates the most? “Everyone always asks that question,” laughed Sturtze.
 
For Sturtze, playing for the Yankees was a great experience. “They were the best team in baseball for a long time, so it was an honor and pleasure to play for them,” he said. “But with my roots in Worcester, it was hard for my family and friends to watch at first.”
 
Sturtze ranks Yankee Stadium among his favorites to play in due to its rich history (no pun intended) and capacity to hold so many fans. “It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “I get to walk through the same halls as the greats did and there are 60,000 fans there every night.” 
 
Sturtze’s most memorable baseball moment also came in Yankee Stadium. It was the first game back after September 11, 2001, and Sturtze dueled with Roger Clemens. “It was one of my greatest nights of playing,” he added.
 
But wait! Before you Yankee-haters turn the page, there is more to Sturtze’s story! “Pitching is a job for me. I just never had the opportunity to have Boston as a job,” Sturtze said. “It would be great to end it all there, to spend my last season in a Boston uniform,” he added. (There we go… )
 
Sturtze noted that there is a lot of pressure in Boston, and added that Manny Ramirez is the toughest batter to face. “He always puts together a good at bat,” said Sturtze. “He fouls off so many pitches and works really hard.”
 
After spending seven years in the American League, Sturtze is happy to now be pitching in the National League with the Atlanta Braves. Sturtze has yet to pitch for the Braves this season, as he has spent the past year recovering from shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff and labrum, but he is getting very close to making his way back to the major league roster and finding his spot in the bullpen. “It’s going well,” said Sturtze. “It’s going slow, but it’s getting strong.”
 
Speaking of getting strong, strength is a hot topic in the MLB these days, specifically artificial strength produced by steroids. Despite the controversy surrounding illegal substance abuse, Sturtze doesn’t think that the scandal has ruined baseball. “It has put a damper on the game, but it hasn’t ruined it,” he said. “There has been a bump in the road because of it, but the league is working on cleaning it up.”
 
Even though Sturtze currently lives north of Atlanta, he has never forgotten his Worcester roots. His favorite part about growing up in Worcester are the friends he made when he was young and still keeps in touch with now. However, when he is home, everyone seems to know: “Whenever I’m in town, the phone rings with ticket requests,” joked Sturtze. It seems that this new Brave has certainly cemented his spot in Worcester lore…even if he did play for that other team.