{{short description|American baseball player (born 1967)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Matt Karchner |position=Pitcher |image= |bats=Right |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1967|6|28}} |birth_place=Berwick, Pennsylvania, U.S. |death_date= |death_place= |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=July 18 |debutyear=1995 |debutteam= Chicago White Sox |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=June 14 |finalyear=2000 |finalteam= Chicago Cubs |stat1label=Win–loss record |stat1value=21–13 |stat2label=Earned run average |stat2value=4.21 |stat3label=Strikeouts |stat3value=166 |stat4label=Saves |stat4value=27 |statleague = MLB |teams= * Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|1998}}) * Chicago Cubs ({{mlby|1998}}–{{mlby|2000}}) }} '''Matthew Dean Karchner''' (born June 28, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1995 to 2000.<ref name="majors" />
==Playing career== Karchner graduated from Berwick High School in Berwick, Pennsylvania in 1985.<ref name="jordan" /> He played college baseball as a third baseman at Bloomsburg University<ref name="trade">{{cite news |last1=Haugh |first1=David |title=Trade finally making some waves |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-05-12-0505120234-story.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=May 12, 2005}}</ref> and led NCAA Division II with 1.59 runs batted in per game in 1988.<ref>{{cite web |title=Division II Baseball Records |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_RB/2010/D2.pdf |publisher=NCAA |access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref>
The following year, he was selected in the eighth round of the 1989 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals.<ref>{{cite web |title=8th Round of the 1989 MLB June Amateur Draft |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=1989&draft_round=8&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> He was converted to pitching and was assigned to the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League to begin his professional career.<ref name="minors">{{cite web |title=Matt Karchner Minor Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=karchn001mat |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
After three seasons in the Royals' farm system, Karchner was selected in the 1991 Rule 5 draft by the Montreal Expos.<ref name="minors" /><ref name="majors" /> He signed a one-year contract with the Expos in January 1992<ref>{{cite news |title=BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Agreed to terms with... |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-01-18-1992018058-story.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=January 18, 1992}}</ref> but was returned to the Royals that April.<ref name="majors">{{cite web |title=Matt Karchner Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/karchma01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
Karchner spent two more seasons in the Royals' farm system before being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the minor league phase of the 1993 Rule 5 draft.<ref name="minors" /><ref name="majors" /> To begin the 1994 season, Karchner was assigned to the Birmingham Barons where he played with Michael Jordan.<ref name="jordan">{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Steve |title=Karchner recalls days as Micahel Jordan's teammate in Birmingham |url=https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/sports/karchner-recalls-days-as-micahel-jordans-teammate-in-birmingham/article_9d2459a4-c41c-5dcc-a60a-d423d8ba6ab1.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Scranton Times-Tribune |date=May 16, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Karchner made his Major League debut on July 18, 1995 at Yankee Stadium and pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Kirk McCaskill.<ref name="majors" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees Box Score, July 18, 1995 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199507182.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Karchner was a regular in the White Sox bullpen for the remainder of that season as well as the following two seasons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Karchner 1995 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=karchma01&t=p&year=1995 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1996 Chicago White Sox Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/1996.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1997 Chicago White Sox Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/1997.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=4 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Between 1997 and 1998, he set a franchise record by converting 20 consecutive save opportunities.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Verducci |first1=Tom |title=High-Wire Act There's no safety net for major league closers, who put it all on the line each time they work, saving the day... or wasting their teams' best efforts |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/06/18/high-wire-act-theres-no-safety-net-for-major-league-closers-who-put-it-all-on-the-line-each-time-they-work-saving-the-day-or-wasting-their-teams-best-efforts |access-date=4 June 2021 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=June 18, 2001 |language=en-us}}</ref>
On July 29, 1998, Karchner was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Jon Garland who was then 18 years old and struggling in the minor leagues.<ref name="trade" /> The move was widely criticized by prospect experts at the time<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sickels |first1=John |title=Down on the Farm: Garland, Ohka |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/s/downonthefarm/000616.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |publisher=ESPN |date=June 16, 2001}}</ref> and was later described in the ''Chicago Tribune'' as "one of the most lopsided in [Cubs] franchise history"<ref name="trade" /> and in ''The Athletic'' as the "greatest White Sox trade ever."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fegan |first1=James |title=Behind the greatest White Sox trade ever: Jon Garland for Matt Karchner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1737492/2020/04/16/behind-the-greatest-white-sox-trade-ever-jon-garland-cubs/ |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=The Athletic |date=April 16, 2020}}</ref> Karchner struggled in his debut season with the Cubs but was brought back the following year nonetheless.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs Sign Pitcher Karchner |url=https://apnews.com/article/81511d7ffe612af10ad69c9450dcd8c8 |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=Associated Press News |date=January 23, 1999}}</ref> In 1999, he missed substantial time due to groin injuries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cubs place Matt Karchner on DL |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1999/07/17/Cubs-place-Matt-Karchner-on-DL/2063932184000/ |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=United Press International |date=July 17, 1999 |language=en}}</ref> By 2000, Karchner's attitude had soured and manager Don Baylor chose to keep him in the minors with the Iowa Cubs due, according to Karchner, to his negative attitude. The Cubs released him in September 2000. Needing offseason shoulder surgery and facing free agency, Karchner chose to retire.<ref name="trade" />
Karchner later told ''Mitchell Report'' investigators that, during spring training in 1999, he was present when two of his Cubs teammates injected each other with steroids in their shared apartment. He further reported that he had been offered steroids but declined to use them.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Mitchell Report'' |last=Mitchell |first=George J. |date=December 13, 2007 |page=232 |publisher=Office of the Commissioner of Baseball |url=https://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf |access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref>
==Coaching career== In January 2004, Karchner was named the interim head baseball coach at Susquehanna University.<ref>{{cite news |title=TRANSACTIONS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/sports/transactions-174416.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=January 30, 2004}}</ref> He resigned that position in June 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=TRANSACTIONS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/sports/transactions.html |access-date=4 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=June 8, 2005}}</ref>
==Personal life== Karchner is married and has one daughter, born April 1, 1994.<ref name="jordan" /> By the time his playing career ended, he had multiple children.<ref name="trade" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats|mlb=116840|espn=3296|br=k/karchma01|fangraphs=1006697|brm=karchn001mat|retro=K/Pkarcm001}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karchner, Matt}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Appleton Foxes players Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:Baseball City Royals players Category:Baseball players from Columbia County, Pennsylvania Category:Birmingham Barons players Category:Bloomsburg Huskies baseball players Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:Eugene Emeralds players Category:Iowa Cubs players Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Memphis Chicks players Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:People from Berwick, Pennsylvania Category:Susquehanna River Hawks baseball coaches