Anthony John Pierzynski (; born December 30, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005–2012), Texas Rangers (2013), Boston Red Sox (2014), St. Louis Cardinals (2014) and Atlanta Braves (2015–2016). Pierzynski is one of only ten catchers in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits in his career. Pierzynski is known for having a strong and colorful personality, a fact he acknowledges. During his turn at the microphone following the White Sox victory parade in 2005, he thanked team personnel for "putting up" with him. Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén summed up the situation as, "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less." Guillén also acknowledged Pierzynski's value to the club, despite being relatively high-maintenance: "A.J.'s been great for me. He's worth the work because he always shows up for you." Early life Pierzynski was born on December 30, 1976, in Bridgehampton, New York. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, where he won All-State honors in baseball. Future Major Leaguer Johnny Damon was one of Pierzynski's high school teammates. The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame held its 48th Annual Induction Banquet in September 2021, inducting Pierzynski. Professional career Minnesota Twins Pierzynski graduated from high school in 1994 and signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Tennessee. He was also selected by the Minnesota Twins in the third round (71st overall) of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft and chose to sign with the ballclub on June 9. He began his minor league career with the Gulf Coast League Twins and spent the next four years playing for the minor-league Elizabethton Twins, Fort Wayne Wizards, Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats, and Salt Lake Buzz. After four years in the Twins organization, Pierzynski was called up to the major league team, and made his debut on September 9, 1998 against the Anaheim Angels at the age of 21. Two days later, he singled off Oakland Athletics pitcher Billy Taylor for his first major league hit. He then spent the next five seasons, through the 2003 season, with Minnesota, though he was not a regular starter until 2001. From 1998 to 2000, Pierzynski appeared in just 49 games for the