Ken Clay, pitcher for 2 World Series champions teams with Yankees, dies at 71

Pitcher Ken Clay, who competed on two World Series champions with the New York Yankees during the late 1970s during a five-year major league career, died on March 26. He was 71.

Clay’s death in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, was confirmed to The Associated Press by Jim Warner, executive medical director for the Centra Heart & Vascular Institute. He said that Clay died at his home, and that the cause of death was related to heart and kidney issues.

Used mostly as a middle reliever, Clay pitched in 111 games with the Yankees (1977-1979), the Texas Rangers (1980) and the Seattle Mariners (1981). He had a 10-24 career record and added three saves.

Clay appeared in two games during the 1977 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the AP reported. The following year, he appeared in Game 1 of the Fall Classic and allowed a three-run homer to Davey Lopes.

Clay’s best showing in the postseason came in Game 1 of the American League Championship against Kansas City. Clay entered the game in the sixth inning against the Royals with the bases loaded and worked out of the jam. He pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings and earned a save in the Yankees’ 7-1 victory.

When Clay struggled during the 1979 season, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner blasted him as a “morning glory,” a reference to racehorses that turn in excellent morning workouts but struggle in actual races, the AP reported.

Clay also had some legal woes. In 1987 he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $16,000 from a ring distributor he worked for in Virginia. He was sentenced to one year in jail in 1992 after stealing $550 from the car dealership where he worked.

In 2001, Clay pleaded guilty to forgery and other charges in Florida, the AP reported. He agreed to repay more than $40,000 to creditors for using a former girlfriend’s personal information to defraud three credit card companies.

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