Playing career

Harkey attended California State University (CSU) Fullerton, where he played college baseball for the CSU Fullerton Titans. He was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft.

Harkey played for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, California Angels, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, appearing in 131 games. In 1990 he finished the season with a record of 12-6 with a 3.26 earned run average. Harkey played in the majors in 1988, 1990 through 1995, and then 1997 before retiring. He was plagued by shoulder and arm injuries throughout his early career with the Cubs. On September 6, 1992, during pregame warmups, he attempted a cartwheel in the Wrigley Field outfield, severely damaging his knee.

Coaching career

Harkey served as pitching coach in Minor League Baseball for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2000, the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2001 and 2003, the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2002 and 2004, the Mobile BayBears in 2005, and the Iowa Cubs in 2007. He served as the bullpen coach for the Florida Marlins in 2006.

Harkey joined the Yankees for the 2008 season. Under Harkey, the Yankees bullpen played a major role in their season, culminating in a victory in the 2009 World Series. He served as the bullpen coach for six seasons.

After the 2013 season, he was hired as the Diamondbacks' pitching coach. The Diamondbacks fired Harkey after the 2015 season. He returned to the Yankees as their bullpen coach for the 2016 season.

Personal

Harkey's son, Tony, is a former infielder for the Cal State-Fullerton Titans and Concordia University Irvine baseball team. Tony won a NAIA World Series title in 2011 with the Concordia University Irvine Eagles. His son Cory Harkey is a tight end for the St. Louis Rams.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]