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Come Fan with UsFriday, June 26, 2026

The Garfoose Is Back In The States

Dirk Hayhurst is a former major league pitcher. Dirk Hayhurst is a book author. Dirk Hayhurst was going to pitch in Italy in 2012. And now he isn’t.

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Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Dirk Hayhurst pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Rogers Centre. Credit: Luc Leclerc-US PRESSWIRE
Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Dirk Hayhurst pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Rogers Centre. Credit: Luc Leclerc-US PRESSWIRE
Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Dirk Hayhurst pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Rogers Centre. Credit: Luc Leclerc-US PRESSWIRE

Dirk Hayhurst is a former major league pitcher (with the 2008 Padres and 2009 Blue Jays) who has also authored two books about baseball, The Bullpen Gospels and the recently released Out Of My League.

He’s also known, via Twitter and otherwise, as “The Garfoose”, which, according to his website, is:

a giant, fire breathing, half giraffe half moose with yellow fur and purple spots.Hayhurst, or Garfoose, had signed to pitch for Nettuno in the Italian League this season. He was expected to be their opening day starter. Sunday, however, this series of tweets indicated that The Garfoose is back Stateside:

All right, perhaps we should end right here. Hayhurst is funny and articulate in his books and maybe someday we'll hear the whole story. Or maybe he'll sign on with a major league organization; in 2011 he posted a 4.12 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 11 starts with Triple-A Durham in the Rays organization. There are plenty of pitchers with numbers worse than that competing for major league jobs this spring.

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