Over the past year and a half, two former Windy City ThunderBolts pitchers have reached the highest level of baseball, appearing in the Major Leagues. Now, they will be joined in the bigs for the first time by an ex-ThunderBolt manager. Long-time ThunderBolt coach Mike "Kash" Kashirsky has been named to the Chicago White Sox staff for 2013. He will serve as the left-handed batting practice pitcher for all 162 games next season.
Kashirsky managed the ThunderBolts in 2008 and 2010-2011. He is the winningest manager in team history compiling a regular-season record of 141-100. He also appeared in two Frontier League playoffs. Kashirsky's ThunderBolts swept the Kalamazoo Kings to win the title in 2008. His 2010 squad fell in the first round after winning the East Division.
Prior to his promotion to manager in 2008, Kashirsky had spent more than four seasons as an assistant on Windy City coaching staffs. He began his affiliation with the ThunderBolts as bench coach in 2004 and remained with the team continuously over the next eight years. He was with the bench coach when the 'Bolts won their first Frontier League championship in 2007.
After leaving the ThunderBolts following the 2011 season, Kashirsky, who has also managed at Moraine Valley Community College and Robert Morris University, became the bench coach for the Schaumburg Boomers.
In late June, he began to work part-time for the White Sox, where he was credited with helping turn around the Sox' fortunes against left-handed pitching.
His job with Chicago's American League team will put him back with the organization that he began his pro career with. He signed as a free agent in 1999 and played 15 games with the Arizona League White Sox.
