Ryan Francis Garko (born January 2, 1981, in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a first baseman for the
Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.
Garko graduated from Servite High School in 1999
with a 4.0 grade point average alongside Indians
teammate Ben Francisco. He is also a graduate of
Stanford University, and was a member of Sigma Alpha
Epsilon. Garko was selected as a catcher by
Cleveland in the 3rd round (78th overall) of the
2003 amateur draft. After displaying superb batting
skills at every level of the minors, Garko made his
major-league debut as a pinch-hitter on September
18, 2005 against the Kansas City Royals. He struck
out in his only at-bat.
