in 1971. Pazik was selected by the
New York Yankees in the first round of the
1971 MLB draft. He played for the Yankees' minor league affiliate
Syracuse Chiefs for several seasons before being traded to the
Minnesota Twins for
Dick Woodson in 1974. He made his big league debut for Minnesota in 1975, appearing in 5 games (with an 0-4 record) in May and June of that year, before being sent back to the minors. He made the Twins opening day roster in 1976 but again was sent down after appearing in 5 games, all as a reliever (with no wins, no losses, and no saves). Pazik again made the Twins opening day roster in 1977, and was placed in the starting rotation. He appeared in 3 games, including his first major league win on April 17, a 10-2 victory over the
Oakland A's. On April 25, 1977, Pazik was a passenger in a van driven by Twins teammate
Don Carrithers when, coming off Interstate 494 in
Bloomington, MN, a young Ohio woman mistakenly got on the freeway via the exit ramp. Both men were seriously injured in the resulting crash, and while Carrithers was out of major league action until late July, Pazik suffered two broken legs and never pitched in the majors again. He pitched a total of 46.2 innings for the Twins over three seasons. Pazik signed as a free agent with the
Chicago White Sox in 1978, and played two seasons in Chicago's minor league system, but was not recalled to the majors. ==Coaching and scouting career==