Clay C. Christiansen (born June 28, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during one season at the major league level for the New York Yankees. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 15th round of the 1980 amateur draft. During the 1984 season, Christiansen appeared in 25 games as a relief pitcher for the Yankees, recording a 2–4 win–loss record, a 6.05 earned run average (ERA), and 27 strikeouts over 41.2 innings pitched. Christiansen played his first professional season with their Class-A (Short Season) Oneonta Yankees in 1980, and his last with the Houston Astros' Triple-A Tucson Toros in 1988.
Christiansen graduated from Columbus Unified High School in Columbus, Kansas, in 1976. In addition to being an American Legion baseball standout, he was the quarterback of the football team, played basketball and participated in track and field. In his senior year he set a new school record for discus throwing.
After high school, Clay Christiansen attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where he was a member of the Jayhawks baseball team prior to embarking on his professional career.
Life after baseball
Christiansen is married to local Kansas City sportscaster Karen Kornacki. He currently works for Pepsi in Olathe, Kansas as an install driver for the vending department.