Background
Jukich was born on October 17, 1982 in Duluth, Minnesota.
Jukich was born on October 17, 1982 in Duluth, Minnesota.
He was a left-handed pitcher. He played college baseball at both McCook Community College and Dakota Wesleyan. He was the first Dakota Wesleyan graduate to be selected in the MLB draft.
Jukich was originally drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft.
During the 2006 season, Jukich went 3–2 with a 2.52 European Research Area in 16 games pitching primarily for the Vancouver Canadians. In 2007, Jukich was sent to the Cincinnati Reds to complete an earlier trade.
He pitched in the Reds" organization until 2010 eventually reaching American Automobile Association. In 2010, he compiled a 7–4 record with an earned run average of 3.90. On December 12, 2009, Jukich was selected by the Saint Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 Draft, though he was eventually returned to the Louisville Bats.
In the fall of 2010, while Jukich was pitching for Los Leones del Caracas in Venezuela, he was informed that the Reds had sold his contract to LG Twins of the of Korea Professional Baseball league.
Jukich played three seasons with the Twins. Overall, he posted record of 25-22 with an European Research Area of 4.00.