Don Bryant (baseball)
| Don Bryant | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: July 13, 1941 Jasper, Florida | |
| Died: January 22, 2015 (aged 73) Gainesville, Florida | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 17, 1966, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 29, 1970, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .220 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Hits | 24 |
| Teams | |
| |
Donald Ray Bryant (July 13, 1941 – January 22, 2015) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "Bear" by baseball teammates in homage to University of Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant. Born in Jasper, Florida, Bryant threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).
Bryant's 14-year professional playing career, which included 892 games played in the minor leagues and 59 games at the MLB level, began in the Detroit Tigers' organization in 1960. He spent six seasons there until late 1965, when he was purchased by the Chicago Cubs. He began his MLB career with the Cubs in 1966, then later played for the 1969–70 Houston Astros. In the Majors, Bryant batted .220 with 24 hits, one home run and 13 runs batted in, and caught Don Wilson's second career no-hitter on May 1, 1969, against the Cincinnati Reds.[1][2] Bryant's only big-league home run, a two-run blast, came two days later off Bobby Bolin of the San Francisco Giants, the winning blow in an eventual 4–3 Houston victory.[3]
Bryant was acquired by the Boston Red Sox in December 1970 and became a playing coach for their Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, in 1973. The following year, Pawtucket manager Darrell Johnson was promoted to Boston as field boss, and brought Bryant with him as bullpen coach. Bryant coached under Johnson in Boston (1974–76) — serving on the 1975 American League championship team — and with the Seattle Mariners (1977–80) before leaving the game.
References
- ^ Retrosheet
- ^ Astros Daily.com
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1969-05-03
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Baseball Reference Bullpen
- Retrosheet
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
- Obituary
- 1941 births
- 2015 deaths
- Arizona Instructional League Cubs players
- Baseball players from Florida
- Boston Red Sox coaches
- Chicago Cubs players
- Columbus Astros players
- Decatur Commodores players
- Houston Astros players
- Industriales de Valencia players
- Jamestown Tigers players
- Knoxville Smokies players
- Llaneros de Acarigua players
- Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
- Major League Baseball catchers
- Major League Baseball bullpen coaches
- Montgomery Rebels players
- Oklahoma City 89ers players
- Pawtucket Red Sox players
- People from Hamilton County, Florida
- Phoenix Giants players
- Salt Lake City Bees players
- Seattle Mariners coaches
- Syracuse Chiefs players
- Tacoma Cubs players