| Brendan Donnelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1971-07-04)July 4, 1971 (age 53) Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 9, 2002, for the Anaheim Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 23, 2010, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 32–10 |
| Earned run average | 3.22 |
| Strikeouts | 369 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Brendan Kevin Donnelly (born July 4, 1971) is an American formerMajor League Baseballrelief pitcher. A right-hander, Donnelly pitched for twenty-one teams (two of them independents), twelve organizations, two independent leagues, eleven organized minor leagues, and both theAmerican League and theNational League.
Donnelly won theWorld Series in 2002 with theAnaheim Angels and was on the roster for theBoston Red Sox during their2007 World Series victory. Donnelly was also the winning pitcher of the2003 All-Star Game.
After ten seasons in minor league baseball and eight seasons in Major League Baseball, he retired in 2011.
Donnelly was drafted by theChicago White Sox in the 27th round (764th overall) of the1992 Major League Baseball draft.[1] The White Sox released him in April 1993. In June 1993, he signed with theChicago Cubs organization; the Cubs released him before the start of the 1994 season.[2] In 1994, he played for the independentOhio Valley Redcoats.[3]
In March 1995, Donnelly signed with theCincinnati Reds and participated inSpring Training as areplacement player during the1994 Major League Baseball strike. As a result of his participation as a replacement player, Donnelly is permanently barred from joining theMajor League Baseball Players Association.[4] Donnelly remained in the Reds organization until he was released on April 3, 1999.[2]
Donnelly started the 1999 season with the independentNashua Pride.[3] On May 15, 1999, his contract was purchased by theTampa Bay Devil Rays. He was released on August 12, 1999. On August 18, 1999, Donnelly was signed by thePittsburgh Pirates. He was released on August 25, 1999. On August 26, 1999, he was signed by theToronto Blue Jays. He was released on July 28, 2000. On August 10, 2000, he signed with theChicago Cubs. He became a free agent after the 2000 season.[3]
On January 20, 2001, Donnelly signed with theAnaheim Angels. He spent the 2001 season with the Double-AArkansas Travelers and Triple-ASalt Lake Stingers, where he posted a 9–2 record, 13 saves and a 2.43earned run average (ERA) in 56 relief appearances.[3] On April 9, 2002, Donnelly made his major league debut with the Angels at 30 years of age.[5] In the game, he allowed three runs (two earned) in one inning of work as the Angels lost 5–1.[6] He was later sent back to Salt Lake, and recalled again in June whenJulio Ramírez was placed on thedisabled list.[7] After mostly subpar performances in the majors at that point, Donnelly cemented his role in the Angels' bullpen with an exceptional July in which he did not allow a single run, lowering his ERA from 6.14 to 2.33.[8] Donnelly made 46 relief appearances in his first major league season, going 1–1 with one save and a 2.17 ERA.[2]
Donnelly was an immediate fan favorite because of his intensity, thegoggles that he wore, and his effectiveness as the mainsetup man toTroy Percival.[9] Donnelly would go on to play an integral part of the Angels' bullpen during their playoff run in 2002. After struggling in the ALDS and ALCS, Donnelly excelled in theWorld Series against theSan Francisco Giants, allowing zero runs in five appearances (7+2⁄3 innings, four walks, six strikeouts).[2] He was also the winning pitcher in Game 6, tossing a scoreless eighth inning in Anaheim's 6–5 win.[10] In the decisive Game 7, Donnelly tossed two scoreless innings while striking out two batters, helping the Angels to their first World Series title.[11]
Donnelly was the thirdreplacement player to win the World Series, behind bothShane Spencer of the1998,1999 and2000 New York Yankees andDamian Miller of the2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. His name does not appear on any official commemorative merchandise from the Angels 2002 World Series win, due to him being barred from the MLBPA.
In 2003, Donnelly continued his role as the Angels' setup man, posting a 2–2 record, three saves and a 1.58 ERA in 63 games.[2] His fantastic numbers led to him becoming a rare example of a non-closer who was selected as anAll-Star. Donnelly went on to be the winning pitcher in that mid-summer classic.[12]
Donnelly suffered a broken nose while shagging fly balls duringspring training in 2004, causing him to undergo three surgeries and to miss the first two months of the season.[13][14] Donnelly remained fairly effective throughout 2004 in a very good Angelsbullpen, finishing 5–2 with a 3.00 ERA in 40 appearances.[2] In 2005, Donnelly began to see a decline in performance, including a decrease in velocity on hisfastball as a setup man forcloserFrancisco Rodríguez after Percival's departure. In June 2005, Donnelly was suspended ten days for havingpine tar on his glove,[15] an incident that caused a scrum and accusations that former teammateJose Guillen tipped managerFrank Robinson.[16] The suspension was the culmination of three weeks of extra scrutiny on Donnelly from opposing managers and umpires, including an accusation from then-Chicago White Sox managerOzzie Guillén accusing Donnelly of touching his mouth too often.[15] He would later advocate for the legalization of pine tars for pitchers.[5] Donnelly finished the season 9–3 with a 3.72 ERA in 65 relief appearances.[2]
In 2006, Donnelly settled into amiddle reliever role, and went 6–0 with a 3.94 ERA in 62 relief appearances.[2]
On December 15, 2006, Donnelly was traded to theBoston Red Sox forPhil Seibel.[17] He made 27 relief appearances with the Red Sox, going 2–1 with a 3.05 ERA.[2] On June 17, Donnelly was placed on the disabled list with right forearm tightness.[18]
On July 31, 2007, it was announced that Donnelly would needTommy John surgery, ending his season.[19] During his absence, the Red Sox would eventually go on to win the2007 World Series. Donnelly became a free agent after the 2007 season.
On February 6, 2008, theCleveland Indians signed Donnelly to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Indians hoped Donnelly would provide bullpen help at the end of the season when he recovered from Tommy John surgery.[20]
Donnelly was brought up to the Indians in August 2008, as a replacement forTom Mastny.[21] He struggled in Cleveland, going 1–0 with an ERA of 8.56 in 15 relief appearances.[2]
On February 7, 2009, Donnelly signed a minor league contract with theTexas Rangers.[22] He was released on March 26.[23] On April 28, he signed with theHouston Astros. Donnelly made 24 relief appearances with the Triple-ARound Rock Express, going 2–0 with six saves and a 1.75 ERA.[3] He was released on July 1.[2] On July 5, Donnelly signed a major league contract with theFlorida Marlins, and was immediately added to their bullpen.[24] In 30 relief appearances with the Marlins, he went 3–0 with two saves and a 1.78 ERA.[2] He became a free agent after the 2009 season.
On January 16, 2010, Donnelly agreed with thePittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.[25] He made 38 relief appearances with the Pirates, going 3–1 with a 5.58 ERA.[2] Before he could reach incentives that would have approximately doubled his salary, the Pirates released Donnelly in July 2010, denying that the incentives were the reason for the release.[26] He was the last of the replacement players still in the major leagues, signifying no conciliatory admittance into the MLBPA more than 15 years after.[27] His likeness, name, and uniform number were still replaced by fictional players in video games.[28]
Donnelly announced his retirement on March 9, 2011.[29]
Donnelly was named in the December 13, 2007Mitchell Report regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. According to former clubhouse attendant and admitted steroids distributorKirk Radomski, Donnelly sought him out in 2004 looking to purchaseoxandrolone, ananabolic steroid. Radomski says he made one sale ofnandrolone to Donnelly, for which he received $250–$300.[30] In a statement in response to the report, Donnelly admitted contacting Radomski in 2004 regarding oxandrolone, hoping it would help him recover from injuries faster. Donnelly denied ever buying or using the drug because he was made aware that it was considered a steroid.[31][32]