| Ralph Bryant | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bryant with theAlbuquerque Dukesc. 1987 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1961-05-20)May 20, 1961 (age 64) Fort Gaines, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: September 8, 1985, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| NPB: June 29, 1988, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: October 4, 1987, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| NPB: June 11, 1995, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 8 |
| Runs batted in | 24 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .261 |
| Home runs | 259 |
| Runs batted in | 641 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ralph Wendell Bryant (born May 20, 1961) is an American formerMajor League Baseball player. He played with theLos Angeles Dodgers in the major leagues, and with theChunichi Dragons andKintetsu Buffaloes inNippon Professional Baseball. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, and played outfield for most of his career.
Born inFort Gaines, Georgia, Bryant studied atAbraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He was drafted in the first round of the1981 amateur draft by theLos Angeles Dodgers, having previously been drafted by the Dodgers andMinnesota Twins, but did not sign with either team that year.
Bryant was promoted to the major leagues for the first time in1985, but was unable to establish himself as a regular outfielder, and spent the next three years traveling back and forth between the major and minor leagues. In1988, theChunichi Dragons of the JapaneseCentral League showed interest in Bryant, and he was shipped to Japan in May, 1988.
On June 7, 1988,Dick Davis, the cleanup batter of theKintetsu Buffaloes, was arrested on drug charges, and the Buffaloes were forced to let go of one of their best hitters mid-season. Unable to fill the offensive void left by Davis, the Buffaloes found Bryant, who was playing on the Dragons minor league team. After seeing Bryant blast a home run in a minor league game, the Buffaloes offered to purchase his contract. The Dragons minor league staff was opposed to the trade, but regulations allowed for only two non-Japanese players per team, and the Dragons already hadTaiwanese baseball starGenji Kaku and sluggerGary Rajsich on their roster, leaving no room for Bryant. The purchase was finalized on June 28, giving birth to one of the best left-handed power hitters in Japanese baseball history.
Bryant quickly established his presence with the Buffaloes, hitting 34 home runs in only 74 games to contribute to their huge comeback which put the team in a close second place to theSeibu Lions in 1988. Ironically, many Buffaloes home games that year were held in theNagoya Baseball Stadium, the home field of theChunichi Dragons.
Bryant played his best season in1989, where his 49 home runs led the Buffaloes to their thirdPacific League championship. That 49 home run season would be a Buffaloes franchise record untilTuffy Rhodes tied Sadaharu Oh's record of 55 in 2001. He won the season MVP award that year, and also tiedSadaharu Oh's career record for hitting 3 home runs in a game 5 times. His Buffaloes, however, would fall in a reverse sweep by theYomiuri Giants and Central League MVP, fellow foreignerWarren Cromartie. He continued his success in subsequent seasons, and retired in1995 after missing most of that year due to injuries. He was invited back to Japan in2005 by managerAkira Ogi as a hitting coach for theOrix Buffaloes. He left this job after only one year, but blasted three home runs in an inter-league home run contest during the season.
Though he hit a large number of home runs throughout his career, he also struck out countless times, and holds the top four spots on the single-season strikeout records inNippon Professional Baseball.
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