| Darnell McDonald | |
|---|---|
 McDonald with the Boston Red Sox | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1978-11-17)November 17, 1978 (age 47) Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 2004, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2013, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .250 |
| Home runs | 20 |
| Runs batted in | 83 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Darnell Tyrone McDonald (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) between 2004 and 2013 for theBaltimore Orioles,Minnesota Twins,Cincinnati Reds,Boston Red Sox,New York Yankees, andChicago Cubs.
In 1997, McDonald was drafted by theBaltimore Orioles 26th overall in the first round in the1997 MLB draft. He began his professional career with Single-AFrederick, but after four games and two stolen bases there, he moved to Single-ADelmarva. In 134 games with Delmarva, he stole 35 bases and hit .261. His 35 stolen bases were a professional career high for him. He stayed with Single-A Frederick for the entire 1999 season, and in 130 games, he stole 26 bases and hit .266. He earned a promotion to Double-ABowie in 2000, with whom he hit .242 in 116 games, and stealing 11 bases.
In 2001, McDonald played in Double-A Bowie and Triple-ARochester, where he hit .238 and stole 13 bases in 104 games. He began the2002 season with Bowie again and hit .292 and stole 9 bases in 37 games. He was again promoted to AAA Rochester, where he hit .289. In 2007, he was traded to theMinnesota Twins and re-united with the Red Wings.
He spent his entire 2003 season with theOttawa Lynx, who were the Orioles Triple-A team. He played 40 games that year, and hit .296. McDonald's 2004 season was subpar, he hit only .234 with Ottawa. It led to a promotion to theBaltimore Orioles, and while with them, McDonald hit .156 in 32 at bats (17 games).
On January 26, 2005, McDonald was signed by theCleveland Indians to a minor league contract. He played 26 games with the Triple-ABuffalo Bisons, and then went over to theDevil Rays Triple-A team, theDurham Bulls.
On May 6, 2005, McDonald was suspended for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.[1][2]
On June 24, 2007, McDonald was sent to theMinnesota Twins by theWashington Nationals in order for the Nationals to keep Rule 5 draft pickLevale Speigner. Speigner was then outrighted to Triple A Columbus by the Nationals.
On July 20, 2007, McDonald was called up to the Twins whenMichael Cuddyer was placed on the disabled list. He became a free agent at the end of the2008 season and signed with the Cincinnati Reds in December.
On April 6, 2009, he made the opening day roster for the Cincinnati Reds. On August 30, 2009, he hit his first Major League home run against the Dodgers pitcherClayton Kershaw.
In 2010, he joined the Boston Red Sox organization. In April, McDonald's contract was purchased by the MLB club from Triple-A Pawtucket afterJacoby Ellsbury went on thedisabled list. On April 20, 2010, McDonald pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th inning with the Red Sox against theTexas Rangers, and hit a game tying home run. He became the 9th player to hit a home run for the Red Sox in his first Red Sox at bat. He was only the third person ever to pinch hit for the Red Sox and have his first hit be a home run. His home run over theGreen Monster tied the game at 6–6 in the eighth, and in the bottom of the ninth, he added a game-winning hit off the Green Monster to lead the Red Sox to a walk-off win against the Rangers, 7–6. He also became the first ever member of the Red Sox to collect a game-ending RBI in his debut with the club, according to theElias Sports Bureau.[3] He also threw out a runner and hit his second home run as a Red Sox in only his second game.
Prior to joining Boston, McDonald had two home runs in 147 MLB at-bats. He hit 9 homers in his first season with the Red Sox. McDonald made the opening day roster for the Red Sox in 2011, and served as utility outfielder.
On May 6, 2012, McDonald came in to pitch the top of the 17th inning against the Baltimore Orioles. He walked two, gave up a double and allowed a three-run home run byAdam Jones before retiringChris Davis, the Orioles' startingdesignated hitter, who was the winning pitcher of record that evening. McDonald committed a double play before becoming the losing pitcher when Boston lost 6–9 in 17 innings. McDonald had made only one previous relief appearance in his career, during the 2011 season, in which he posted ano decision.
On June 30, 2012, McDonald was designated for assignment to make room for the returningJosh Beckett.
On July 4, 2012, McDonald was claimed off waivers by theNew York Yankees. McDonald made his Yankee debut on July 7, 2012, against his former club, the Boston Red Sox.
In accordance with the Yankees' appearance policies, he cut off his trademark dreadlocks and offered to donate them to charity.[4] He was demoted to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees on July 17, and elected free agency on October 6, 2012.
On January 10, 2013, McDonald signed a minor league contract with theChicago Cubs.[5] On August 11, the Cubs selected McDonald's contract, adding him to their major league roster. In 25 games for Chicago, he hit .302/.351/.434 with one home run and five RBI. On October 9, McDonald was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–AIowa Cubs.[6]
McDonald announced his retirement from professional baseball on his Instagram page on April 6, 2014. A few days later it was announced that he was hired by the Cubs as a baseball operations assistant.[7]
McDonald was named as a coach for theAZL Cubs of theChicago Cubs organization for the 2019 season.[citation needed] In 2023, he joinedNESN as an in-studio commentator for Boston Red Sox broadcasts.[8] He was not brought back for the 2024 season.[9]
His brother,Donzell McDonald, is a former outfielder, and his cousin,James McDonald was a pitcher in the major leagues. Darnell attendedCherry Creek High School inGreenwood Village, Colorado.[10]
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