Brent Lillibridge
Encyclopedia
Brent Stuart Lillibridge (born September 18, 1983, in Everett, Washington
) is a Major League Baseball
position player
for the Chicago White Sox
. He is known for his versatile playing skills, defensive prowess in the outfield, and is a utility player
having started at every position except pitcher and catcher so far in his young career.
for three seasons, where he was named to the All-Pac 10 Conference Team for three straight seasons, before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the 4th round (121st overall) of the 2005 amateur entry draft. While at the University of Washington, he was teammates with future Cy Young Award
-winner Tim Lincecum
.
On January 17, 2007 he was traded by the Pirates with Mike González to the Braves for Adam LaRoche
and Jamie Romak.
Lillibridge began the season in Triple-A for the Richmond Braves
. He played 19 games and batted .195 with one home run
before his contract was purchased on April 26, 2008. He made his major league debut on that same day against the New York Mets
and had four at bat
s and struck out
three times. He doubled for his first major league hit on June 25, 2008 at Toronto.
On July 12, 2008 in a game against the San Diego Padres
at PETCO Park
, Lillibridge hit his first major league home run against relief pitcher Joe Thatcher
.
On December 4, 2008, he was traded along with C Tyler Flowers
, 3B Jon Gilmore and P Santos Rodriguez to the White Sox for P Javier Vázquez
and P Boone Logan
.
On April 11, 2011, Lillibridge was a part of Chicago White Sox
history when he hit a fifth inning home run
off of Dallas Braden
. It was the 10,000th home run hit in the 112 year history of White Sox baseball.
Lillibridge garnered notoriety and a significant amount of media coverage after he made two back-to-back, game-saving and game-ending defensive catches while playing right field on April 26, 2011. The catches comprised the two final outs of a game played against the New York Yankees
in Yankee Stadium
and resulted in the Chicago White Sox
getting the victory. While he has not batted many times yet in the 2011 baseball season, Lillibridge has a batting average of .273 as of June 12.
On October 23, 2011 Brent's wife, Stephanie, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Cohen.
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
position player
Position player
In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but...
for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. He is known for his versatile playing skills, defensive prowess in the outfield, and is a utility player
Utility player
In sport, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently, a sort of jack of all trades. Sports in which the term is often used include association football , baseball, rugby, rugby league, water polo and softball....
having started at every position except pitcher and catcher so far in his young career.
Baseball career
Lillibridge played for the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
for three seasons, where he was named to the All-Pac 10 Conference Team for three straight seasons, before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in the 4th round (121st overall) of the 2005 amateur entry draft. While at the University of Washington, he was teammates with future Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
-winner Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
.
On January 17, 2007 he was traded by the Pirates with Mike González to the Braves for Adam LaRoche
Adam LaRoche
David Adam LaRoche , is a Major League Baseball first baseman. In 2011, the Washington Nationals signed him to a two-year deal...
and Jamie Romak.
Lillibridge began the season in Triple-A for the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
. He played 19 games and batted .195 with one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
before his contract was purchased on April 26, 2008. He made his major league debut on that same day against the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
and had four at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s and struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
three times. He doubled for his first major league hit on June 25, 2008 at Toronto.
On July 12, 2008 in a game against the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
at PETCO Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
, Lillibridge hit his first major league home run against relief pitcher Joe Thatcher
Joe Thatcher
Joseph Andrew Thatcher is Major League Baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres. Nicknamed "The Prime Minister, and The Throw'in Kokomoan" he is 6'2" tall and weighs . In college, he pitched for Indiana State University...
.
On December 4, 2008, he was traded along with C Tyler Flowers
Tyler Flowers
Cole Tyler Flowers is a catcher/infielder for the Chicago White Sox.-Atlanta Braves:Flowers was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 33rd round of the 2005 MLB Draft....
, 3B Jon Gilmore and P Santos Rodriguez to the White Sox for P Javier Vázquez
Javier Vázquez
Javier Carlos Vázquez is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Previously, he pitched for the Florida Marlins , Atlanta Braves , Chicago White Sox , Arizona Diamondbacks , New York Yankees and Montreal Expos . Vázquez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...
and P Boone Logan
Boone Logan
Boone Logan is a left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Logan previously played for the Chicago White Sox from 2006–2008 and the Atlanta Braves in 2009.-Playing career:...
.
On April 11, 2011, Lillibridge was a part of Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
history when he hit a fifth inning home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
off of Dallas Braden
Dallas Braden
Dallas Lee Braden is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted out of Texas Tech University in the twenty fourth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Athletics...
. It was the 10,000th home run hit in the 112 year history of White Sox baseball.
Lillibridge garnered notoriety and a significant amount of media coverage after he made two back-to-back, game-saving and game-ending defensive catches while playing right field on April 26, 2011. The catches comprised the two final outs of a game played against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
and resulted in the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
getting the victory. While he has not batted many times yet in the 2011 baseball season, Lillibridge has a batting average of .273 as of June 12.
On October 23, 2011 Brent's wife, Stephanie, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Cohen.