Steve Brye
Encyclopedia
Stephen Robert Brye is a former outfielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for the Minnesota Twins
, Milwaukee Brewers
and Pittsburgh Pirates
.
. He signed to play in the minor leagues in the Twins organization.
Brye made his major league debut on September 3, 1970 with the Twins at age 21. He was hitless
in his only at bat
in his debut. That year, Brye had a batting average
of .182 in 11 at bats. In 1971, he hit .224 in 107 at bats. The next year, he hit .241 in 253 at bats. Brye hit .263 in 278 at bats in 1973. In 1974 he was given the chance to be a starter, and he hit .283 in 488 at bats. Brye was also the Twins leader in doubles
in his only season as a starter. The next year, however, he hit .252 in 246 at bats. The next year, he hit .264 in 258 at bats. On March 21, 1977, Brye was purchased by from the Twins by the Brewers. In 1977, he hit .249 in 241 at bats. On March 30, 1978, Brye was released by the Brewers. Five days later, he signed with the Pirates, only to be released a few months later. In 1978, he hit .235 in 115 at bats. On February 7, 1979, he was signed by the San Diego Padres
. However, he retired before he could play with the Padres.
Brye had a career batting average of .258, and finished with 1,997 at bats in 697 games. He drove in
193 runs during his career. Brye hit 30 home run
s over the course of his career. His lifetime fielding percentage
was .991.
and Hal McRae
were in a near deadlock for the American League batting championship. In his final at-bat, Brett hit a routine fly-ball to left field, that Brye failed to catch, and it fell for a hit. There were accusations that Brye played it badly, to deny McRae, an African American, the batting championship. It was never conclusively established that Brye intentionally failed to retire Brett.
:
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in 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...
who played for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and 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...
.
Career
On June 6, 1967, Brye was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the amateur draft1967 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The June draft was filled with talented prospects who would go on to pro careers...
. He signed to play in the minor leagues in the Twins organization.
Brye made his major league debut on September 3, 1970 with the Twins at age 21. He was hitless
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in his only 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...
in his debut. That year, Brye had a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .182 in 11 at bats. In 1971, he hit .224 in 107 at bats. The next year, he hit .241 in 253 at bats. Brye hit .263 in 278 at bats in 1973. In 1974 he was given the chance to be a starter, and he hit .283 in 488 at bats. Brye was also the Twins leader in doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in his only season as a starter. The next year, however, he hit .252 in 246 at bats. The next year, he hit .264 in 258 at bats. On March 21, 1977, Brye was purchased by from the Twins by the Brewers. In 1977, he hit .249 in 241 at bats. On March 30, 1978, Brye was released by the Brewers. Five days later, he signed with the Pirates, only to be released a few months later. In 1978, he hit .235 in 115 at bats. On February 7, 1979, he was signed by 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...
. However, he retired before he could play with the Padres.
Brye had a career batting average of .258, and finished with 1,997 at bats in 697 games. He drove in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
193 runs during his career. Brye hit 30 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...
s over the course of his career. His lifetime fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
was .991.
Controversy
Brye was involved on one of the biggest controversies in baseball on the final day of the 1976 season. Kansas City's George BrettGeorge Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...
and Hal McRae
Hal McRae
Harold Abraham McRae is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals . Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRae batted and threw right-handed...
were in a near deadlock for the American League batting championship. In his final at-bat, Brett hit a routine fly-ball to left field, that Brye failed to catch, and it fell for a hit. There were accusations that Brye played it badly, to deny McRae, an African American, the batting championship. It was never conclusively established that Brye intentionally failed to retire Brett.
Statistics
Career StatisticsBaseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
:
| G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... |
AB 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... |
H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... |
2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... |
HR 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... |
R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... |
RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... |
BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... |
SO 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.... |
AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
OBP On base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes... |
SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
| 697 | 1997 | 515 | 97 | 13 | 30 | 237 | 193 | 144 | 276 | .258 | .309 | .365 | 90 |