Darryl Hamilton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darryl Quinn Hamilton (born December 3, 1964 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1988, 1990-95), Texas Rangers (1996), San Francisco Giants (1997-98), Colorado Rockies (1998-99) and New York Mets (1999-2001). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Hamilton was a notorious groundball hitter, rarely struck out, drew a significant number of walks, and was a fast runner. He hit .300-plus in seven seasons with a career high .315 in 1999. With the departure of Paul Molitor via free agency, Hamilton found himself carrying more of the Brewers' offensive burden in 1993. Though an injured thumb and a bruised shoulder put him on the disabled list in May and July, Hamilton led his team in batting average (.310), hits (161), singles (130) and stolen bases (21).
Hamilton also was an exceptional fielder who had great range at three outfield positions, excelling in center field. He holds the American League records for errorless chances (541) and errorless games (229).
After seven productive seasons with the Brewers, Hamilton provided six years of solid service for the Rangers, Giants, Rockies and Mets. He retired at the end of the 2001 season.
Over his 13-year career, Hamilton batted .291, with 51 home runs and 454 RBI in 1328 games. As an outfielder, he collected 2711 putouts and 46 assists, committing only 14 errors in 2771 total chances, for a .995 fielding percentage.
[edit] Facts
- On June 12, 1997, Hamilton got the first hit in the first-ever regular-season interleague game, when the visiting San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 4-3. In the same game, Stan Javier belted the first home run, Glenallen Hill was the first National League designated hitter, Mark Gardner the first winning pitcher, and closer Rod Beck got the first save. Ironically, four of those players (Gardner, Hamilton, Hill, and Javier) were eligible to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2007, having played at least ten seasons and retired in 2001, but none of them made it to the final ballot.
- From 2004-2006 he hosted Stayin' Hot with Seth Everett, where Hamilton was often referred to by his nickname Bone. The show was considered the #1 show on MLB Radio throughout the 3 years on the air.
- Left MLB Radio (MLB Advanced Media) at the conclusion of the 2006 baseball post-season to pursue a career in the Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office of On-Field Operations, reporting to Vice President Bob Watson.
- Darryl is an avid New Orleans Saints fan
- After some bad blood between Darryl and Bobby Valentine when he left the Mets, Darryl claims to have placed a "hex" on the Mets.
