| Brad Gulden | |
|---|---|
Gulden with Catfish Hunter and Billy Martin during a 1979 game right after Thurman Munson's funeral, with black memorial armband visible. |
|
| Catcher | |
| Born: June 10, 1956 New Ulm, Minnesota |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 22, 1978 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1986 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .200 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 43 |
| Teams | |
Bradley "Brad" Lee Gulden (born June 10, 1956 in New Ulm, Minnesota) is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He debuted with the Dodgers on September 22, 1978 against the San Diego Padres after being drafted by L.A. in the 17th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft. Gulden played in fewer than 10 games in four of his seven major league seasons and finished with a batting average of .200.
On August 3, 1979, during the Yankees' first game after the death of Thurman Munson in an airplane crash the previous day, Gulden replaced starting catcher Jerry Narron in the ninth inning. Gulden started on August 6 in the team's first game after Munson's funeral, only to be replaced himself in the ninth by Narron.
Gulden holds a place in Major League Baseball trivia by being only the second player in history to be traded for himself, after Harry Chiti. In 1980, the New York Yankees sent him to the Seattle Mariners with $150,000 for a player to be named and Larry Milbourne. In May 1981, the Mariners sent Gulden back to the Yankees as the player to be named.
In 1986, Gulden was on his way out of the major leagues, when he was given the nickname "Humm Baby" by Giants manager Roger Craig after he had been given a spot on the roster as a third catcher.
Gulden currently resides in rural Minnesota where he is now a volunteer firefighter as well as a car salesman.