Jeff Brantley

Jeff Brantley
Pitcher
Born: September 5, 1963
Florence, Alabama
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 5, 1988 for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
May 23, 2001 for the Texas Rangers
Career statistics
Win–loss record 43–46
Earned run average 3.39
Strikeouts 728
Saves 172
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Jeffrey Hoke (Jeff) Brantley (born September 5, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher and current broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds.[1][2] He was a Major League pitcher for 14 seasons, from 1988 to 2001.

Early career

Brantley lettered in three sports at W. A. Berry High School[3] (which was replaced by Hoover High School (Alabama)). Brantley also was the quarterback on Berry state championship football team.[4]

Brantley played college baseball at Mississippi State University, where he was a teammate of Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Thigpen on a Bulldogs team that participated in the 1985 College World Series.[5] He is the co-holder of the SEC record for career wins by a pitcher with 45, along with University of South Carolina and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kip Bouknight.[6]

Major league career

Brantley played for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, all of the National League, and the Texas Rangers of the American League. He was a member of the 1989 Giants that defeated the Chicago Cubs to win the National League pennant and eventually lost to the Oakland A's in the World Series.[7] In the World Series, he pitched in three games with an ERA of 4.15.[8]

Brantley was an All-Star in 1990, finishing the season with a 5-3 record and a 1.56 ERA.[9] He led the National League in 1996 with 44 saves.[10]

In 2010 he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.[11][12]

Broadcasting career

Brantley was a color commentator for ESPN broadcasts of Major League Baseball games and an in-studio contributor for Baseball Tonight from 2002 through 2006. In 2007, he joined the radio broadcast team of the Cincinnati Reds on the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network (flagship station WLW 700 AM), joining Marty Brennaman and Thom Brennaman and the FSN Ohio television broadcast team with Chris Welsh and George Grande.[13]

Personal

He and his wife are the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, Mason. Brantley also has two children from his first marriage, Emily and Murphy.

See also

References

External links