Homer Bush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Homer Bush |
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Bush at Old-Timer's Day in 2010
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| Second baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: November 12, 1972 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 16, 1997, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 8, 2004, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .285 | ||
| Home runs | 11 | ||
| Runs batted in | 115 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Homer Giles Bush (born November 12, 1972) is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). His teams included the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Florida Marlins. He played from 1997 to 2002 and again in 2004. Homer Bush was part of the Yankees team that won the 1998 World Series championship.
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High School Sports Star
Homer Bush went to East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was an amazing wide receiver in football. A book called The Right Kind Of Heroes talks about him. It describes Coach Bob Shannon and the successful football team.
The book often calls Bush the team's "go-to" player. It also says he was a very likable person. He still holds Illinois state records for football. These include most touchdowns and most receiving yards in one season.
Bush was also named to the All-Century team for Illinois High School Football. The University of Missouri wanted him to play football there. But he chose to play baseball instead.
Early Baseball Career
The San Diego Padres picked Homer Bush in the 1991 MLB draft. This was the seventh round. In his first year, he played for the Arizona Padres. He hit very well, with a .323 batting average.
In 1992, he played for the Charleston Rainbows. He then played for the Waterloo Diamonds in 1993. He hit .322 and stole 39 bases. He was named the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year.
During the winter, he played baseball in Australia. He won the batting title and was named the league's MVP. In 1994, he played for two teams. He hit .335 for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He also hit .298 for the Wichita Wranglers.
He spent another off-season playing in Australia. In 1995, he played for the Memphis Chicks. He hit .280 and stole 34 bases. In 1996, Bush moved up to the Las Vegas 51s. He was hitting .362 when he broke his leg. This ended his season early.
In 1997, the Padres traded Bush to the New York Yankees. He was traded with pitcher Hideki Irabu. The Yankees gave up Rubén Rivera and Rafael Medina. Bush played for both the Columbus Clippers and the Yankees that year. He hit .364 in his few games with the Yankees.
Major League Baseball Years
Homer Bush joined the New York Yankees full-time in 1998. He was a key part of the team that won the 1998 World Series. He batted .380 and stole six bases in 45 games. After the 1998 season, Bush was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He went with pitchers Graeme Lloyd and David Wells. In return, the Yankees got pitcher Roger Clemens.
Bush played for Toronto from 1999 to 2002. His best season was in 1999. He hit .320 and stole 32 bases. In 2000, hip injuries limited his playing time. He only hit .215 that year.
He bounced back in 2001, hitting .306. Overall, he averaged .283 during his time in Toronto. The Blue Jays released him early in 2002. He then signed with the Florida Marlins and finished the season there.
Bush did not play in 2003 because of his hip injuries. In 2004, the New York Yankees signed him again. He was healthy but played in fewer games. The Yankees invited him to spring training in 2005. However, his hip problems returned. Bush decided to leave spring training and retire from baseball.
Life After Baseball
After retiring from baseball, Homer Bush worked as a financial analyst. He worked for Merrill Lynch. He left that job after the 2008 economic recession.
In 2014, he became a hitting coach for the Eugene Emeralds. In 2016, the Texas Rangers hired him. He became their director of youth baseball programs.
In 2022, Bush was named the manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. This team is part of the MLB Draft League. In 2023, he became the new manager for the Staten Island FerryHawks. This team plays in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Personal Life
Homer Bush is married to Monica. They have two children, Jailyn and Homer Jr. The family lives in Southlake, Texas. His son, Homer Jr., was drafted by the Padres in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.
