Phil Bradley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phil Bradley
Left fielder
Born: (1959-03-11) March 11, 1959 (age 66) Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: September 2, 1983, for the Seattle Mariners
NPB: April 6, 1991, for the Yomiuri Giants
Last appearance
MLB: September 29, 1990, for the Chicago White Sox
NPB: September 29, 1991, for the Yomiuri Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average	.286
Home runs	78
Runs batted in	376
Teams
Seattle Mariners (1983–1987) Philadelphia Phillies (1988) Baltimore Orioles (1989–1990) Chicago White Sox (1990) Yomiuri Giants (1991)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1985)

Philip Poole Bradley (born March 11, 1959) is a former American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and designated hitter. Phil played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 1990. His teams included the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. After his time in MLB, he also played in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants in 1991.

Early Life and College Sports

Phil Bradley grew up in Macomb, Illinois. He was a talented athlete in high school. He played both baseball and football for the Macomb High Bombers. Because of his success, the high school baseball field was later named after him.

He continued to play football in college at the University of Missouri. He was the starting quarterback for the team from 1978 to 1980. He also played college baseball there from 1979 to 1981. Phil was one of the most celebrated athletes at the University of Missouri. He helped the football team play in three bowl games. He was named "Offensive Player of the Year" in his conference three times. He also set a conference record for total yards gained. In baseball, he helped his team win a championship in 1980. They also went to the NCAA Tournament in 1980 and 1981.

Professional Baseball Career

The Seattle Mariners picked Phil Bradley in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. He made his first MLB appearance on September 2, 1983. He played as a pinch hitter against the New York Yankees.

Playing for the Seattle Mariners

In 1984, Bradley became the regular left fielder for the Mariners. He had a good batting average of .301. He also had 24 RBI in 124 games. He didn't hit any home runs that year. Before 1985, he had only hit three home runs in his entire career.

In 1985, Phil surprised everyone by hitting 26 home runs. He also had 88 RBI in 159 games. He set new personal bests in many areas. This included home runs, RBI, and hits. He was chosen to be an All-Star for the American League. He was a very productive player for Seattle. He never batted below .297 in his four full seasons there. He also stole 107 bases.

On April 13, 1985, Phil hit a walk-off grand slam home run. This means he hit a home run with the bases loaded to win the game. He was only the third American League player to do this. On April 29, 1986, he was the 20th and final strikeout for pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens set a major league record for strikeouts in one game that day.

Moving to Other Teams

In December 1987, Bradley was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He played one season with the Phillies in 1988. He batted .264 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. During that season, he was hit by a pitch 16 times. This set a new team record for the Phillies.

Exactly one year later, in December 1988, Phil was traded again. He went to the Baltimore Orioles. His batting average went up to .277 in his first season with Baltimore. He was the starting left fielder for the 1989 Orioles team. He once said that team was "probably the worst team I ever played for and, as it turned out, it was the best team I ever played with."

In July 1990, Bradley was traded from the Orioles to the Chicago White Sox. He played his final major league game on September 29, 1990. He walked twice and scored a run in a White Sox win.

After Baseball

After retiring from playing, Phil Bradley became a baseball coach. He coached at Westminster College in Missouri. He also taught classes there, including sports history.

In 2009, he became a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Missouri softball team. Today, he works for the Major League Baseball Players Association. He helps with player operations around the world.

Career Statistics