Phil Bradley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phil Bradley |
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: March 11, 1959 Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. |
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| 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 | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Philip Poole Bradley, born on March 11, 1959, is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He was an outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB). Phil played for teams like the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies between 1983 and 1990. He also played baseball in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants in 1991.
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Phil Bradley's Early Life and College Sports
Phil Bradley grew up in Macomb, Illinois. There, he played both high school baseball and football for the Macomb High Bombers. He was so good at baseball that the Macomb High School baseball field was later named after him.
College Football and Baseball Star
Bradley was also a very talented football player. He played college football at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. He was the starting quarterback for their team from 1978 to 1980.
He was one of the most celebrated athletes at the University of Missouri. Bradley played football from 1977 to 1981 and baseball from 1979 to 1981. As a quarterback, he led the Tigers to three bowl games. He was named the Big Eight Conference "Offensive Player of the Year" three times. He also set a conference record for total offense with 6,459 yards, a record that stood for 10 years. In baseball, he was a star outfielder. His college team won the Big Eight championship in 1980 and went to the NCAA Tournament in 1980 and 1981.
Phil Bradley's Professional Baseball Career
The Seattle Mariners picked Phil Bradley in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. He made his first Major League appearance on September 2, 1983. He played as a pinch hitter against the New York Yankees.
Becoming a Star with the Seattle Mariners
In 1984, Bradley became the regular left fielder for the Seattle Mariners. He had a batting average of .301 and 24 RBI in 124 games. He didn't hit any home runs that year. Before this, he had only hit three home runs in his entire minor league career.
In 1985, Bradley had an amazing season. He hit .300 with a surprising 26 home runs and 88 RBI in 159 games. He set new personal bests in many areas, including home runs, RBI, and hits (192). He was chosen to be an All-Star for the American League. He also finished 16th in the voting for the AL MVP award.
Bradley was a very good player for Seattle. He never hit below .297 in his four full seasons with the team. He also stole 107 bases during his time there. On April 13, 1985, he hit a walk-off grand slam home run against the Minnesota Twins. This won the game by one run and made him the third American League player to do so. On April 29, 1986, Bradley was the 20th and final strikeout for pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens set a major league record for strikeouts in a game that day.
Moving to Other Teams
On December 9, 1987, Bradley was traded from the Mariners to the Philadelphia Phillies. He played 154 games for the Phillies, hitting .264 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. This was his only season with the Phillies. While playing for Philadelphia, he was hit by a pitch 16 times, which set a team record.
Exactly one year later, on December 9, 1988, Bradley was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. His batting average went up to .277 in his first season in Baltimore. He was the starting left fielder and the oldest everyday player for the 1989 Orioles team. He once said about that team, "On paper, that 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. His final Major League game was on September 29, 1990. He played for the White Sox in a 5–2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
After Baseball
After retiring from baseball, Phil Bradley became a baseball coach at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. He also taught classes there, including advanced courses on sports history.
In September 2009, Bradley became a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Missouri softball team. He currently works for the Major League Baseball Players Association. He is a Special Assistant in their International and Domestic Player Operations department.
Career Statistics Overview
Phil Bradley played for 8 years in Major League Baseball. Here are some of his career totals:
| Games | Hits | HR | RBI | SB | AVG |
| 1,022 | 1,058 | 78 | 376 | 155 | .286 |
