Ralph Bryant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ralph Bryant |
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Bryant with the Albuquerque Dukes c. 1987
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: May 20, 1961 Fort Gaines, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 8, 1985, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| NPB: June 29, 1988, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 4, 1987, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| NPB: June 11, 1995, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .253 | ||
| Home runs | 8 | ||
| Runs batted in | 24 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .261 | ||
| Home runs | 259 | ||
| Runs batted in | 641 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Ralph Wendell Bryant (born May 20, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an Outfielder and was known for hitting many Home runs. Ralph played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States. He also played for the Chunichi Dragons and Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
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Ralph Bryant's Baseball Journey
Ralph Bryant was born in Fort Gaines, Georgia. He went to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. In 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers chose him in the baseball draft. This means they picked him to join their team. He had been picked by other teams before but decided not to sign with them.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Ralph first joined the major leagues in 1985. The major leagues are the highest level of professional baseball. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he spent a few years moving between the major leagues and the minor leagues. Minor leagues are where players develop their skills before playing at the top level.
Moving to Japan
In 1988, a Japanese team called the Chunichi Dragons became interested in Ralph. He moved to Japan in May 1988 to play for them. In Japan, baseball teams can only have a few non-Japanese players. The Dragons already had two other foreign players. This meant there wasn't much room for Ralph on their main team.
Another Japanese team, the Kintetsu Buffaloes, saw Ralph play. They were very impressed when he hit a huge home run in a minor league game. The Buffaloes decided to buy his contract from the Dragons. This trade happened on June 28, 1988. This was a big moment for Ralph's career in Japan.
Becoming a Star in Japan
Ralph quickly became a very important player for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In just 74 games in 1988, he hit 34 home runs! This helped his team make a big comeback. They almost won their league that year. Many of the Buffaloes' home games were even played in the same stadium as the Dragons.
Ralph had his best season in 1989. He hit an amazing 49 home runs! This helped the Buffaloes win their third Pacific League championship. His 49 home runs set a new record for the Buffaloes team. He also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the league that year. Ralph also tied a record by hitting 3 home runs in a single game five different times.
Later Career and Records
Ralph continued to play very well in the years that followed. He retired from playing baseball in 1995 because of injuries.
Even though he hit many home runs, Ralph also struck out a lot. He holds the record for the most strikeouts in a single season in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was also the first player with experience in the American major leagues to strike out over 200 times in both the Central League and Pacific League in Japan.
In 2005, Ralph was invited back to Japan. He worked as a hitting coach for the Orix Buffaloes. He only stayed for one year, but he showed he still had power. He hit three home runs in a special home run contest during that season!
