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Bake McBride
From BR Bullpen
Arnold Ray McBride
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
- School Westminster College
- Debut July 26, 1973
- Final Game October 1, 1983
- Born February 3, 1949 in Fulton, MO USA
Contents |
Biographical Information
Outfielder Bake McBride was a high-average specialist, with a .299 lifetime average in the days before high averages became common. He hit over .300 seven times in his 11-year career.
After attending Westminster College, McBride was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 37th round of the 1970 amateur draft. He reached the majors in 1973 Cardinals and was National League Rookie of the Year in 1974, when he hit .309 and stole 30 bases. An All-Star in 1976, when he hit a career-best .335, he hit over .300 in his first five big league seasons.
Midway through the 1977 season, McBride was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies and hit .339 following the trade, to go along with a career-high 36 steals that year. Despite a lower batting average in 1978, he led NL outfielders in fielding percentage that summer, and the next year, he was second in the NL with 12 triples. In 1980 Phillies, he bounced back to hit .309 with 33 doubles and 10 triples and was tenth in MVP voting, as the Phillies reached the World Series. He smashed a three-run homer in Game One and scored the winning run in Game Two that fall. Overall, he hit .304 in the Series, where he mostly hit cleanup in spite of having only 9 home runs during the regular season.
McBride struggled with injuries in 1981 and was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sid Monge prior to the 1982 season. He continued to be plagued by injuries and ended his big league career following two years in Cleveland.
In 1989, McBride played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Orlando Juice of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He batted .296 in 29 games between both clubs; 3 games were with St. Petersburg and 26 games with Orlando.
Notable Achievements
- 1974 NL Rookie of the Year Award
- 1974 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- NL All-Star (1976)
- Won a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980
| NL Rookie of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Gary Matthews | Bake McBride | John Montefusco |
Further Reading
- Bake McBride (as told to George Vass): "The Game I'll Never Forget," Baseball Digest (March 1986), pp. 71-73
