Harry Bright
From BR Bullpen
Harry James Bright
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- Debut July 25, 1958
- Final Game June 30, 1965
- Born September 22, 1929 in Kansas City, MO USA
- Died March 13, 2000 in Sacramento, CA USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Before the 1946 season, Harry Bright was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent. He was just 16 years old when he began his long career in pro ball. Harry was originally a catcher who also could play just about every position on the field.
He hit a league-leading .413 with the Clovis Pioneers in the West Texas-New Mexico League in 1950 and two years later, at age 22, was a player-manager for the Janesville Cubs in the Wisconsin State League. His team finised seventh (54-66) but Harry had a league-leading 101 RBI.
He moved up through the minor leagues settling in with the Sacramento Solons of the PCL. After hitting .309 in 1958, Harry was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On November 30, 1959 he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the rule 5 draft.
Bright wound up with the expansion Washington Senators in 1962 and hit 17 homers before being traded to the New York Yankees, for whom he was temporarily in the spotlight as a pinch-hitter in Game One of the 1963 World Series.
Harry remarked, "After all those years in baseball I make it into a World Series game and the whole country was pulling for me to strike out." Sandy Koufax did fan him for his 15th of the game to establish a World Series single game record.
Bright was also with the Cincinnati Reds and finished out his major league career with the Chicago Cubs in 1965. Harry spent 8 seasons in the major leagues (1958-1965) and built a .255 career batting average. From 1946 through 1976, Harry was either an active player or manager for 30 seasons, missing only 1948 where records show he was out of baseball. He was back in 1985 for one season as manager of the class A Durham Bulls.
Rather than retire, Bright remained in the game and for several years was a West Coast scout for the Montreal Expos prior to his death on March 13, 2000, ay age 70 in Sacramento, CA.
Career Batting Statistics
| League | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | AVG | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minors | 1,650 | 5,820 | 1,752 | 335 | 68 | 159 | .301 | .421 |
| Majors | 336 | 839 | 214 | 31 | 4 | 32 | .255 | .416 |
| Total | 1,986 | 6,659 | 1,966 | 366 | 72 | 191 | .295 | .418 |
[edit] Notable Achievements
- Played in 1963 World Series with New York Yankees
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Quincy Cubs | Northern League | 58-63 | 6th | Chicago Cubs | ||
| 1968 | San Antonio Missions | Texas League | 53-86 | 8th | Chicago Cubs | ||
| 1969 | Elmira Pioneers | Eastern League | 70-71 | 3rd | Kansas City Royals / San Diego Padres | Cancelled | |
| 1970 | North Bend-Coos Bay Athletics | Northwest League | 45-35 | 1st | Oakland A's | none League Champs | |
| 1971 | Burlington (IA) Bees | Midwest League | 71-50 | 2nd | Oakland A's | ||
| 1972 | Burlington (IA) Bees | Midwest League | 65-63 | 6th | Oakland A's | ||
| 1973 | Birmingham A's | Southern League | 50-88 | 8th | Oakland A's | ||
| 1974 | Birmingham A's | Southern League | 54-81 | 8th | Oakland A's | ||
| 1975 | Sacramento Solons | Pacific Coast League | 59-85 | 8th | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| 1976 | Tucson Toros | Pacific Coast League | 39-68 | -- | Oakland A's | replaced by Lee Stange (15-20) | |
| 1985 | Durham Bulls | Carolina League | 66-74 | 5th | Atlanta Braves |
