Riley O'Brien

Riley Chun-Young O'Brien

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 180 lb.
• School Everett Community College, College of Idaho
• High School Shorewood High School (Shoreline)
• Debut September 28, 2021

• Born February 6, 1995 in Seattle, WA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Riley O'Brien is the grandson of Johnny O'Brien (and consequently the grand-nephew of Eddie O'Brien, Johnny's identical twin brother). He grew up in Seattle, WA, where his grandfather was a college basketball legend in addition to a moderately successful baseball player. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 2017 amateur draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, then traded to the Cincinnati Reds for P Cody Reed on August 28, 2020.

Riley made his major league debut with the Reds on September 28, 2021, starting against the Chicago White Sox one day after Reiver Sanmartin had also debuted as as starting pitcher for the team. But whereas Sanmartin picked up a win with a strong performance, he did not do so well, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks in 1 1/3 innings and being charged with the 7-1 loss. Both hits were homers, one by Luis Robert in the 1st and the other by Yoan Moncada in the 2nd.

In 2026, O'Brien was selected to represent the National League in the 2026 All-Star Game as a replacement for other previously selected pitchers who were unavailable to appear in the game. While pitching in the 3rd inning, he threw a pitch that came inside on Junior Caminero, and struck him on his hand, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Caminero was removed from the game immediately, and despite a pretty big scare, it didn't turn out to be anything serious, to everyone's relief.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (2026)

Further Reading

• Ian Browne: "Caminero fine after All-Star HBP, tells pitcher who plunked him not to worry", mlb.com, July 15, 2026. [1]

Related Sites

• Riley O'Brien on mlb.com