Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea (December 8, 1940 – February 4, 2024) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1965, he became the ninth player to hit a home run on his first MLB pitch.
| Brant Alyea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: December 8, 1940 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Died: February 4, 2024 (aged 83) Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1965, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 20, 1972, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .247 |
| Home runs | 38 |
| Runs batted in | 148 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Early life
editBorn in Passaic, New Jersey, Alyea grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey and graduated from Rutherford High School, where he played basketball and quarterbacked the football team, in addition to baseball.[1]
Career
editOriginally signed by the Cincinnati Reds, Alyea was drafted a year later by the Washington Senators.[citation needed] Alyea made his major league debut on September 12, 1965. Called to the plate as a pinch hitter, he hit a home run off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Rudy May on the first pitch he saw in the Majors.
His most productive season came in 1970 for the Minnesota Twins, when he posted career numbers in batting average (.291) home runs (16) and runs batted in (61), including seven-RBI games on April 7 (Opening Day) and September 7.[2]
Alyea was sent to the Texas Rangers on December 1, 1972, completing a trade from 33 days prior on October 30 involving the Oakland Athletics acquiring Paul Lindblad for Bill McNulty.[3]
In between, Alyea played winter ball for the Cardenales de Lara, Tiburones de La Guaira and Tigres de Aragua clubs of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, leading the circuit in home runs in 1968 (17) and 1971 (12), and for RBI in 1971 (36). In addition, he played with the VPBL champion Tigres in the 1972 Caribbean Series.[4]
Later life
editAfter his baseball playing days were over, Alyea oversaw the crap tables at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[5]
Alyea died on February 4, 2024, at the age of 83.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ O'Reilly, Charlie. "Brant Alyea". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea IV, a free-swinging right-handed batter and one of just nine players to hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues, was born on December 8, 1940, in Passaic, New Jersey, to a family of Dutch heritage that had been in the northern New Jersey area since the 17th century.... Alyea lettered in three sports at Rutherford High School, playing quarterback for the Bulldogs and starring in basketball and baseball.
- ^ "Brant Alyea". baseballbiography.com.
- ^ Durso, Joseph (December 2, 1972). "A's Send Epstein to Rangers; Scheinblum, Nelson to Reds". The New York Times. p. 43. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ Gutiérrez, Daniel; González, Javier (2000). Records de la Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional. Caracas. ISBN 980-6996-01-1
- ^ James, Bill (1990). The Baseball Book 1990. Villard Books. p. 240.
- ^ "Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea, IV". Burns Funeral Homes. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet