Brad Lesley
| Brad Lesley | ||
|---|---|---|
Win–loss record 7–5 | | |
| Earned run average | 3.00 | |
| Strikeouts | 58 | |
| Teams | ||
Bradley Jay Lesley (September 11, 1958 – April 28, 2013) was an American actor, media personality and former professional baseball pitcher. Lesley was an especially imposing physical figure, standing 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and weighing 230 lb (104 kg).[1][2] Nicknamed "The Animal", he was known for his aggressive style of self-motivation.
Early life
Bradley Lesley was born in Turlock, California, and he attended Turlock High School.[2] Later, he attended Merced College in Merced, California.[2]
Career
Baseball
He played professional baseball for two Major League Baseball teams.[2] He was drafted in the first round in 1978 by the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he pitched[1] parts of three seasons, from 1982 to 1984. He pitched in the Reds' minor-league system for five seasons before being called up to the majors. He made his big-league debut at age 23 on July 31, 1982 in a 5-4 Reds loss at Riverfront Stadium, pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the San Diego Padres.[3] Overall in his rookie season, he pitched 28 games (all in relief) with an 0-2 record but a fine 2.58 earned run average.[4] The following season he appeared in only five games for the Reds, going 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA, and in 1984 he pitched in 16 Reds' games, going 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA.[4]
On November 12, 1984 Lesley's contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in five games for the Brewers, going 1-0 but with a 9.95 ERA. After the season, he was released, ending his Major League career.
Lesley then played two seasons in Japan for the
Lesley had a distinctive celebration of strikeouts by putting his arms in a backwards motion behind him, causing his chest to stick out, while he would roar out. In one game against the Houston Astros, Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan famously mimicked Lesley's celebration after striking out a Reds player, which got the players from both teams' dugouts, including Lesley, laughing.
Media personality
After retiring from baseball, he became a
Actor
Lesley appeared in several feature films, including Brother (2000) (as Moose), Big Monster on Campus (2000) (as Arnie), Buddy (1997) (as Ali Baba), A Boy Called Hate (1996) (as the Moving Truck Driver), Little Big League (1994) (as John 'Blackout' Gatling) and Mr. Baseball (1992) (as Niven).
Personal life
Lesley was married at one time to Chiho Svimonoff and they had one son, Kentaro (健太郎), however, they divorced.[1][5]
Death
By early 2013 Lesley had been suffering from
Celebrity entertainment show
References
- ^ Huffington Post. 29 April 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Brad Lesley Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ "San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, July 31, 1982".
- ^ a b "Brad Lesley Stats".
- ^ "Brad Lesley, former major league pitcher from Turlock, dies at 54 of kidney failure | Sports | Modesto Bee". Archived from the original on 2013-07-10. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ "Brad Lesley, 'Little Big League' Star, Dies at 54". TMZ.com. 29 April 2013.
- ^ "'Little Big League' Star Brad Lesley Died Of a Heart Attack, NOT Kidney Failure". TMZ.com. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Brad Lesley at IMDb
- Japanese baseball cards and video clips of Brad Lesley