Harry Bright

Harry Bright
Harry Bright
Home runs	32
Runs batted in	126
Teams
	Pittsburgh Pirates (1958–1960); Washington Senators (1961–1962); Cincinnati Reds (1963); New York Yankees (1963–1964); Chicago Cubs (1965);

Harry James Bright (September 22, 1929 – March 13, 2000) was an American

Washington Senators, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. Born in Kansas City, Missouri

, Bright stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, weighed 190 pounds (86 kg), and threw and batted right-handed.

Versatile journeyman

During his minor league playing career, Bright was known for his versatility in the field, his batting ability, and (during the era before

runs batted in

with 101 — although Janesville finished seventh in the eight-team WSL.

Bright's best minor league season came when he was a 30-year-old veteran playing for the 1960

home runs, led the PCL with 119 RBI and batted .313. Bright was a fixture in the Pacific Coast League of the 1950s, having played three and a half seasons for the Sacramento Solons (1955–58). He became a resident of Sacramento, California

, and later managed the Solons in 1975.

Major League career

Bright's first major league trials came with the

Washington Senators, where he played two full seasons and enjoyed his most sustained success. In 1962, he appeared in 113 games, mostly at first base, swatted 17 homers, knocked in 67 RBI and batted .273. But at season's end, the Senators swapped the 33-year-old Bright to the Cincinnati Reds for a young first baseman, Rogelio Álvarez

.

Bright batted only once for the 1963 Reds before his contract was sold on April 21 to the defending world champion New York Yankees, who were seeking a right-handed hitter off their bench. He stuck with the club all season long, batting .236 with seven homers in 157 at-bats as the Yanks copped another AL pennant.

1963 World Series

Then, in Game 1 of the

strikeouts (15) in a World Series game. Said Bright: "It's a hell of a thing. I wait 17 years to get into a World Series. Then I finally get up there, and 69,000 people are yelling — yelling for me to strike out."^[1] To compound matters, the game was played in Bright's home ballpark, Yankee Stadium

.

Bright struck out again in his only other World Series at bat and by mid-May 1964 he had returned to the minors with the Triple-A Richmond Virginians. His MLB career ended in 1965, as a pinch hitter for the Chicago Cubs. All told, Bright appeared in 309 MLB games over all or parts of eight seasons, batting .255 with 214 hits, 31 doubles, four triples, 32 homers and 126 RBI.

Post-playing career

In 1967, Bright "resumed" his minor league managerial career in the Cubs'

scouted for the Montreal Expos

. He died in Sacramento at the age of 70.

References

^ "K is for Koufax", Time Magazine, October 11, 1963

Spink, C.C. Johnson, ed., The 1965 Official Baseball Register. St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1965.
"K is for Koufax", Time, October 11, 1963

External links

Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics

[1] "K is for Koufax", Time Magazine, October 11, 1963

[1]