Brian Marshall Allard (born January 3, 1958) is a former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...
who played for the
Texas Rangers (-) and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
(). His
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have t ...
was 90-95 mph. He also threw a
curveball
In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...
,
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* ''The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* S ...
, and
changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball.
The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...
. He lives in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
Professional career
Texas Rangers
Allard was selected by
Texas Rangers in fourth round, 84th overall, of
1976 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.
''*'' Did not sign
Other notable Selections
''*'' Did not sign
Background
The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...
.
He made his debut with the Rangers on August 8, against the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
at the age of 21. Allard went two innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits in that game. He finished the '79 season going 1-3 in seven games, four for starts, with a 4.32 ERA.
In Allard went 0-1 for the Rangers with a 5.65 ERA in five games, two for starts.
Seattle Mariners
On December 12, , Allard was traded by the Rangers along with Steve Finch,
Rick Auerbach
Frederick Steven Auerbach (born February 15, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop.
Early years
Auerbach was born in Woodland Hills, California, to Esther and Jack Auerbach. He was drafted by the California Angels in the 13th round o ...
,
Ken Clay
Kenneth Earl Clay (born April 6, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Following his brief major league career, Clay had several run ins with the law. Most recently, he was sentenced to five years in jail for grand theft fo ...
,
Jerry Don Gleaton
Jerry Don Gleaton (born September 14, 1957) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1992 for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates o ...
and
Richie Zisk Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname.
First name
* Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame
*Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Aus ...
to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
for
Larry Cox,
Rick Honeycutt
Frederick Wayne Honeycutt (born June 29, 1954) is an American former professional baseball coach and pitcher. Honeycutt pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six different teams over 21 years, from 1977 to 1997. He pitched in 30 post-season ...
,
Willie Horton
William R. Horton (born August 12, 1951), commonly referred to as "Willie Horton", is an American convicted felon who became notorious for committing violent crimes while on furlough from prison, where he was serving a life sentence without the ...
,
Mario Mendoza
Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born December 26, 1950) is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder. Mendoza, a lifetime .215 hitter, is best known for being the source of the name for the threshold for batting ineptitude, the "Mendoza Line", m ...
and
Leon Roberts
Leon Kauffman Roberts (born January 22, 1951) is a former corner outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1974 through 1984 for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City ...
.
Eugene Register Guard, ''Rangers, Seattle trade 10 players:'' December 14, 1980.
/ref>
In Allard started seven games for the Mariners, including a start against the Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...
' Len Barker
Leonard Harold Barker III (born July 7, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched with the Texas Rangers (1976–78), Cleveland Indians (1979–83 ...
. Barker had thrown a perfect game in his previous start. Allard out dueled Barker, combining with relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...
Shawn Rawley to pitch a three-hit game.
Allard went on to finish the '81 season with a 3-2 record with a 3.75 ERA in seven games, all for starts. This would be his last season at the Major League level.
References
External links
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, Brian
1958 births
Living people
Asheville Tourists players
Baseball players from Illinois
Charleston Charlies players
Gulf Coast Rangers players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Major League Baseball pitchers
People from Spring Valley, Illinois
Salt Lake City Gulls players
Seattle Mariners players
Spokane Indians players
Texas Rangers players
Tigres de Aragua players
Tucson Toros players
Tulsa Drillers players