Claiborne Henry Bryant (November 16, 1911 – April 9, 1999) was an American
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), 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, ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
who played from 1935 through 1940 for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. Listed at , , Bryant batted and threw right handed. He was born in
Madison Heights, Virginia.
Career
Bryant spent parts of six seasons in the Minor Leagues before joining the Cubs in 1935.
[ His most productive season came in 1938, when he won 19 games with a 3.10 ]earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
and led the National League with 135 strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
s, while pitching seven consecutive complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s, winning six of them in the first 25 days in September, to help the Cubs erase a nine-game deficit and capture an unlikely pennant.
Bryant went 32–20 with a 3.73 ERA in parts of six seasons for the Cubs. He began to experience elbow and shoulder pain, and this led to his retirement from baseball in 1940.[
Bryant was an exceptionally good hitting pitcher in his six-year major league career, posting a .266 ]batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(51-for-192), scoring 48 runs, with 5 home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
and 28 RBI.[
Afterwards, Bryant was a longtime ]manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
in the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system, and also served as a pitching coach for the Dodgers in 1961 and 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
in 1967 and 1974.[ He also was a roving pitching instructor in the Cleveland organization. ]Ned Garver
Ned Franklin Garver (December 25, 1925 – February 26, 2017) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Browns (1948–1952), the Detroit Tigers (1952–195 ...
said he learned the fundamentals of pitching from Bryant when he managed the Newark Moundsmen.Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
, at the age of 87.[
]
See also
* List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
References
External links
, o
SABR Biography Project
*
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Clay
1911 births
1999 deaths
Asheville Tourists managers
Baseball players from Virginia
Birmingham Barons players
Burlington Bees players
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Chambersburg Young Yanks players
Chicago Cubs players
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Los Angeles Angels (minor league) managers
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Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
Montreal Royals managers
National League strikeout champions
New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players
People from Madison Heights, Virginia
Portland Beavers managers
Springfield Senators players
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American expatriate baseball people in Venezuela
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20th-century American sportsmen
Leones del Caracas managers