Byron Lee Tunnell (born October 30, 1960) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

coach and retired player. He played as a

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, ...

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 ...

(MLB) and

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

. He was the bullpen coach for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

of MLB.

Early life

Tunnell graduated from Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, and then attended

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

in Waco, Texas, where he was a star pitcher on the Bears team from 1979 to 1981.

Playing career

Tunnell pitched all or part of six seasons in the majors, between and , for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. In 483

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

in 132 games, Tunnell committed only one error in 122

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

(33 putouts, 88 assists) for a stellar .992

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

. He also pitched three seasons in

, from until , for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Tunnell coached in the minor leagues for several years, including a brief stint as interim pitching coach with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

in . In July 2012, he was named interim bullpen coach of the

, a position he held until 2018, when his contract was not renewed by the Brewers front office. After spending the previous four years as the Reds'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

coach, Tunnell was fired following the 2022 season on October 6, 2022.

References

External links

1960 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baylor Bears baseball players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cincinnati Reds coaches Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Gulf Coast Pirates players Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Hawaii Islanders players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers coaches Minnesota Twins players New Haven Ravens players Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players St. Louis Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Toledo Mud Hens players Tucson Toros players Baseball players from Tyler, Texas 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-baseball-pitcher-1960s-stub