Anthony Wayne Bender (born February 3, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

for the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

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 (A ...

(MLB). He played college baseball for Santa Rosa Junior College. He was drafted by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

with the 613th pick in the 20th round of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be di ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Career

Kansas City Royals

Bender was drafted with 613th pick in the 20th round of the

by the Kansas City Royals out of Santa Rosa Junior College. Bender made his professional debut for the Rookie League Arizona League Royals. He split the 2017 season between the Class A

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends hav ...

, and the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. F ...

, recording a cumulative 5–6 record and 3.96 ERA. He spent the entire 2018 season in Wilmington, recording a 3.57 ERA and 6–3 record in 30 appearances. On March 21, 2019, Bender was released by the Royals.

Milwaukee Brewers

On April 12, 2019, Bender signed with the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are members American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Si ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. After pitching 3.2 scoreless innings for Sioux City, on May 29, the

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

signed him to a minor league contract. Bender played for the Single-A

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are na ...

, the High-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

, and the Double-A

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in reference to the city's oyster industry and seafood heri ...

, accumulating a 1.49 ERA in 29 appearances. After the minor league season was cancelled in 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Bender joined the

Milwaukee Milkmen The Milwaukee Milkmen are an independent baseball team based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2019 and play hom ...

of the American Association for the 2020 season. Bender pitched to a 5.48 ERA with 25 strikeouts with the Milkmen in 2020, and won the American Association championship with the club. On November 2, 2020, Bender elected free agency.

Miami Marlins

On November 30, 2020, Bender signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 4, 2021, Bender was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his debut the next day, pitching a scoreless inning of relief. In the game, he notched his first MLB strikeout, punching out

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

outfielder

Tim Locastro Timothy Donald Locastro (born July 14, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the New York Mets organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees. ...

. He did not allow an earned run until his 22nd appearance in the majors. He finished his rookie campaign with a 3–2 record and 2.79 ERA with 71 strikeouts across 60 appearances. In 2022, Bender pitched in 22 games for Miami, recording a 1–3 record and 3.26 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 6 saves in 19.1 innings of work. He was placed on the injured list in August with a right elbow strain. On August 30, 2022, Bender underwent Tommy John surgery, ending his 2022 season and 2023 seasons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bender, Anthony 1995 births Living people Arizona League Royals players Baseball players from Sonoma County, California Biloxi Shuckers players Carolina Mudcats players Florida Complex League Marlins players Jupiter Hammerheads players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players Milwaukee Milkmen players Sportspeople from Petaluma, California Casa Grande High School alumni Santa Rosa Bear Cubs baseball players Sioux City Explorers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players