Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954) is an
American baseball
sportscaster and a former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
player,
coach and
manager.
He played the majority of his
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), ...
career as a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...
with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
.
After retiring as a player, Brenly worked as a broadcaster with the
Chicago Cubs, then as a coach with the Giants, then as a broadcaster for
Fox. He was hired to manage the
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 ...
for the 2001 season, and won
the franchise's only championship his first year, becoming the fourth rookie manager to win a World Series and first since 1961. In 2004, Brenly was released by the Diamondbacks and again became a broadcaster with the Cubs until 2012. He now serves as a
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
for Diamondbacks broadcasts.
Early life
Brenly attended
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subseq ...
in
Athens, Ohio, and was a member of the
Bobcats baseball team. By the time he graduated in 1976, Brenly had earned
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
honors and matched Hall of Famer
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 18-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star and a ...
's school record of 10
home run
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 i ...
s in a single college season. Brenly was inducted to the
Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.
Major League baseball career
Brenly was not drafted but signed as an amateur
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the San Francisco Giants in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
.
He made his major league debut in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
at the age of 27.
Brenly replaced
Milt May as the Giants starting catcher in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
and posted a .224
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 ...
along with 7 home runs and 34
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
.
Brenly had his best season offensively in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
when, he was hitting for a .318 batting average at mid-season to earn a spot as a reserve player for the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
in the
1984 All-Star game. He finished the season with a career-high .291 batting average with 20 home runs and 80 runs batted in.
Brenly won the 1984
Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership.
In
1986, Brenly led National League catchers with a .995
fielding percentage, committing only 3
errors as a catcher in 101 games as the Giants improved from last place the previous season to finish third in the
National League Western Division. Also in 1986, Brenly broke up a
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
attempt by pitcher
Don Carman
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
on August 20 by leading off the ninth
inning with a
double.
Although Brenly was a good defensive catcher, he also has the dubious distinction of committing 4 errors in one inning while playing as a substitute
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
during a game on September 14, 1986, against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
.
Already suited up to catch, he was asked to man third base when the regular player was unavailable. Three errors were on
ground ball
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
s and one on a throw, with the throwing error coming on the same play as one of the ground ball errors.
Brenly atoned for his mistakes by hitting a fifth-inning home run.
He then hit a two-
out, two-
run single in the seventh inning to tie the game and finally hit a
walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...
in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game.
Brenly was playing first base during a Giants-Mets game on September 3, 1986 when
Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. Hernandez was a five-time All-Star who shared the 1979 NL MVP ...
hit a sharp grounder to pitcher
Terry Mulholland
Terence John Mulholland (born March 9, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 20 seasons, and to . He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.
Early life and education
Mulhol ...
. The ball got stuck in Mulholland's glove so Mulholland tossed the glove with the baseball to Brenly for the out.
Brenly led National League catchers in
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
with 83
assists and posted a .267 batting average with 18 home runs and 51 runs batted in as, the Giants won the National League Western Division title.
In the only post-season appearance of his career in the
1987 National League Championship Series
The 1987 National League Championship Series took place between October 6 and 14 at Busch Memorial Stadium (Games 1, 2, 6, and 7) and Candlestick Park (Games 3, 4, and 5). It matched the East division champion St. Louis Cardinals (95–67) agai ...
, Brenly hit .235 with 1 home run and 2 runs batted in as the Giants were defeated by the
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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in a seven-game series.
During the
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...
season, Brenly caught only 69 games and was released at the end of the season.
In
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, Brenly became a free agent and signed a contract to play for the Toronto Blue Jays.
After half a season with the Blue Jays, he was released on July 18 and, re-signed to play for the Giants.
After 12 more games with the Giants, he retired at the end of the 1989 season at the age of 35.
Career statistics
In a 9-year career, Brenly played in 871
games, accumulating 647
hits in 2615
at bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
for a .247 career batting average along with 91
home run
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 i ...
s and 333
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
.
He ended his career with a .984 fielding percentage as a catcher.
Managing and coaching career
After serving a year as an analyst in Chicago, Brenly served as a coach for the Giants under manager
Roger Craig, beginning in 1992. When Craig was fired at the end of the season in favor of
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Lo ...
, Brenly stayed on the staff for three more years.
In
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, Brenly was hired as a broadcaster for the new expansion team in the
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 ...
for
Fox Sports Net Arizona. He was at the position for three years, which included broadcasts across national Fox platforms. The firing of Diamondbacks manager
Buck Showalter a day after the 2000 season lent an opportunity for Brenly, who was one of the seven candidates interviewed by Arizona alongside
Chris Chambliss
Carroll Christopher Chambliss (born December 26, 1948) is an American professional baseball player and coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball from to for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves. He served ...
,
Carlos Tosca
Carlos Tosca (born September 29, 1953, in Pinar del Río, Cuba) is the current Field coach for the GCL Orioles. He is a former Major League and minor league baseball manager. He was the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2002 to 2004. He ...
,
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...
,
Tom Spencer,
Ron Hassey, and
Terry Francona
Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox fo ...
; Brenly and Francona were the final two considered. On October 30, he was signed to a three-year, $2 million contract. He was cited by general manager
Joe Garagiola Jr
Joseph Henry Garagiola Jr. (born August 6, 1950) is currently the Special Advisor to Arizona Diamondbacks President & CEO Derrick Hall and formerly the Senior Vice President of Standards and On-field Operations for Major League Baseball. He was ...
and managing partner
Jerry Colangelo for his "baseball knowledge, work ethic and attitude", which contrasted with the "micromanaging" Showalter, who had won 250 of 486 games but had failed to reach past the
National League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ...
.
With veteran stars such as
Luis Gonzalez,
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...
, and
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is a commentator for conservative media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance ...
, expectations were good for the team to win when they still had a chance to do so. The Diamondbacks won 92 games in his rookie season, finishing two games ahead of the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
, the defending NL West champion. In the
2001 National League Division Series, they played against the
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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. The two teams split the first four games before Arizona won on a walk-off by
Tony Womack for their first postseason series win. In the
2001 National League Championship Series
The 2001 National League Championship Series (NLCS) saw the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Atlanta Braves in five games to win the National League pennant in the franchise's fourth year of existence. The Diamondbacks went on to defeat the New Yo ...
against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
, they split the first two games against each other before they rolled the next three games over Atlanta (with Schilling and Johnson winning three of the four games) to clinch the National League pennant. In the
2001 World Series, they were matched against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
, who had won the last three World Series matchups and were looking for a four-peat with heavy odds in their favor. As per the tradition of the time for home-field advantage in the World Series having the National League host in odd-number years, Arizona hosted the first two games. They outscored the Yankees 13-1 in those games with Johnson and Schilling coming through with decisive victories. When the Series shifted to New York, Brenly's team dealt with adversity. Game 3 saw them held to three hits and one run while New York narrowly won. Schilling was sent out for Game 4, but it was the bullpen that proved noteworthy. With a two-run lead in the eighth inning, closer
Byung-hyun Kim
Byung-hyun Kim (; or ; born January 19, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. He had his most successful years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox.
Kim is remembered for his role in the 2001 World Ser ...
was sent out by Brenly to pitch not only the 8th but also the 9th inning. He had a clean 8th, but the lineup in the 9th proved his undoing.
Paul O'Neill got on base with one out before
Tino Martinez
Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1990 t ...
lined a home run to tie the game and send it to extras. Kim was sent out for another inning to try and preserve the tie, but
Derek Jeter hit a two-out walk-off home run to tie the series. For Game 5, Brenly went to
Miguel Batista, who hadn't pitched in twelve days, to the mound. He had a scoreless 7.2 inning performance, and the Diamondbacks lead 2-0 into the 9th inning. Brenly sent out Byung-hyun Kim to try and save the game despite what happened the previous night. With two outs and a runner on,
Scott Brosius
Scott David Brosius (born August 15, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (–) and the New York Yankees (–).
Early life
Brosius grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where he attended Rex P ...
hit a home run to tie the game and send it to extras. In the 12th, the Yankees walked the game off on a RBI single to send the Yankees one victory away from a title going into Arizona. In Game 6, the Diamondbacks rode Johnson to a dominant victory 15-2 before Schilling was sent out to try and win the Series in the 7th game, once again pitching on three days rest. When Schilling was taken out after trailing 2-1 in the 7th, Brenly put in Batista to get a crucial out before putting in Johnson (104 pitches the night before) to get outs in the 8th and 9th inning. A 9th inning rally would end with Gonzalez lining a soft shot into the outfield to deliver a championship for Arizona.
Although the team repeated as
Western Division champions in 2002, they lost in the Division Series. The 2003 team had exactly two winning months (June and September) and went 84-78 for a 3rd place finish in the West. The 2003 offseason saw them trade away Schilling. The team had a terrible start to the season and never recovered, winning just nine games each in the first two months of the year while dealing with injuries. When they were 29-50, Brenly was fired, with Colangelo stating it was not a "change of reflection" on him.
Broadcasting career
Brenly later returned to being a baseball
analyst for
Fox (where Brenly had worked from 1996 to 2000 and called the
1996,
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, and
2000 World Series
The 2000 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2000 season. The 96th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between crosstown opponents, the two-time defending World Series champions and ...
alongside
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster.
The son of sportscaster Jack Buck, he worked for Fox Sports from its 1994 inception through 2022, including roles as lead play-by-play announcer for the network's Nation ...
and
Tim McCarver
James Timothy McCarver (born October 16, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently as a member of the St. Louis Cardina ...
and the ALCS and All-Star Game in 1997 and 1999. However, he provided analysis and reporting from the stands in the 2000 World Series). He was then hired in November 2004 to replace
Steve Stone as a color analyst for televised
Chicago Cubs games. Brenly teamed with play-by-play announcer
Len Kasper
Len Kasper is an American sportscaster. As of 2021 he is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, teaming with color analyst Darrin Jackson on ESPN 1000 and the Chicago White Sox Radio Network.
From ...
. He had previously teamed with
Harry Caray
Harry Christopher Caray (; March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American radio and television sportscaster. During his career he called the play-by-play for five Major League Baseball teams, beginning with 25 years of calling the games ...
,
Thom Brennaman, and
Ron Santo during the 1990 and 1991 seasons on radio. He often jokes about his mediocre playing career. Brenly is often referred to by his nickname, "BB" and was rumored to be in the running for several managerial positions for the 2008 season, though nothing materialized. Brenly was in the running for the 2009
Milwaukee Brewers managerial position and was said to be the favorite, but the job went to
Ken Macha instead.
In 2007, Brenly served as a game analyst during postseason broadcasts on the
TBS cable television network. He covered the
Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
–
Indians series in the
ALDS and the
Rockies
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
–
Diamondbacks series in the
NLCS alongside
Chip Caray and
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith Gwynn Sr. (May 9, 1960 – June 16, 2014), nicknamed "Mr. Padre", was an American professional baseball right fielder, who played 20 seasons (1982–2001) in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. The left-handed hit ...
. On September 13, 2008, Brenly signed a four-year extension worth $3.5 million to continue his role as color analyst for Cubs games.
Brenly again worked Division Series post-season coverage for TBS in 2009-2013 with
Dick Stockton as his play-by-play partner each year.
He opted out of an extension to his contract with the Cubs and WGN television on October 17, 2012.
On October 18, 2012, Brenly signed a five-year deal as the TV color commentator for the Diamondbacks. On June 3, 2021, Brenly announced in a statement that he'd be stepping away from broadcasting for a temporary basis to reflect on comments he had made the day before on-air about
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
pitcher
Marcus Stroman, which
Aramis Ramirez said was discriminatory.
Personal life
Bob Brenly married Joan Brenly on August 10, 1974; they have two children. Their son Michael was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2004 (out of high school) and 2008 (out of
UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
) as a catcher. He played in the Cubs and Boston Red Sox minor league systems in all or parts of eight seasons spanning 2008–2015. After retiring from the
Portland Sea Dogs in May 2015, the younger Brenly took a position as the assistant bullpen catcher in the Boston organization.
Cuevas, De La Cruz spark Sea Dogs past Mets
''Portland Press Herald''. Retrieved on May 7, 2015.
Managerial records
References
External links
Chicago Cubs Broadcasters at Comcastsportsnet.com
Ask Len and Bob at Comcastsportsnet.com
Len & Bob's baseball blog at WGN Sports.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brenly, Bob
1954 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arizona Diamondbacks announcers
Arizona Diamondbacks managers
Baseball players from Ohio
Cedar Rapids Giants players
Chicago Cubs announcers
Fresno Giants players
Great Falls Giants players
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball catchers
National League All-Stars
Ohio Bobcats baseball players
People from Coshocton, Ohio
Phoenix Giants players
San Francisco Giants coaches
San Francisco Giants players
Shreveport Captains players
Tigres de Aragua players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Toronto Blue Jays players
World Series-winning managers