Charles Ernest Brinkman (born September 16, 1944) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played as a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

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), ...

from 1969 until 1974 for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and

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 (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. Born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Brinkman attended Western Hills High School before enrolling at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. He was a member of the

Ohio State Buckeyes baseball The Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team is the college baseball team of Ohio State University. The program, founded in 1881, was the first athletic team in Ohio State history. Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, has been the home field of the pro ...

team that reached the finals of the

1965 College World Series The 1965 NCAA University Division baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1965 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the Co ...

before losing to the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team. Brinkman was named to the 1965 College World Series All-Tournament team. The following year, Brinkman and the Ohio State Buckeyes once again reached the finals of the

1966 College World Series The 1966 NCAA University Division baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1966 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the Co ...

, where they defeated the

Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball is the NCAA Division I varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Oklahoma State University, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The team competes in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys' current head coach i ...

team to claim the national championship. Brinkman was once again named to the All-Tournament team. Brinkman made his Major League debut at the age of 24 on July 10, 1969, pinch-hitting in a 12-2 loss to the Oakland A's at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Buil ...

and striking out against

Blue Moon Odom Johnny Lee "Blue Moon" Odom (born May 29, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from through , most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics dynasty that won thr ...

. He went just 1-for-15 at the plate in the 1969 season. in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

, Brinkman appeared in a career-high 63 games for the White Sox and hit the only home run of his career, one on May 23, 1973, against

Rudy May Rudolph May, Jr. (born July 18, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in and from to for the California Angels, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Exp ...

of the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

in a 6-2 victory that temporarily kept Chicago in first place. According to an Associated Press story at the time, Brinkman arrived at his locker the next day to find the home run ball in a plastic case, a gift from his teammates. The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased Brinkman's contract on July 11, 1974, so that they could replace injured backup catcher Mike Ryan. Brinkman played in his final major league game with the Pirates on August 4, 1974 at the age of 29. His late brother,

Ed Brinkman Edwin Albert Brinkman (December 8, 1941 – September 30, 2008) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a shortstop, for the Washington Senators (1961–19 ...

, was a longtime MLB

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

References

External links

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Retrosheet
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Pura Pelota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brinkman, Chuck 1944 births Living people Appleton Foxes players Baseball players from Cincinnati Charleston Charlies players Chicago White Sox players Columbus White Sox players Lynchburg White Sox players Major League Baseball catchers Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Ohio State University alumni Pittsburgh Pirates players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tucson Toros players