Creighton Wade Gubanich (born March 27, 1972) is an American 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 who played briefly in the

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), ...

(MLB) in 1999 for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. Gubanich's primary position was

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 ...

, though he also made two appearances as a

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and played seven innings at

third base 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 ...

Career

Gubanich was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round, 117th pick overall of the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball ( MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

and signed with the Athletics on August 6, 1990. He remained in Oakland's minor league system until he was traded in 1997 to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Tony Phillips. On August 5, Gubanich was dealt to the Colorado Rockies as the player to be named later in an April 23 trade for infielder Jeff Huson. Gubanich became a free agent at the end of the season and, on October 21, 1997, signed with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

for the campaign. He appeared in 86 games with the Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League, San Diego's AAA affiliate, and hit .291 with 19 home runs and 70 RBI. Gubanich filed for free agency at the end of the 1998 season and signed on with the

. He made 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), ...

debut with the Red Sox on April 16, against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

as a defensive replacement for Reggie Jefferson, who had pinch-hit for Boston catcher

Jason Varitek Jason Andrew Varitek (; born April 11, 1972), nicknamed Tek, is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is currently the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded ...

. He made his first career start on April 22 against the Detroit Tigers, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Gubanich picked up his first hit in historic fashion on May 3, hitting a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off Oakland A's pitcher Jimmy Haynes. With his big shot, Gubanich became only the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam as their first career hit.Creighton Gubanich: Making a Grand Entrance
''The Baseball Historian''. Accessed June 19, 2016. Despite his historic slam, Gubanich's time in the big leagues was short-lived as he appeared in just 15 more games with the Red Sox and was released in October 1999. He spent the next four seasons in the minor leagues and playing with independent league clubs, but never made it back to the big leagues.

References

External links

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Baseball Almanac
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Baseball Reference (Minor and Independent leagues)
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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gubanich, Creighton 1972 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlantic City Surf players Baseball players from New Jersey Boston Red Sox players Camden Riversharks players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Clippers players Edmonton Trappers players Huntsville Stars players Indianapolis Indians players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Madison Muskies players Major League Baseball catchers Modesto A's players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Belleville, New Jersey Southern Oregon A's players Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey Tiburones de La Guaira players Tucson Toros players