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Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954) is an American baseball sportscaster and a former 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 ...
player, coach and
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
. He played the majority of his
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) 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 catc ...
with the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. After retiring as a player, Brenly worked as a broadcaster with the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, then as a coach with the Giants, then as a broadcaster for Fox. He was hired to manage the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
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 person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
for Diamondbacks broadcasts.


Early life

Brenly was born on February 25, 1954, in Coshocton, Ohio.


College career

Brenly attended
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
in
Athens, Ohio Athens is a city in Athens County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 United States census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Athe ...
, 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 on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
honors and matched Hall of Famer
Mike Schmidt Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who spent his entire 18-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1972 to 1989. Schmidt was a 12-time Al ...
's school record of 10
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s in a single college season. Brenly was inducted to the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.


Professional career


Minor leagues

Brenly was not drafted but signed as an amateur
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...
by the San Francisco Giants in
1976 Events January * January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...
.


San Francisco Giants (1981–1988)

Brenly 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 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
at the age of 27. Brenly replaced Milt May as the Giants starting catcher in
1983 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 of the ...
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 or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
. 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 National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
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 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 ...
, 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 attempt by pitcher Don Carman on August 20 by leading off the ninth
inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...
with a
double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
. 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 Baseball scorekeep ...
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
. Already suited up to catch, he was asked to man third base when the regular player was unavailable. Three errors were on ground balls 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 Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...
, 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 and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...
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 professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians. Hernandez was a five-time Major League ...
hit a sharp grounder to pitcher Terry Mulholland. 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 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
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, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
in a seven-game series. During the 1988 season, Brenly caught only 69 games and was released at the end of the season.


Toronto Blue Jays (1989)

In
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, 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.


Second stint with San Francisco Giants (1989)

On July 18, Brenly 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 A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
, accumulating 647
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
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 upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...
for a .247 career batting average along with 91
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and 333
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
. He ended his career with a .984 fielding percentage as a catcher.


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 former professional baseball outfielder and Manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers. D ...
, Brenly stayed on the staff for three more years.


Broadcasting career

From 1996 to 2000, Brenly worked for Fox alongside Thom Brennaman for Saturday afternoon games and the Division Series, and with
Joe Buck Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster for ESPN. 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 Fox's Nati ...
and
Tim McCarver James Timothy McCarver (October 16, 1941 – February 16, 2023) was an American professional baseball catcher, television sports commentator, and singer. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1959 to 1980 for four teams, spending almost ...
for the World Series in
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
,
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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, and
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
to go along with the 1997 and 1999 All-Star Games and the League Championship Series. 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 Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, Brenly was hired as a broadcaster for the new expansion team in the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
for Fox Sports Net Arizona. He was at the position for three years, which included broadcasts across national Fox platforms. Brenly later returned to being a baseball analyst for Fox after leaving the Diamondbacks managerial position. He was then hired in November 2004 to replace Steve Stone as a color analyst for televised
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
games. Brenly teamed with play-by-play announcer Len Kasper. He had previously teamed with
Harry Caray Harry Christopher Caray (; March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American radio and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. During his career he called the play-by-play for five Major League Baseball teams, beginning with 25 years of ...
, Thom Brennaman, and
Ron Santo Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the ...
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 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 ...
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 YankeesIndians series in the ALDS and the RockiesDiamondbacks series in the
NLCS The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...
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 hi ...
. 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 temporarily 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
pitcher Marcus Stroman, which Aramis Ramirez said was discriminatory. In June 2022, he was called out by
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
pitcher Mike Clevinger to "find out who the people are instead of just running his mouth up there", referring to Brenly and his habitual negative comments about the Padres on air, such as suggesting a player could run the bases easier without a "bike chain around his neck" or advocating for Diamondback pitchers to throw at Padre batters during a blowout.


Managerial career


Arizona Diamondbacks (2001–2004)

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, Carlos Tosca, Clint Hurdle, Tom Spencer, Ron Hassey, and
Terry Francona Terrence Jon Francona (born April 22, 1959), nicknamed "Tito", is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously managed the Cleveland Indians/G ...
; 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 and managing partner
Jerry Colangelo Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is an American businessman and sports executive. He formerly owned the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, the Arizona Sandsharks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the A ...
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 e ...
. With veteran stars such as Luis Gonzalez,
Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed, "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizo ...
, and
Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right handed pitcher and commentator for media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance in 1993 World Seri ...
, 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. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
. 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 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, 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 The 2001 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2001 Major League Baseball season, 2001 season. The 97th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (ba ...
, they were matched against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, 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 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 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 Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974), nicknamed "the Captain", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) caree ...
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 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 2004 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.


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, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
) 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 The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...
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.comAsk Len and Bob at Comcastsportsnet.comLen & 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 20th-century American sportsmen