Brian Anthony Bruney (born on February 17, 1982 in Astoria, Oregon) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Yankees.
Arizona Diamondbacks[]
Bruney was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks after graduating from Warrenton High School in 2000. Bruney pitched in the minors from 2000 to 2003, making his major league debut on May 8, 2004 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bruney had a good rookie year with the Diamondbacks posting a 4.31 ERA and striking out 34 batters in 31.1 innings. In 2005, the Diamondbacks tried Bruney as their closer, where he saved 12 games in 16 opportunities. Overall, the 2005 season turned out to be a poor showing for Bruney. He posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings. In May 2006, Bruney was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks. He was later signed as a minor league free agent by the New York Yankees.
New York Yankees[]
Before making his way to The Bronx, Bruney pitched for a while with Triple-A Columbus. Finally, Bruney impressed the Yankees enough to get a call-up to the big club. Armed with an upper-90's fastball, mid-80's curveball and an aggressive approach, Bruney took advantage of this second wind and has quickly established himself as one of the better relief pitchers in the Yankees bullpen. Bruney finished 2006 with a 1-1 record and a 0.87 ERA in 19 games (20.2 innings).
In 2007, he spent time on both the Yankees' major league roster, and their Triple-A team. He ended the season with a 4.68 ERA in 58 major league games.
Bruney reported to Spring Training 2008 having lost 20 pounds in the offseason, in addition to gaining speed on his fastball. On April 25, 2008, it was learned that Bruney would likely miss the remainder of the season due to a fracture in his foot (Lisfranc) but he chose to forego foot surgery in order to rehab the injury. After spending time rehabbing in the minors, he returned to the Yankees on August 1 following the trade of Kyle Farnsworth.
Personal[]
Brian Bruney currently lives with his wife Stacey and daughter Shelby (born during the 2006-07 off-season) in Warrenton, Oregon and, during baseball season, in New Jersey. Bruney graduated Warrenton High School in 2000 and after graduating briefly worked on a crab boat in the Pacific Ocean. He has two dogs, Sprig and Goose.
See also[]
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Article in The Oregonian about Bruney