Danny Graves

Pitcher

Born: August 7, 1973 (age 43)
Saigon, South Vietnam

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut

July 13, 1996, for the Cleveland Indians

Last MLB appearance

May 9, 2006, for the Cleveland Indians

MLB statistics

43–44

4.05

429

182

Teams

Career highlights and awards

2× All-Star (2000, 2004)

Daniel Peter Graves (born August 7, 1973) is a Vietnamese American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Born to an American serviceman father and a Vietnamese mother, he is the only Vietnam-born player in the history of the major leagues, and one of the few Vietnamese American players. Graves pitched for most of his career for the Cincinnati Reds, where he was team's saves leader each year from 1999–2004, except for 2003 when he was a starting pitcher.

He played college baseball at the University of Miami.

Graves was born in Saigon to Thao and Jim Graves, a U.S. Army sergeant, during the Vietnam War. The family fled the country when Graves was 14 months old after they learned of the impending fall of Saigon. After settling in the United States, Graves and his brother, Frank, spoke Vietnamese until teasing from classmates caused them to abandon the language.

Graves's family moved to the U.S. when he was fourteen months old. He graduated from Brandon High School in Brandon, Florida and was awarded a baseball scholarship to the University of Miami. As a right-handed relief pitcher for the school as a junior, he posted a 0.89 earned run average and led collegiate baseball with a school-record 21 saves.

Graves was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. Two days after being drafted, he tore his ACL during the College World Series. After a year of rehabilitation, he was named Cleveland's top minor league pitcher of 1995, and was in the major leagues a year later. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in July 1997.

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