Sid Bream | |||
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First baseman | |||
Born: Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
August 3, 1960 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 1, 1983, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
July 24, 1994, for the Houston Astros | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .264 | ||
Home runs | 90 | ||
Runs batted in | 455 | ||
Teams | |||
Sidney Eugene Bream (born August 3, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Playing his entire 11-year career in the National League, Bream is likely best remembered for his time with the Atlanta Braves, and specifically his game-winning run scored in the 1992 National League Championship Series that sent the Braves to the World Series.
After attending Liberty University, Bream was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 amateur draft. During his minor league career he hit .329 with 83 home runs and 407 RBI, including a .419 on-base percentage and a .537 slugging percentage in the Dodgers' farm system. Bream's minor league success led to his big-league debut with the team in 1983.
Despite his excellent power numbers in the minors, Bream demonstrated mostly gap power in the majors (resulting in lots of doubles), and he was known for above-average defense at first base. The Dodgers expected him to compete with Greg Brock for the first base job, as Brock had performed below expectations after longtime starter Steve Garvey left to sign with the San Diego Padres. But Bream failed to hit for the Dodgers in multiple opportunities from 1983-85.
The Dodgers finally gave up on Bream late in the 1985 season and traded him along with Cecil Espy and R.J. Reynolds to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Bill Madlock, who the Dodgers wanted as they pursued the NL West title. It was in Pittsburgh where Bream finally had a chance to play every day. In 1986 he set an MLB record with 166 assists at first base. Bream's best season at the plate in Pittsburgh was also 1986 when he batted .268 with 16 home runs and 77 runs batted in.