Topic: Brendan Donnelly

Brendan Kevin Donnelly (born July 4, 1971 in Washington, D.C.) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He bats and throws right-handed.

Donnelly was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 27th round of the 1992 amateur draft. The White Sox released him the following year, and he signed with the Chicago Cubs organization soon after; the Cubs would release him before the start of the 1994 season. The following year he signed with the Cincinnati Reds and participated in Spring Training as a replacement player during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. As a result of his participation as a replacement player, Donnelly is permanently barred from joining the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Donnelly remained in the Reds organization until 1999. He then bounced around the minor league systems of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs before signing with the Anaheim Angels in 2001, where he made his major league debut in 2002. He was an immediate fan favorite because of his intensity, the goggles that he wears, and his effectiveness as the main setup man to Troy Percival. In 2003, in that same role, Donnelly put up an 1.58 earned run average and became a rare example of a non-closer who was selected as an All-Star. Donnelly went on to be the winning pitcher in that mid-summer classic.