In 1997,McDonald was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles 26th overall in the first round in the 1997 MLB draft. He began his professional career with Single-A Frederick,but after four games and two stolen bases there,he moved to Single-A Delmarva. In 134 games with Delmarva,he stole 35 bases and hit .261. His 35 stolen bases were a professional career high for him. He stayed with Single-A Frederick for the entire 1999 season,and in 130 games,he stole 26 bases and hit .266. He earned a promotion to Double-A Bowie in 2000,with whom he hit .242 in 116 games,and stealing 11 bases.
In 2001,McDonald played in Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Rochester,where he hit .238 and stole 13 bases in 104 games. He began the 2002 season with Bowie again and hit .292 and stole 9 bases in 37 games. He was again promoted to AAA Rochester,where he hit .289. In 2007,he was traded to the Minnesota Twins and re-united with the Red Wings.
He spent his entire 2003 season with the Ottawa Lynx,who were the Orioles Triple-A team. He played 40 games that year,and hit .296. McDonald's 2004 season was subpar,he hit only .234 with Ottawa. It led to a promotion to the Baltimore Orioles,and while with them,McDonald hit .156 in 32 at bats (17 games).
Cleveland Indians
On January 26,2005,McDonald was signed by the Cleveland Indians to a minor league contract. He played 26 games with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons,and then went over to the Devil Rays Triple-A team,the Durham Bulls.
On May 6,2005,McDonald was suspended for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.[1]
Minnesota Twins
On June 24,2007,McDonald was sent to the Minnesota Twins by the Washington Nationals in order for the Nationals to keep Rule 5 draft pick Levale Speigner. Speigner was then outrighted to Triple A Columbus by the Nationals.
On July 20,2007,McDonald was called up to the Twins when Michael Cuddyer was placed on the disabled list. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and signed with the Cincinnati Reds in December.
On April 6,2009,he made the opening day roster for the Cincinnati Reds. On August 30,2009,he hit his first Major League home run against the Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Boston Red Sox
In 2010,he joined the Boston Red Sox organization. In April,McDonald's contract was purchased by the MLB club from Triple-A Pawtucket after Jacoby Ellsbury went on the disabled list. On April 20,2010,McDonald pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th inning with the Red Sox against the Texas Rangers,and hit a game tying home run. He became the 9th player to hit a home run for the Red Sox in his first Red Sox at bat. He was only the third person ever to pinch hit for the Red Sox and have his first hit be a home run. His home run over the Green Monster tied the game at 6–6 in the eighth,and in the bottom of the ninth,he added a game-winning hit off the Green Monster to lead the Red Sox to a walk-off win against the Rangers,7–6. He also became the first ever member of the Red Sox to collect a game-ending RBI in his debut with the club,according to the Elias Sports Bureau.[2] He also threw out a runner and hit his second home run as a Red Sox in only his second game.
Prior to joining Boston,McDonald had two home runs in 147 MLB at-bats. He hit 9 homers in his first season with the Red Sox. McDonald made the opening day roster for the Red Sox in 2011,and served as utility outfielder.
On May 6,2012,McDonald came in to pitch the top of the 17th inning against the Baltimore Orioles. He walked two,gave up a double and allowed a three-run home run by Adam Jones before retiring Chris Davis,the Orioles' starting designated hitter,who was the winning pitcher of record that evening. McDonald committed a double play before becoming the losing pitcher when Boston lost 6–9 in 17 innings. McDonald had made only one previous relief appearance in his career,during the 2011 season,in which he posted a no decision.
On June 30,2012,McDonald was designated for assignment to make room for the returning Josh Beckett.
New York Yankees
Darnell McDonald hitting a ball at Fenway Park,July 2012
On July 4,2012,McDonald was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees. McDonald made his Yankee debut on July 7,2012,against his former club,the Boston Red Sox.
In accordance with the Yankees' appearance policies,he cut off his trademark dreadlocks and offered to donate them to charity.[3] He was demoted to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees on July 17,and elected free agency on October 6,2012.
Chicago Cubs
On January 10,2013,McDonald signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.[4] On August 11,the Cubs selected McDonald's contract,adding him to their major league roster. In 25 games for Chicago,he hit .302/.351/.434 with one home run and five RBI. On October 9,McDonald was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Iowa Cubs.[5]
McDonald announced his retirement from professional baseball on his Instagram page on April 6,2014. A few days later it was announced that he was hired by the Cubs as a baseball operations assistant.[6]
Post-playing career
McDonald was named as a coach for the AZL Cubs of the Chicago Cubs organization for the 2019 season.[citation needed] In 2023,he joined NESN as an in-studio commentator for Boston Red Sox broadcasts.[7] He was not brought back for the 2024 season.[8]
Honors and awards
In 1996,he was a First Team High School All-American.
In 1997,he was a First Team High School All-American and the Baseball America High School Player of the Year.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2003 throughout the world.
Todd Arthur Walker is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 2007. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg),he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Walker played college baseball at Louisiana State University (LSU) and is an inductee of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1982 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1974 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1976 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1967 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1963 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1960 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2006 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1945 throughout the world.
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes,Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.
The 1960 major league baseball season began on April 12,1960. The regular season ended on October 2,with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League,respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 57th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 7 on October 13. The Pirates,led by second baseman Bill Mazeroski,defeated the Yankees,led by outfield sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris,four games to three,capturing their third championship in franchise history. The series ended with Mazeroski hitting a walk-off home run in Game 7 and is among the most memorable in baseball history.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2010 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2012 throughout the world.
The 2012 Boston Red Sox season was the 112th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished last in the five-team American League East with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses,26 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. It was the first time the Red Sox finished last in their division since 1992. Under manager Bobby Valentine,the Red Sox finished with the third-lowest winning percentage in the American League.
The Baltimore Orioles' 2012 season was the 112th season in franchise history,the 59th in Baltimore,and the 21st at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. They completed the regular season with a 93–69 record,good for second place in the AL East and qualified for one of two American League wild card spots. It was the first time since 1997 that they finished with a winning record and made the playoffs. They subsequently defeated the Texas Rangers in the inaugural one-game Wild Card Playoff. They advanced to play the New York Yankees in the Division Series,but lost the series to the Yankees in five games. The smiling cartoon bird head returned to the ballclub's caps and helmets after a 23-year absence.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2013 throughout the world. They include Major League Baseball,Minor League Baseball and major events in baseball.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2014 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2016 throughout the world.
Garrett Nicholas Cooper is an American professional baseball first baseman and right fielder in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Miami Marlins,San Diego Padres,Chicago Cubs,and Boston Red Sox. Cooper was an All-Star in 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
