Brad Pennington

Brad Pennington was a hard-throwing left-hander who drew comparisons to fellow southpaw Norm Charlton. One of the infamous “Nasty Boys,” along with fellow Cincinnati Reds relievers Randy Myers and Rob Dibble, Charlton threw the ball hard but didn’t always know where it would end up. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Pennington didn’t always know either, but he knew it would get there quickly. Pennington suffered from control issues, walking just over 25% of all batters he faced in his 12-year professional career. He was also compared to the notoriously wild Steve Dalkowski, a former southpaw Orioles farmhand who could never harness his sizzling fastball well enough to pitch in the majors. However, Pennington did make it to the big leagues, appearing in parts of five seasons (1993-96; 1998) with five major-league teams.

Brad Lee Pennington was born to Mike and Mary Pennington on April 14, 1969, in Salem, Indiana. Mike was a firefighter with the Salem Fire Department and Mary worked at Pillsbury. Siblings included Michael, Roger, and Toya.

Pennington graduated from Eastern High School in New Pekin, Indiana, in 1987, a few miles south of Salem. He lettered in track, basketball, and baseball in high school before graduating and attending Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky. After one season, he transferred to Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana, on the banks of the Wabash River on the Indiana-Illinois border.

The big lefthander tossed four no-hitters1 at Vincennes, including a 3-1 win over Olney (Illinois) Central College in which he struck out 12 – including 10 in a row after a leadoff walk to start the game.2 Two months later, Pennington was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 12th round of the 1989 big-league amateur draft. He was signed by Orioles scout Mike Ledna.3

Pennington began his professional career at Bluefield (West Virginia) in the rookie Appalachian League. In a game against Johnson City (Tennessee) in early July, Pennington had a no-hitter going through seven innings but was removed by manager Mike Young upon reaching his pitch count limit. He struck out 11 batters and walked only two in the 11-3 victory.4 Otherwise, it was a tough rookie campaign for the Hoosier hurler, as he finished with a record of 2-7 and an ERA of 6.58. Although he walked the most batters in the league (74) and threw the most wild pitches (14), he tied for sixth best in the circuit with 81 strikeouts.

During spring training in 1990, Pennington was at the Orioles’ minor-league camp when he got into a fistfight with his roommate one evening. The next morning, his locker had been cleaned out by team personnel and he was summoned to a meeting with Orioles GM Roland Hemond and assistant GM Doug Melvin. He was sent home but was allowed to return to his assigned team at the beginning of the season. “I probably grew up a lot right then,” Pennington said.5

Pennington reported to Wausau (Wisconsin) in the Single-A Midwest League and split his time between the rotation and the bullpen, making 18 starts in his 32 appearances. He continued to walk batters at a high rate, leading the league with 121 free passes, while striking out 142, good for eighth best in the league. He ranked third in strikeouts in the Orioles’ minor-league organization behind Mike Oquist and Arthur Rhodes.

In 1991, the Midwest League team moved from central Wisconsin to Kane County, based in Geneva, Illinois. The Orioles converted Pennington into a full-time reliever before the season. In mid-June, he was promoted to Advanced-A Frederick (Maryland) in the Carolina League after 23 outings and four saves with Kane County. The big lefty still walked a lot of batters but posted 13 saves in 36 games with an ERA of 3.92. The save total ranked fourth in the league.

Pennington returned to Frederick after attending his first big-league camp to begin 1992. After only eight games and striking out 42% of batters faced, Pennington was bumped up to Double-A Hagerstown (Maryland) in the Eastern League in early May. A few days before he left Frederick, he got punched in the face by Salem outfielder Keith Thomas during a bench-clearing brawl in a late April game that required stitches.6

In two months with Hagerstown, Pennington notched seven saves in 19 games with an ERA of 2.54 and walked 17 batters while striking out 33 in 28 1/3 innings. He was then promoted to Triple-A Rochester (New York) in the International League. Pennington did well at his third stop of the year, allowing only 12 hits in 39 innings pitched while posting five saves and an ERA of 2.08.

After the season, Pennington was sent to the newly formed Arizona Fall League and pitched for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The hard thrower got rave reviews with a fastball clocked at 99 miles per hour.7 In November, one anonymous baseball executive listed Pennington as one of the best arms in the AFL, saying “[Pennington] hit 99 on the gun, a Charlton with much better velocity.”8 In 22 games, Pennington saved three games with an ERA of 3.83. He struck out 45 batters and walked 22 hitters in 40 innings.

During the offseason, Pennington’s name came up as a likely candidate to make the Orioles’ relief squad in 1993. Pitching coach Dick Bosman said, “I’m looking forward to working with him. He obviously has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues, so control…is what we’ll concentrate on mostly.”9 Pennington pitched well in the spring—so well in fact, that future ESPN and MLB.com analyst Peter Gammons listed him as the fifth-best Rookie of the Year candidate in the American League.10 But on the last day of March, Baltimore manager Johnny Oates made the tough decision to send Pennington down to Rochester. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Oates said.11 A week later, Pennington got called up to Baltimore—despite an ERA of 13.50 in four appearances—when Fernando Valenzuela was sent down to get more work. “I am happy to be going up,” Pennington said. “Whatever the move they made, I’m happy it’s me going.”12

Pennington made his major-league debut on April 17 against the California Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before a crowd of 45,382. He came into a 5-5 game in the top of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Luis Polonia swung at the first pitch and hit a groundball to shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., who threw to Harold Reynolds at second for an inning-ending force. “I’m glad [Oates] brought me into that [situation],” Pennington said. “I didn’t have time to be nervous.”13 In the seventh, Pennington set the Angels down in order, striking out Tim Salmon and Gary Gaetti to end the inning. The top of the eighth didn’t go so well, as Pennington walked René Gonzales on a 3-2 count. Next up was J.T. Snow, who tripled to right-center field to knock in Gonzales with what would be the winning run, saddling Pennington with the loss.

After closer Gregg Olson struggled in that key role in early May, he was bumped down to a middle relief spot and a trio of Pennington, Todd Frohwirth, and Alan Mills became “closers by committee.”  Pennington picked up his first major-league save against the Boston Red Sox on May 10 when he entered a 2-1 game with one out in the top of the ninth and retired Mike Greenwell and Mo Vaughn on groundballs. “I was pumped up—maybe a little too pumped up,” Pennington said. “When I was 1-2 [count] on Vaughn, I tried to throw the ball through everything.”14  

Pennington performed splendidly in his first two months for the Orioles, posting an ERA of 1.74 while allowing only 10 hits and nine walks in his first 20 2/3 innings over 19 appearances. He struck out 23 and had four saves—the only ones he recorded in the majors—and four holds, as well as all of his three big-league wins.

Unfortunately, the next six weeks didn’t go anywhere nearly as well. In 10 appearances covering eight and two-thirds innings, Pennington got bombed for 21 hits and 18 runs while walking 11. He was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester in mid-August. Pennington performed well in his second stint with the Red Wings, notching eight saves in 13 games while allowing only one earned run in 12 1/3 innings. The team was battling Ottawa in the East Division International League series, but lost Pennington to the Orioles as a September call-up during the five-game set. Rochester defeated Ottawa but lost in five games to West Division champ Charlotte in the International League finals.

Pennington pitched five times in September and finished the season with four saves in 34 appearances with an ERA of 6.55. The Orioles sent five players to winter ball, including Pennington, who pitched with Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican League. He struggled and was released after posting a 13.50 ERA in 11 games. “It just seemed like everything I was doing went wrong,” Pennington said. “Nothing felt right. I went in and told them, ‘I gotta get out of here. I’m losing what’s left of my confidence.’ ”15

The big lefty had a good spring in 1994, posting one save in nine appearances with an ERA of 3.60.16 More importantly, he allowed only seven walks in 15 innings, one of the best walk rates in his career. “He has made some progress,” pitching coach Dick Bosman said. “But he has a long way to go.”17 The regular season started well for Pennington: he allowed only three baserunners in his first three games—all walks, but he kept them from scoring. The next five games were what sent the pitcher back to Rochester in late April: nine hits, five walks, eight runs in just three and one-third innings, including a loss and a blown save. “I knew I was going down,” Pennington said. “I understand this is the best thing for the team right now.”18

In one of his first games for Rochester, Pennington was hit in the head by a Luis Ortiz line drive. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion and sat out for a few games.19 Pennington returned and pitched in relief for the next two months before the Red Wings decided to convert him into a starter, which Pennington had been his first two years in pro ball. “I’m excited,” Pennington said. “It will be a lot of fun and a good way to develop pitches and get some innings in.”20 Pennington pitched well in four of his nine starts, going 4-0 with an ERA of 1.79 over 25 2/3 innings. But his other five starts showed a stat line of 19 2/3 innings, 30 hits, 27 earned runs, 22 walks, and 15 strikeouts. That added up to a record of 0-5 with an ERA of 12.36. Once again, Pennington was plagued by inconsistency.

During the offseason, the Cincinnati Reds reportedly had asked Baltimore for Pennington as compensation21 for the possible hiring of Davey Johnson, who had managed the Reds in 1993 and 1994. Also in the offseason, Pennington married Tara Hartman in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 30.22

But when spring training came around, Pennington was still with the O’s, pitching for new manager Phil Regan. “The Vulture,” a veteran of 13 major-league seasons as a quality reliever, made Pennington his pet project, telling the pitcher, “You shouldn’t only pitch in the big leagues, you should be a star in the big leagues. With your stuff, you ought to be outstanding.”23

Pennington had a great spring, pitching seven innings without allowing a run. The major league baseball strike that had begun the previous August ran into the start of the 1995 season. Thus, the 1995 schedule did not start until April 25. Pennington pitched four times in the first 10 games for Baltimore with mixed results. Then he sat for two weeks without pitching. After a conversation with Regan that “cleared the air,” Pennington pitched four times over the next two weeks. That led to a closed-door meeting with Orioles general manager Roland Hemond. A few days later, Pennington, who was out of minor-league options, was designated for assignment. An unhappy Pennington and Regan traded parting shots;24 one week later the pitcher was traded to Cincinnati for pitcher Tony Nieto and outfielder Danny Clyburn.

The Reds’ general manager, Jim Bowden, had been a fan of Pennington for a few years. “Brad has the arm and great major league stuff,” Bowden said. “It’s just a matter of getting it focused and getting it to work at this level.”25 .

Living about 100 miles southwest of Cincinnati as a kid, Pennington was a huge Reds fan. When he was in grade school, he used to sneak a radio into class and hold his hand over an earpiece to listen to the Reds play.26 He was at Riverfront Stadium the day Tom Seaver recorded his 3,000th career strikeout. And when Pennington arrived in Cincinnati in June, jersey number 41—Seaver’s old number—was in his locker.27

Pennington made his Reds debut on June 19, but it was not what he was hoping for. Coming into the seventh inning trailing the Atlanta Braves 5-0, he walked four batters, threw three wild pitches, and made a throwing error to allow four runs. “I don’t really have a whole lot to say except I pretty much stunk,” Pennington said after the 10-0 loss.28 He was a little better the next night, allowing three hits and two walks but no runs in two innings in a 10-2 loss to the Braves.

Pennington pitched a total of six times for the Reds and allowed nine hits, eight runs, and 11 walks in 9 2/3 innings, all adding up to an ERA of 5.59. In his last game (and last batter faced) as a Red, Pennington was pitching when San Diego’s Tony Gwynn lined into a triple play in the sixth inning of an 8-6 loss to the Padres. A couple of days later, Pennington was sent down to Indianapolis in the Triple-A American Association to make room for Mark Portugal, Dave Burba, and Darren Lewis, acquired from San Francisco in an eight-player trade that included Deion Sanders.

The Reds released Pennington after 11 games (two starts) at Indianapolis that included an ERA of 10.29 and 21 walks in 14 innings pitched. In November he signed a major-league contract with the Boston Red Sox. “Brad Pennington is a big, strong and hard-throwing left-handed pitcher, who 20 months ago was one of the top prospects in the Orioles farm system,” said Red Sox executive vice-president and general manager Dan Duquette.29

Pennington had perhaps the best spring to that point of his career in 1996. He allowed just three hits and no earned runs in 10 innings for the Red Sox. “I just came down and tried to do what I can do,” he said.30  Once the regular season began, Pennington was used on a regular basis in Boston, making 14 appearances in the team’s first 30 games. In 13 innings, he allowed only six hits but gave up 15 walks while striking out 13. His record was 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA.

In early May, Pennington was designated for assignment when reliever Brent Knackert was called up from Double-A Trenton (New Jersey) in the Eastern League.31 After Pennington refused to accept a demotion to Pawtucket (Rhode Island) in the Triple-A International League, the California Angels claimed him on waivers. Pennington made a good first impression on his new team, as he retired the side on 11 pitches in the sixth inning of a 7-3 loss against the New York Yankees on May 18. But things went downhill after that—Pennington walked eight batters in just four innings across his next three appearances. The Angels put Pennington on the 15-day disabled list with a “sore elbow”32 and later sent him down to High-A Lake Elsinore (California) in the California League on a rehab assignment in late May. “I was changing my arm motion,” Pennington said years later. “I was never hurt when they ‘DL’ed’ me.”33 He made two starts for Lake Elsinore—including a two-inning stint with five strikeouts—before being moved up to Triple-A Vancouver in the Pacific Coast League for one more appearance.

In late June, Pennington was called up to California;34 he made four appearances and allowed five runs and eight walks in 2 1/3 innings. He was sent back to Vancouver35 and finished the season there. In 22 combined games at the major-league level, Pennington allowed just 11 hits in 20 and one-third innings pitched—but also allowed 31 walks, a frightening rate of 13.7 per nine innings. In November, the New York Yankees signed Pennington as a free agent to a minor-league deal.36

Pennington was a non-roster invitee to the major- league camp in 1997 but was sent down to the minor-league camp in mid-March. The Yankees released him before the season, and he signed a minor-league contract with the Kansas City Royals in mid-April.37. Pennington reported to Double-A Wichita in the Southern League and pitched well for the Wranglers in 12 games, earning three saves and posting an ERA of 0.75 before getting moved up to Triple-A Omaha in the American Association in late May. He pitched in 35 games (one start), posting an ERA of 4.32 in 50 innings.  He was released after the season and was signed by the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays in early 1998.

The Devil Rays invited Pennington to the major-league camp38 but after a rough start—including one game where he allowed six hits and seven runs in two-thirds of an inning in a 20-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins39—he was sent down to the minor-league camp in mid-March. He began the season with the Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in the Triple-A International League. In an early-April exhibition game against Tampa Bay, Pennington pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two and earning the save in a 5-2 Durham win. Pennington was a spot starter/middle reliever for the Bulls, appearing in 45 games (six starts). Durham won the International League South Division but lost to Buffalo in the IL championship series in September. Afterwards, the Devil Rays called Pennington up to the big leagues. He pitched only one game, on September 22 against the Boston Red Sox—and struggled, walking three straight batters before giving up a run-scoring single to Scott Hatteberg. He was pulled by manager Larry Rothschild after throwing only six strikes among his 20 pitches.

That was Pennington’s final big-league appearance. The Devil Rays parted ways with him after the season.

Agent Joe Kehoskie thought he had an agreement with a Japanese club in early 1999, but the deal fell through. Pennington instead signed with the Syracuse Sky Chiefs  of the Triple-A International League in May.40. Pennington appeared in 27 games for the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate but once again struggled with his control, walking 30 batters in 34 innings. He was released after the season.

The Red Sox signed Pennington in November, but he did not pitch for them in 2000. In June 2001, Pennington signed with the Allentown (Pennsylvania) Ambassadors41 in the independent Northern League’s East division. Teammates included former major-leaguers Francisco Matos, Jay Gainer, Luis Andújar, Edwin Correa, Brian Drahman, and Matt Wagner. Pennington made eight starts and walked only 23 batters in 50 2/3 innings but struck out only 17 and allowed 64 hits.

Pennington retired from the game but stayed involved as a coach. He was a volunteer pitching coach at North Carolina State University and finished his college degree there. Pennington worked as a sales manager in the building, oil, pharmaceutical, and sports nutrition industries from 2003-15.  During that time, he ran or owned baseball training facilities in North Carolina and Florida. As of summer 2025, Pennington owns and operates BPB Training, a baseball camp in Coconut Creek, Florida for high school and younger ball players.

Pennington is divorced and has one daughter (Kyrie) and a grandson (Trip).

Last revised: October 6, 2025

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Brad Pennington for his input via email and text messages, June-July 2025. All quotations from the player are from that correspondence unless otherwise noted.

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Brian P. Wood.

Photo credit: Brad Pennington, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org.

Notes

1 “Ex-VU hurler coming around,” Vincennes (Indiana) Sun-Commercial, July 6, 1989: 11.

2 “Blazers’ Pennington tosses no-hitter,” Vincennes Sun-Commercial, April 20, 1989: 15.

3 Howe Sportsdata questionnaire, January 3, 1990.

4 Douglas Fritz, “Pennington, Orioles top Cards, 11-3,” Johnson City (Tennessee) Press, July 3, 1989: 17.

5 “Pennington takes walk off wild side,” Baltimore Sun, February 20, 1993: 1C.

6 John Smallwood, “Carolina League to fine 2 players,” Roanoke (Virginia) Times, May 2, 1992: B2.

7 Jim Henneman, “Silence turned Braves’ Smith into ’91 goat,” Baltimore Sun, October 25, 1992: 2C.

8 Peter Gammons, “It’s back to square one for the Pirates,” Boston Globe, November 8, 1992: 55.

9 “Bosman’s call to arms,” Baltimore Sun, February 19, 1993: 2C.

10 Peter Gammons, “These kids may have the stuff,” Boston Globe, March 21, 1993: 54.

11 Peter Schmuck, “Pennington proves to be toughest cut for Oates,” Baltimore Sun, April 1, 1993: 3D.

12 Peter Schmuck and Patti Singer, “Valenzuela to get fresh start at Rochester,” Baltimore Sun, April 16, 1993: 1F.

13 Milton Kent, “Pennington keeps cool in a hot spot,” Baltimore Sun, April 18, 1993: 9D.

14 Peter Schmuck, “Oates denies team giving up on Davis,” Baltimore Sun, May 11, 1993: 6C.

15 Peter Schmuck, “Winter left Pennington cold,” Baltimore Sun, February 21, 1994: 1C.

16 “Orioles Statistics,” Baltimore Sun, April 4, 1994: 6D.

17 Tom Keegan, “Williamson furthers his nonroster pitch,” Baltimore Sun, March 25, 1994: 4C.

18 Milton Kent, “Oquist warmly recalled to help Orioles bullpen,” Baltimore Sun, April 26, 1994:1C.

19 Jim Mandelaro, “Wings get needed relief,” Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle, May 7, 1994: 5D.

20 Jim Mandelaro, “Pennington will get his chance to start,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, July 15, 1994: 5D.

21 Hal McCoy, “Pennington becomes reclamation project,” Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, June 17, 1995: 5D.

22 Pennington-Hartman wedding announcement, Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal, January 1, 1995: D6.

23 Ken Rosenthal, “Pitchers welcome Regan’s new pitch,” Baltimore Sun, April 9, 1995: 1C.

24 Buster Olney, “Pennington out; Benitez demoted,” Baltimore Sun, June 9, 1995: 1C.

25 Hal McCoy, “Pennington becomes reclamation project,” Dayton Daily News, June 17, 1995: 5D.

26 Brad Pennington text message to author, July 2025

27 Chris Haft, “New Red Pennington an old Reds fan,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 18, 1995: B7.

28 Chris Haft, “Reds take worst beating,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 20, 1995: D1.

29 “Red Sox obtain Pennington,” Saint John (New Brunswick) Times Globe, November 9, 1995: C1.

30 Chris Haft, “Scribe sees Reds second,” Cincinnati Enquirer, March 31, 1996: C7.

31 John Nalbone, “Knackert’s road leads to Boston,” Trenton (New Jersey) Times, May 8, 1996: C8.

32 Brad Pennington text message to author, July 2025.

33 Brad Pennington text message to author, July 2025.

34 “Angels recall Pennington,” Staten Island (New York) Sunday Advance, June 23, 1996: C5.

35 “Transactions,” Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard, July 12, 1996: 22.

36 Ken Davidoff, “Yanks offer Girardi multiyear contract,” Hackensack (New Jersey) Record, November 21, 1996: S-6.

37 “New Pitcher,” Kansas City Star, April 17, 1997: D-7.

38 Kevin Wells, “Pennington wild about chance,” Tampa (Florida) Tribune, February 17, 1998: Sports-1.

39 “Friday’s linescores,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 7, 1998: H3.

40 Matt Michael, “Pennington plans to hit the mark,” Syracuse Post-Standard, May 20, 1999: C-6.

41 Jeff Schuler, “Elmira’s bats continue to pound out hits in win over Ams,” Allentown (Pennsylvania) Morning Call, June 7, 2001: C2.