Brian Bark

Brian Bark was a compact lefty pitcher (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) who had but a brief career in the majors. Bark appeared in three games for the 1995 Boston Red Sox and never yielded a run – either earned or unearned. He never got into another major-league game, leaving him with a career earned run average of 0.00.

Injury ended Bark’s seven-season pro career midway through the following season. However, his aptitude for technology prepared him well for life after baseball. Bark has enjoyed a long and successful business career, first as a consultant and then as an executive.

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Brian Stuart Bark was born in Baltimore on August 26, 1968. He grew up in Randallstown, Baltimore County, and graduated from the local high school. His parents were Gerald and Susan (née Shernan) Bark. When Brian was born, Gerald (“Jerry”) was a minor-league pitcher. Later he worked for the Yellow Pages – Donnelly Directory. Son Brian said, “He was an advertising sales manager and trainer; he did that for the better part of 30-some years. He was with a couple of other companies after that. He passed away at 60. So early. “My mother worked for the state government of Maryland. She worked in the state police area. I think she was more administrative. Records management and all that kind of stuff.”1

Brian had a younger brother, Robbie Bark. Both went to North Carolina State University at Raleigh. “He played four years at N.C. State behind me. When he was a freshman, he was a right fielder when I played center. and when I went in to pitch, he played center. And then he was a center fielder the rest of his time after I left. I was a two-way player at N.C. State. A two-way player my whole life, and I thought I was a better player than I was a pitcher. A lot of my – let’s say, accomplishments – at N.C. State probably supported that.” Robbie has worked in operational and technology roles throughout his career and as of early 2025 has held a position with CareFirst Health Insurance for more than 15 years.2

Jerry Bark (1945-2006) was also a left-handed pitcher who had been selected by the New York Mets in the 25th round of the June 1965 draft. He spent four years in the Mets minor-league system, but never rose as high as Double A, despite an overall record of 32-14 and an ERA which never rose above 2.49.3 With a record like that, why had he not been promoted? “We have no idea. It’s not explainable. I really don’t know,” Bark related. “I think at one point he held a strikeouts record at the University of Maryland. I think Eric Milton broke it in the ’90s at some point. Growing up, all his contemporaries always spoke very highly of his ability to pitch. He was an exceptional curveball pitcher. With the Mets in the ’60s, he kind of grew up in the organization with a bunch of guys who were on that Amazin’ Mets ’69 staff. Everybody loved my dad. I know that. His teammates included Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, Jim Bibby, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw.”

Jerry Bark inspired Brian well beyond baseball. “My dad had a huge influence on my life – a journey in baseball, yes, but he prepared me for what would face me later in life in the wider business world. Engagement, commitment, work ethic, attitude. Leading from behind. Optimism, positivity. It was all the intangibles and behavioral competencies that he taught me that would enable me to kind of move through…company to company, team to team, things like that,” said Bark.

Brian Bark was drafted out of North Carolina State University by the Baltimore Orioles in June 1989 in the 28th round. In school, he had proven himself both as a pitcher and a hitter. He had a five-hit game in March against the University of New Orleans, and won the game in May that eliminated Virginia from the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. He started in center field and then moved to the mound, collecting the win in relief while going 3-for-4 at the plate.4 Bark – as an outfielder – was named to that year’s All-ACC team.

He chose not to sign, in order to finish college and play another year for the Wolfpack. His three-run homer helped win the 1990 season opener for N.C. State.5 He was again named to the all-ACC team, this time as a utility infielder. For the campaign, he had nine homers, drove in 44 runs, and had a 2-2 record with nine saves as a relief pitcher.6 The Jewish Baseball Museum notes, “Bark left N.C. State as the school’s career leader with 241 games played, 215 consecutive games played, 980 at-bats, 265 runs, 323 hits, 70 doubles, 199 RBIs, 127 walks and 538 total bases.”7 A few years later, commenting on being listed as 5-feet-9 and weighing 160 pounds, he confirmed that the height was correct but said, “I weigh 175 pounds, all muscle. I was 160 when I played in college.”8

After the Atlanta Braves selected Bark in the 12th round of the June 1990 draft, this time he signed to go pro. Roy Clark was the scout who signed him, working under scouting director Paul Snyder. Bark’s first assignment was to rookie-league ball with the Pulaski (Virginia) Braves. He started in five games, winning two and losing two with a 2.66 ERA. He struck out 33 batters in 23 2/3 innings. But his season was cut short. “I had a bad sinus infection which swelled both of my eyes almost shut. It put me on the DL, and I probably lost about 15 or 20 pounds during a few weeks in the hospital. They just shut me down (for) the rest of the season. I went to Instructional League after that, back down to West Palm with the Braves that fall.”

Bark split time in 1991 with 13 starts for the Carolina League’s Durham Bulls (4-3, 2.51 at the A+ level, and then nine games (three of them starts) for the Double-A Southern League Greenville (South Carolina) Braves (2-1, 3.57). In 1992, Bark began the season with Greenville impressively: in 11 starts, he was 5-0 with a 1.15 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 55 innings. He was promoted in mid-June to the Triple-A Richmond Braves (International League). Pitching at the higher level, he worked in 22 games (four starts) and was 1-2 with an ERA of 6.00. That November, Atlanta added him to their major-league roster.

Bark established himself more fully in 1993, spending the full year with Richmond and throwing 162 innings while working with a new pitch that he called the “pitchfork change.”9 His season included a June 5 one-hitter against Rochester, with only a seventh-inning single spoiling his no-hit bid. He hit a rough stretch in midseason but rebounded well. In 28 starts and one relief appearance, he posted a 12-9 record with a 3.67 ERA.

Ahead of that season, Braves GM John Schuerholz said of Bark, “He’s going to pitch in the big leagues…But right now there isn’t any room on this staff.”10 Heading into 1994, but “on a [Braves] team loaded with pitching,” Bark was assigned to Richmond again. He had been hoping to make the majors and acknowledged, “I’m as close as you can get without being there. I guess that’s a little frustrating, but then I look at it like a lot of people don’t get this far.”11

In another full season with Richmond, Bark’s ERA rose as he split time between starting and relieving. He began as a starter and approached midseason with a disappointing 2-7 (5.99) record. But after moving to the bullpen on July 3, he recovered, at one point not allowing a run in eight-consecutive appearances. Thus, he finished at a more respectable 4-9 (4.76).

That November, Bark was designated for assignment. No team claimed him in the 10-day period following his DFA, so he was sent outright to Richmond. He was to begin his fifth season with the R-Braves in spring 1995.

The 1994 major-league season ended early, with ballplayers going on strike. There was no World Series that year, and the issues between players and ownership had not been resolved during the offseason. When it looked as though the 1995 season would not begin on schedule, a number of minor leaguers were asked to serve as “replacement players.” Bark was among those who declined when asked if he would play in exhibition games as one of the ersatz Atlanta Braves. “No. I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “I know I’m not a member of the union, but I signed a Triple-A contract to play in Triple-A baseball games.”12

Pressure was brought to bear, with GM Schuerholz saying that “the club reserves the right to take action against any” who refused. Bark offered, “Good communication on this is very important.”13 The Richmond season started without the issue being forced. On June 1, however, Bark was released to make room for another left-hander, Kevin Lomon. Bark had compiled a record of 2-2 (3.54) but the Braves saw more hope in Lomon. The next day, Bark was signed as a free agent by Boston.14 It was a move he welcomed; he was now a southpaw in an organization that needed left-handers.

Given a fresh start – though remaining in the International League – he rose to the occasion. Just about a month after signing, he was called to join the Red Sox. Left-hander Vaughn Eshelman had been struggling with the Boston ballclub and was put on the 15-day disabled list, which allowed the team to call up Bark.

Around midnight on July 5, Bark got word of the callup after returning to his apartment after a game in Pawtucket. He then hustled to Minneapolis. When he arrived on the next day, he wasn’t really sure if he’d been activated or not – there was talk of a trade for Rick Aguilera. He shared his uncertainty: “It’s great to be here, but I don’t know what to expect.”15 “I was really surprised, but very happy and excited,” he told the Boston Globe.16

Bark made his big-league debut on July 6 at the Metrodome near the end of a Thursday night game against the Minnesota Twins. Starter Zane Smith had given up five runs in the first couple of innings, overcoming Boston’s 2-0 lead on first-inning solo homers by John Valentin and Mo Vaughn. Troy O’Leary hit solo homers for the Red Sox in the fourth and sixth. In the bottom of the eighth, the score stood at Twins 6, Red Sox 4. With two outs and two Twins runners on base, Boston manager Kevin Kennedy called on Bark to get the final out of the inning. That he did, inducing first baseman Scott Stahoviak to pop up to second base. Having thrown four pitches and closed out the inning, he was been in position to pick up a possible win, had Boston come back with three or more runs in the top of the ninth. The Red Sox got runners on second and third, but three Twins pitchers each got one out and Minnesota won.

Nine days later at Fenway Park, Bark worked the final inning of a Saturday night game against the visiting Texas Rangers. The Red Sox were down, 7-1, after eight innings, having finally gotten on the board with their one run in the bottom of the eighth. Bark was brought in from the bullpen for the top of the ninth. He faced four batters, getting Mark McLemore to line out, but then surrendering singles to Will Clark and Juan González. He then got Rusty Greer to hit into a 3-6-3 double play. That again left him in position to perhaps win a game – had his teammates scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth. They did load the bases with nobody out, but a double play and a strikeout ended the inning with just one run.

On July 21, outfielder Mike Greenwell was activated from the disabled list, and Bark was optioned to Pawtucket. “It’s nothing that Brian did or didn’t do,” Kevin Kennedy said. “We just didn’t get a chance to see him,” explaining that even though he preferred having two lefties in the bullpen, he hadn’t wanted to send down one of his outfielders.17   Bark pitched well for the PawSox, shaving more than a full run off his Richmond ERA over his time with the club. When rosters expanded in September, he was brought up to the big leagues once more, with fellow pitcher Jeff Suppan and catcher Scott Hatteberg.

He appeared in one more Red Sox game, at Yankee Stadium on September 8. The starters were David Cone and Tim Wakefield. It wasn’t Wake’s best game. After two innings, New York led 5-0. After the seventh-inning stretch, New York’s Wade Boggs doubled in one run off Matt Murray and Paul O’Neill doubled in two more. Kennedy called Bark in from the pen. With O’Neill on second and nobody out, Bark walked Jim Leyritz, but then got pinch-hitter Gerald Williams to pop out to second and Don Mattingly to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. The Red Sox did not score the nine runs that would have given them the lead, but they did get to Cone for four. Jeff Suppan relieved Bark and retired the Yankees. Steve Howe, who had taken over from Cone, held Boston scoreless in the top of the ninth, and the Yankees won, 8-4.

After that outing, Bark was not called on again, and he was not on the postseason roster. Why hadn’t he been used more often? It wasn’t a tight race. The Red Sox were in good shape – in first place in the American League East and 14½ games ahead of second-place New York. (They finished first but were swept by the Cleveland Indians in the Division Series.) Looking back, Bark said, “I think I was doing fairly well in Triple A. They sent Kenny Ryan down and he gave up a couple of saves and then they made me the closer. I went on a roll to save seven or eight in a month, and then I finally got a break and got my opportunity.

“When I got called up the first couple of weeks of July, I was up in the bullpen a few times and the game situation just didn’t dictate ‘Hey, let’s bring Brian in.’ I was kind of an outsider in the Boston organization. I’d come from being in the Braves organization from ’90 to ’95, where I sat behind Glavine and Smoltz in Triple A – for the better part of four years, they didn’t miss a start. Myself and Matt Murray – who was traded to the Red Sox – we were teammates with Atlanta, and then he joined me in Boston. I think he came over in a trade right before September 1.18 Both of us were former Braves guys. We came over to Boston, but there was a pitching coach transition during the year, Al Nipper became the pitching coach.19 They brought up a bunch of the guys who were coming up with Al through the system, and those guys ended up pitching a lot more.  [Stan] Belinda, [Rheal] Cormier…look, they were all great pitchers themselves. They were in a rhythm, and I think that the club wanted not to break up the continuity of that rhythm in September before heading into the playoffs.”

Bark joined the Red Sox for 1996 spring training in Fort Myers and appeared in a few games before having his contract assigned to Pawtucket on March 18.20 He chose to decline the assignment and was released.

On March 25, he signed as a free agent with the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Mets. He pitched in 12 games for Norfolk, all in relief, with a 1-0 record and a 4.63 ERA. “I ended up having two tears in my elbow, right after spring training in ’96 with the Mets. I saw about five major-league doctors. They thought it was a bad case of tendinitis. I’d been on and off the DL throughout the year but couldn’t work through the pain. Finally, I went to Dr. Andrews. He did a certain type of saline-injected MRI later in the year, in early August, I think it was, and I had two tears in my elbow. Dr. Andrews said I probably wouldn’t be able to recover fully, and that’s when I decided it was time to go.” On July 16, he was released – his playing career was over.

Brian Bark was never called upon to bat in the big leagues, and did not have occasion to field a batted ball. Consequently, his 0-0 record and 0.00 ERA are accompanied by batting averages and fielding percentages that are all zeroes as well. “I looked at some options. The Red Sox were looking at me – could I coach part of the year and be in the office part of the year? The Pirates were talking to me about a job. The Mets hired me.” In November 1996, Bark took a position with the Mets as an assistant to the team’s scouting director.

“I did that for almost two years, maybe a year and a half during the Joe McIlvaine/Steve Phillips transition. Steve brought in pretty much a whole new team when he came, so I left and started pursuing a career that took me to what I do today – a different direction. “I’d always been an avid computer enthusiast during the ’80s and ’90s. During the offseasons, I worked as kind of a computer consultant at times. After my time with the Mets, I went back to get my Master’s in Management of Information Systems [from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)]. I transitioned from baseball to consulting for technology. One of my larger clients would be the company I worked for the next 15 years – Smiths Group, out of the UK.

“They’re a General Electric-type company, listed on the FTSE 100 [the main London Stock Exchange index] the whole time I was there. We had five major operating divisions. I was the CIO of three of the five major operating divisions at different points in my career and ran – from a general management perspective – the after-market for Smiths Detection, at the end of my career there. A wonderful experience.”

In June 2018, Bark was named VP/Chief Information Officer of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, “responsible for the company’s workplace technology strategy.”21 The press release proclaimed, “Mr. Bark is an expert in designing and executing transformational enterprise information strategies and innovation that drive business growth. Most recently, he served as Chief Business and Innovation Strategist, Office of the CTO, at Hewlett Packard. . . His diverse industry background includes wireless telecommunications, defense, medical devices, and energy services.”

Bark himself reports, “It’s a wonderful job. A national business. For 15 years I was in an international conglomerate, traveling the world about every week. Working for Sinclair as their Chief Information Officer has been a wonderful experience. Not quite as much travel as I used to do from my mid-30s to my late 40s, but with any type of executive role I would expect there’s a bunch of travel associated. Certainly more domestic. I get out of the country occasionally for global conferences and partnerships we have with, let’s say, South Korea. It’s been a wonderful experience being with a nationally well-known diversified media company which has been at the forefront of the next generation footprint of what over-the-air television looks like. I think we have about 190 stations in 80-some markets.”

Had he found that being in baseball helped in any way with his current work? One recalls him citing his father as a most important inspiration; Bark added, “I haven’t found it very helpful in my business career – people knowing that I was in professional sports, but I look at everything as being part of a team and having professional sports experience behind me, that certainly helped in maturation through my journey in business. I think it has come through in different ways – the experience and journey that I had and how that applied as to how to navigate business.”

As of 2025, Brian Bark is based with Sinclair in the Baltimore area and has also helped build a family. He and his wife Lisa (née Rosen) have been together since they were high school sweethearts, having met at the age of 14. They’ve enjoyed 31 years of marriage. They have one daughter, Olivia (22), who recently graduated with a dual degree – a bachelor’s and master’s in biomedical engineering – from the University of Miami. Her father notes, “She will embark on her professional journey as a Development Engineer with a medical device company in the summer of 2025.”22

Bark currently supervises about 250 people in his work with Sinclair. Asked about mentors, Bark summed up: “I think I’ve had a bunch of mentors throughout my life that have been, let’s say, inspirational. They’ve been helpful from even a coaching perspective at times. Some of those people have been former teammates of mine, former peers of mine, and former bosses of mine. I’ve always enjoyed building and driving teams. A position like I have today where I can develop people, encourage people to collaborate, to drive execution to deliver value.”

Postscript: A curiosity

The Red Sox had another left-handed pitcher in their system with a similar name at the same time. Brian Barkley was selected in the June 1994 draft. Barkley hailed from Waco, Texas, and was the grandson of major league infielder Red Barkley.23 Brian Edward Barkley was in Boston’s minor-league system from 1994 into 2000, working in 133 games over the seven seasons, starting 122 of them. In 1998, he had two brief stints in the majors, appearing in four games in May and June and two more in the second half of September.24

The two pitchers were of different stature – Brian Bark was 5-feet-9 and Brian Barkley was 6-feet-2, but both have gone on to careers which have given them considerable stature and prominence in their respective fields. The two apparently did not cross paths.

Last revised: July 8, 2025

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Brian Bark for his input. Thanks also to Rod Nelson for information on scouting.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Bill Lamb and fact-checked by Paul Proia.

Photo credit: Brian Bark, Trading Card Database.

Sources

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

Notes

1 Author interview with Brian Bark on May 7, 2024. Unless otherwise indicated, all direct quotations come from this interview.

2 Email to author from Brian Bark on February 10, 2025.

3 See Jerry Bark’s record at https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=bark–001ger.

4 “GW Tops Temple, Gains NCAA Berth,” Washington Post, May 16,1989: E2. The year before, in the second round of the NCAA East Regional tournament, outfielder Bark collected six consecutive base hits – including two home runs – to help beat Florida, 13-3. Associated Press, “Wave jolted with double setback,” Morning Advocate (Baton Rouge), May 26, 1988: 6C.  He was named to the all-tourney team.

5 “Hartford Loses Opener,” Hartford Courant, March 16,1990: D3.

6 Associated Press, “CU’s Kowitz is ACC’s top player,” Anderson (South Carolina) Independent Mail, May 19, 1990: 1C, 3C.  

7 https://jewishbaseballmuseum.com/player/brian-bark/, accessed March 31, 2024.

8 I. J. Rosenberg, “The 5-foot-9 part is right, says Bark,” Atlanta Journal, March 2, 1993: E7.

9 Tim Pearrell, “Bark’s ‘pitchfork’ sticks Clippers,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 9, 1993: D1.

10 Jim Henneman, “Bark bides his time with Braves; Atlanta’s deep staff slows almost-oriole,” Baltimore Sun, March 10, 1993:  30.

11 Bill Zack, “Braves’ pitching depth Bark’s biggest obstacle,” Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, March 23, 1994: C1. Zack felt that Bark’s height added a subjective hurdle – one of perhaps unconscious perception – that Bark had to work harder to overcome.  

12 Rick Davis, “Braces’ minor leaguers support strike,” Huntsville (Texas) Times, February 22, 1995: D5.

13 I. J. Rosenberg, “Schuerholz knocks union, agents,” Atlanta Journal, February 23, 1995: G1.   

14 Nick Cafardo, “Sele joins his mates on the disabled list,” Boston Globe, June 3, 1995: 71. Bark became a Pawtucket teammate of N.C. State alumnus and fellow pitcher Jeff Pierce, who had appeared in 12 games for Boston in April and May (0-3, 6.60) but then returned to the PawSox.   

15 Paul Doyle, “Relieved to finally find his role,” Hartford Courant, July 7, 1995: C3.

16 Nick Cafardo, “Rodriguez’ departure represents a gamble,” Boston Globe, July 7, 1995: 47.

17 Nick Cafardo and Frank Dell’Apa, “Bark down, Greenwell back,” Boston Globe, July 22,1995: 29.

18  It was indeed August 31. Murray appeared in two September games and no more.

19 John Cumberland had been pitching coach through July 18, and Nipper then took over for the rest of the season.

20 Perhaps foreshadowing aspects of Bark’s post-baseball career, Globe sportswriter Nick Cafardo offered a spring training note: “Lefty Brian Bark has many talents. The computer buff repaired the laptop machine of North Shore reporter Rob Bradford.” Nick Cafardo, “Mitchell shows, his size doesn’t,” Boston Globe, March 13, 1996: 38.

21 https://sbgi.net/sinclair-names-brian-bark-vp-chief-information-officer-and-mike-kralec-vp-technical-operations-and-deputy-chief-technology-officer/, accessed March 31, 2024.

22 Email to author from Brian Bark on February 10, 2025.

23 John Duncan “Red” Barkley broke in with the St. Louis Browns in 1937, played in a dozen games for the Boston Bees in 1939, and then another 20 with the 1943 Brooklyn Dodgers.

24 Brian Barkley worked a total of 11 innings, without a decision, recording a 9.82 ERA.