Brad Lesley: Difference between revisions

Brad Lesley
Brad Lesley
	Lesley with the Indianapolis Indians c. 1983
	Pitcher
	Born: September 11, 1958; Turlock, California, U.S.
	Died: April 28, 2013 (aged 54); Marina del Rey, California, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Professional debut
	MLB: July 31, 1982, for the Cincinnati Reds
	NPB: April 8, 1986, for the Hankyu Braves
Last appearance
	MLB: October 4, 1985, for the Milwaukee Brewers
	NPB: August 17, 1987, for the Hankyu Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	1–3
Earned run average	3.86
Strikeouts	46
NPB statistics
Win–loss record	7–5
Earned run average	3.00
Strikeouts	58
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	Cincinnati Reds (1982–1984); Milwaukee Brewers (1985); Hankyu Braves (1986–1987);

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Bradley Jay Lesley (September 11, 1958 – April 28, 2013) was an American actor, media personality and former professional baseball pitcher. Lesley was an especially imposing physical figure, standing 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and weighing 230 lb (104 kg).^[1]^[2] Nicknamed "The Animal", he was known for his aggressive style of self-motivation.

Early life

Bradley Lesley was born in Turlock, California, and he attended Turlock High School.^[2] Later, he attended Merced College in Merced, California.^[2]

Career

Baseball

He played professional baseball for two Major League Baseball teams.^[2] He was drafted in the first round in 1978 by the Cincinnati Reds, for whom he pitched^[1] parts of three seasons, from 1982 to 1984. He pitched in the Reds' minor-league system for five seasons before being called up to the majors. He made his big-league debut at age 23 on July 31, 1982 in a 5-4 Reds loss at Riverfront Stadium, pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the San Diego Padres.^[3] Overall in his rookie season, he pitched 28 games (all in relief) with an 0-2 record but a fine 2.58 earned run average.^[4] The following season he appeared in only five games for the Reds, going 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA, and in 1984 he pitched in 16 Reds' games, going 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA.^[4]

On November 12, 1984 Lesley's contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in five games for the Brewers, going 1-0 but with a 9.95 ERA. After the season, he was released, ending his Major League career.

Lesley then played two seasons in Japan for the Hankyu Braves. His record in Japan was 7–5, with 24 saves in 60 games over two years.

Lesley had a distinctive celebration of strikeouts by putting his arms in a backwards motion behind him, causing his chest to stick out, while he would roar out. In one game against the Houston Astros, Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan famously mimicked Lesley's celebration after striking out a Reds player, which got the players from both teams' dugouts, including Lesley, laughing.

Media personality

After retiring from baseball, he became a television personality in Japan, where he is probably best known for his role as Animaru Resuri "Animal Leslie" in the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle.^[1] He participated in games such as Devil's Domain, Stuck Up, and his own game, Animal Bang. Takeshi's Castle would later be shown in the US on the cable network Spike TV as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, later shortened to MXC.

Actor

Lesley appeared in several feature films, including Brother (2000) (as Moose), Big Monster on Campus (2000) (as Arnie), Buddy (1997) (as Ali Baba), A Boy Called Hate (1996) (as the Moving Truck Driver), Little Big League (1994) (as John 'Blackout' Gatling) and Mr. Baseball (1992) (as Niven).

Personal life

Lesley was married at one time to Chiho Svimonoff and they had one son, Kentaro (健太郎), however, they divorced.^[1]^[5]

Death

By early 2013 Lesley had been suffering from kidney problems and had been living in a nursing home for many months, where he was receiving dialysis.^[1] On April 28, 2013, he was rushed to a hospital in Marina del Rey, where he died.^[6]

Celebrity entertainment show TMZ obtained Lesley's death certificate and reported that he died of a heart attack brought on by a case of coronary artery disease (not kidney failure, as previously reported).^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Brad Lesley Dead: Former Baseball Player and 'Little Big League' Star Dies At Age 54". Huffington Post. April 29, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Brad Lesley Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
^ "San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, July 31, 1982".
^ ^a ^b "Brad Lesley Stats".
^ "Brad Lesley, former major league pitcher from Turlock, dies at 54 of kidney failure | Sports | Modesto Bee". Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
^ "Brad Lesley, 'Little Big League' Star, Dies at 54". TMZ.com. April 29, 2013.
^ "'Little Big League' Star Brad Lesley Died Of a Heart Attack, NOT Kidney Failure". TMZ.com. June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.

External links

Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
Brad Lesley at IMDb
Japanese baseball cards and video clips of Brad Lesley

[huff29-1] "Brad Lesley Dead: Former Baseball Player and 'Little Big League' Star Dies At Age 54". Huffington Post. April 29, 2013.

[bref-2] "Brad Lesley Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2013.

[3] "San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, July 31, 1982".

[baseball-reference.com-4] "Brad Lesley Stats".

[5] "Brad Lesley, former major league pitcher from Turlock, dies at 54 of kidney failure | Sports | Modesto Bee". Archived from the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.

[6] "Brad Lesley, 'Little Big League' Star, Dies at 54". TMZ.com. April 29, 2013.

[7] "'Little Big League' Star Brad Lesley Died Of a Heart Attack, NOT Kidney Failure". TMZ.com. June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American baseball player (1958-2013)}}
-{{Infobox MLB player
+{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
+{{Infobox baseball biography
 |name=Brad Lesley
 |position=[[Pitcher]]
+|image=1983 Indianapolis Indians - Brad Lesley (cropped).jpg
-|image=
+|caption=Lesley with the [[Indianapolis Indians]] {{circa}} 1983
 |bats=Right
 |throws=Right
 |birth_date={{Birth date|1958|9|11|mf=yes}}
-|birth_place=[[Turlock, California|Turlock]], [[California]]
+|birth_place=[[Turlock, California]], U.S.
-|death_date = {{death date and age|2013|04|27|1958|9|11|mf=yes}}
+|death_date = {{death date and age|2013|04|28|1958|9|11|mf=yes}}
-|death_place = [[Marina del Rey, California]]
+|death_place = [[Marina del Rey, California]], U.S.
+|debutleague = MLB
 |debutdate=July 31
 |debutyear=1982
 |debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
+|finalleague = MLB
 |finaldate=October 4
 |finalyear=1985
 |finalteam=Milwaukee Brewers
+|debut2league =NPB
-|stat1label=[[Win (baseball)|Win-Loss Record]]
+|debut2date=April 8
-|stat1value=1-3
+|debut2year=1986
-|stat2label=[[Strikeout]]s
+|debut2team=Hankyu Braves
-|stat2value=46
+|final2league =NPB
-|stat3label=[[Earned Run Average|ERA]]
+|final2date=August 17
-|stat3value=3.86
+|final2year=1987
-|teams=<nowiki></nowiki>
+|final2team=Hankyu Braves
-*[[Cincinnati Reds]] (1982–84)
+|statleague = MLB
-*[[Milwaukee Brewers]] (1985)
+|stat1label=[[Win (baseball)|Win–loss record]]
-*[[Orix BlueWave|Hankyu Braves]] (1986–87)}}
+|stat1value=1–3
+|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
+|stat3value=46
+|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
+|stat2value=3.86
+|stat2league = NPB
+|stat21label=[[Win (baseball)|Win–loss record]]
+|stat21value=7–5
+|stat23label=[[Strikeout]]s
+|stat23value=58
+|stat22label=[[Earned run average]]
+|stat22value=3.00
+|teams=
+*[[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1982}}–{{mlby|1984}})
+*[[Milwaukee Brewers]] ({{mlby|1985}})
+*[[Hankyu Braves]] ({{npby|1986}}–{{npby|1987}})
+}}
-'''Bradley Jay Lesley''' (September 11, 1958 – April 27, 2013) was an [[US|American]] professional athlete turned actor and media personality. Lesley was an especially imposing physical figure, standing {{convert|6|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} and weighing {{convert|230|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=huff29 /><ref name=bref>{{cite web| url= http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leslebr01.shtml | title= Brad Lesley Statistics and History| publisher= Baseball-Reference.com| accessdate= 27 June 2013}}</ref> Nicknamed "The Animal", he was known for his aggressive style to motivate himself.
+'''Bradley Jay Lesley''' (September 11, 1958 – April 28, 2013) was an American actor, media personality and former [[professional baseball]] [[pitcher]]. Lesley was an especially imposing physical figure, standing {{convert|6|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} and weighing {{convert|230|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=huff29 /><ref name=bref>{{cite web| url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leslebr01.shtml | title= Brad Lesley Statistics and History| publisher= Baseball-Reference.com| accessdate= 27 June 2013}}</ref> Nicknamed "The Animal", he was known for his aggressive style of self-motivation.
 ==Early life==
-Bradley Lesley was born in [[Turlock, California|Turlock]], [[California]], and he attended [[Turlock High School]].<ref name=bref /> Later, he attended [[Merced College]] in [[Merced, California]].<ref name=bref />
+Bradley Lesley was born in [[Turlock, California]], and he attended [[Turlock High School]].<ref name=bref /> Later, he attended [[Merced College]] in [[Merced, California]].<ref name=bref />
 ==Career==
+=== Baseball ===
+He played professional baseball for two [[Major League Baseball]] teams.<ref name=bref /> He was drafted in the first round in 1978 by the [[Cincinnati Reds]], for whom he [[pitcher|pitched]]<ref name=huff29 /> parts of three seasons, from 1982 to 1984. He pitched in the Reds' minor-league system for five seasons before being called up to the majors. He made his big-league debut at age 23 on July 31, 1982 in a 5-4 Reds loss at [[Riverfront Stadium]], pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the [[San Diego Padres]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198207311.shtml|title=San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, July 31, 1982}}</ref> Overall in his rookie season, he pitched 28 games (all in relief) with an 0-2 record but a fine 2.58 [[earned run average]].<ref name="baseball-reference.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leslebr01.shtml|title=Brad Lesley Stats}}</ref> The following season he appeared in only five games for the Reds, going 0-0 with a 2.16 ERA, and in 1984 he pitched in 16 Reds' games, going 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA.<ref name="baseball-reference.com"/>
+On November 12, 1984 Lesley's contract was purchased by the [[Milwaukee Brewers]]. He pitched in five games for the Brewers, going 1-0 but with a 9.95 ERA. After the season, he was released, ending his Major League career.
-===Athlete===
-He played professional baseball for two [[Major League Baseball]] teams.<ref name=bref /> He was drafted in the first round in 1978 by the [[Cincinnati Reds]], for whom [[pitcher (baseball)|pitched]]<ref name=huff29 /> he pitched parts of three seasons, from 1982 to 1984. He pitched in the Reds' minor-league system for five seasons before being called up to the majors. He made his big-league debut at age 23 on July 31, 1982 in a 5-4 Reds loss at [[Riverfront Stadium]], pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the [[San Diego Padres]].<ref>http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN198207311.shtml</ref> Overall in his rookie season, he pitched 28 games (all in relief) with an 0-2 record but a fine 2.58 [[earned run average]].<ref>http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leslebr01.shtml</ref> The following season he appeared in only five games for the Reds, going0-0 with a 2.16 ERA, and in 1984 he pitched in 16 Reds' games, going 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA.<ref>http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leslebr01.shtml</ref>
-On November 12, 1984 his contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in five games for the Brewers, going 1-0 but with a 9.95 ERA. After the season he was released, ending his Major League career. He then played two seasons in [[Japan]] for the [[Orix BlueWave|Hankyu Braves]]. His record in Japan was 7–5, 24 saves, 60 games over two years.
+Lesley then played two seasons in Japan for the [[Orix BlueWave|Hankyu Braves]]. His record in Japan was 7–5, with 24 saves in 60 games over two years.
+Lesley had a distinctive celebration of strikeouts by putting his arms in a backwards motion behind him, causing his chest to stick out, while he would roar out. In one game against the Houston Astros, Astros pitcher [[Nolan Ryan]] famously mimicked Lesley's celebration after striking out a Reds player, which got the players from both teams' dugouts, including Lesley, laughing.
 ===Media personality===
-After retiring from athletics, he became a [[television personality]] in Japan, where he is probably best known for his role as Ajimaru "Animal" Resry in the Japanese [[gameshow]], ''[[Takeshi's Castle]]''.<ref name=huff29>{{cite news| url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/brad-lesley-dead_n_3178022.html |title= Brad Lesley Dead: Former Baseball Player and 'Little Big League' Star Dies At Age 54| newspaper= [[Huffington Post]]| date= 29 April 2013}}</ref> He participated in games such as Devil's Domain, Stuck Up and his own game, Animal Bang. ''Takeshi's Castle'' would later be shown in the US on the cable network [[Spike TV]] as ''Most Extreme Elimination Challenge'', later shortened to ''[[MXC]]''.
+After retiring from baseball, he became a [[television personality]] in Japan, where he is probably best known for his role as Animaru Resuri "Animal Leslie" in the Japanese [[game show]] ''[[Takeshi's Castle]]''.<ref name=huff29>{{cite news| url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/brad-lesley-dead_n_3178022.html |title= Brad Lesley Dead: Former Baseball Player and 'Little Big League' Star Dies At Age 54| newspaper= [[Huffington Post]]| date= 29 April 2013}}</ref> He participated in games such as ''Devil's Domain'', ''Stuck Up'', and his own game, ''Animal Bang''. ''Takeshi's Castle'' would later be shown in the US on the cable network [[Spike TV]] as ''Most Extreme Elimination Challenge'', later shortened to ''[[Most Extreme Elimination Challenge|MXC]]''.
 ===Actor===
-Lesley appeared in feature films, including ''[[Brother (2000 film)|Brother]]'' (2000) (as Moose), ''Big Monster on Campus'' (2000) (as Arnie), ''[[Buddy (1997 film)|Buddy]]'' (1997) (as Ali Baba), ''A Boy Called Hate'' (1996) (as the Moving Truck Driver), ''[[Little Big League]]'' (1994) (as John 'Blackout' Gatling) and ''[[Mr. Baseball]]'' (1992) (as Niven).
+Lesley appeared in several feature films, including ''[[Brother (2000 film)|Brother]]'' (2000) (as Moose), ''Big Monster on Campus'' (2000) (as Arnie), ''[[Buddy (1997 film)|Buddy]]'' (1997) (as Ali Baba), ''A Boy Called Hate'' (1996) (as the Moving Truck Driver), ''[[Little Big League]]'' (1994) (as John 'Blackout' Gatling) and ''[[Mr. Baseball]]'' (1992) (as Niven).
 ==Personal life==
+Lesley was married at one time to Chiho Svimonoff and they had one son, Kentaro (健太郎), however, they divorced.<ref name=huff29 /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/29/2692561/brad-lesley-former-major-league.html |title=Brad Lesley, former major league pitcher from Turlock, dies at 54 of kidney failure &#124; Sports &#124; Modesto Bee |access-date=2013-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710065808/http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/29/2692561/brad-lesley-former-major-league.html |archive-date=2013-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-Lesley was married at one time to Chiho Svimonoff. However, they divorced.<ref name=huff29 />
+== Death ==
-Lesley had been suffering from [[kidney]] problems and had been living in a [[nursing home]] for many months, where he was receiving [[dialysis]].<ref name=huff29 /> He was rushed to a hospital in [[Marina del Rey]], where he died from kidney failure on April 27, 2013.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/29/brad-lesley-dead-little-big-league-mr-baseball-space-jam/ |title= Brad Lesley, 'Little Big League' Star, Dies as 54 |publisher= TMZ.com |date= 29 April 2013}}</ref>
+By early 2013 Lesley had been suffering from [[kidney]] problems and had been living in a [[nursing home]] for many months, where he was receiving [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]].<ref name=huff29 /> On April 28, 2013, he was rushed to a hospital in [[Marina del Rey]], where he died.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/29/brad-lesley-dead-little-big-league-mr-baseball-space-jam/ |title= Brad Lesley, 'Little Big League' Star, Dies at 54 |publisher= TMZ.com |date= 29 April 2013}}</ref>
+Celebrity entertainment show [[TMZ]] obtained Lesley's death certificate and reported that he died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] brought on by a case of [[coronary artery disease]] (not [[renal failure|kidney failure]], as previously reported).<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/08/little-big-league-star-brad-lesley-died-of-a-heart-attack-not-kidney-failure/ |title= 'Little Big League' Star Brad Lesley Died Of a Heart Attack, NOT Kidney Failure |publisher= TMZ.com |date= 28 June 2013 |accessdate= 20 June 2014}}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 53: / Line 81: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{Baseballstats|br=l/leslebr01}}
+{{Baseballstats|br=l/leslebr01|brm=lesley001bra}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/L/Pleslb001.htm Retrosheet]
 * {{IMDb name| id=0504040}}
 * [http://japanesebaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/rip-animal.html Japanese baseball cards and video clips of Brad Lesley]
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Lesley, Brad
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Ajimaru "Animal" Resry
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American baseball player and actor
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = September 11, 1958
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = Turlock, California, US
-| DATE OF DEATH     = April 27, 2013
-| PLACE OF DEATH    = Marina Del Rey, California, US}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesley, Brad}}
 [[Category:1958 births]]
 [[Category:2013 deaths]]
-[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
+[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
+[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan]]
+[[Category:American male film actors]]
+[[Category:Baseball players from Turlock, California]]
+[[Category:Cedar Rapids Reds players]]
 [[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
-[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers players]]
-[[Category:Tampa Tarpons players]]
 [[Category:Eugene Emeralds players]]
-[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
 [[Category:Greensboro Hornets players]]
+[[Category:Hankyu Braves players]]
+[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
+[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
+[[Category:Merced Blue Devils baseball players]]
+[[Category:Merced College alumni]]
+[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers players]]
+[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers]]
+[[Category:Turlock High School alumni]]
+[[Category:Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players]]
 [[Category:Vancouver Canadians players]]
 [[Category:Waterbury Reds players]]
-[[Category:Cedar Rapids Reds players]]
 [[Category:Wichita Aeros players]]
-[[Category:Merced Blue Devils baseball players]]
-[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan]]
-[[Category:Hankyu Braves players]]
-[[Category:Baseball players from California]]
-[[Category:People from Turlock, California]]
-[[Category:Deaths from renal failure]]
-[[Category:Disease-related deaths in California]]