Donruss Fed The Animal...to Collectors

They were first but already mostly too late

Sep 11, 2024

Brad Lesley was destined to do “big” things on the baseball diamond.

And it just may be that he was destined to be a Cincinnati Red, too.

Lesley and his parents took care of that first part, seeing as how he grew up big and strong, standing 6’6” and tipping the scale at about 230 pounds in his athletic prime.

And Reds brass took care of the second part, but not before the Rangers took their shot.

Texas selected Lesley in the seventh round of the January draft in 1977, when he was still just 18. He decided to stay at Merced College instead, and that opened the door for the Reds, who picked him in the first round a year later.

The right-hander spurned Cincy to pitch the spring season at Merced, but the Reds wouldn’t give up that easily. That June, in the secondary phase of the summer draft, Cincinnati picked Lesley again.

He finally agreed it was time to seal the deal, and began his professional journey right away, at low-A Eugene. In two seasons as a starter, Lesley showed that he could make hitters chase, but he also allowed about a runner-and-a-half per inning pitched.

Lesley gave up plenty of hits and plenty of walks, in other words.

That prompted the Reds to change course in 1980, moving Lesley to the bullpen for the high-A Tampa Tarpons. The results were, if not magical, at least encouraging — 37 appearances, 76 innings, a 4-2 record, and a 2.01 ERA.

The next summer was even better, as Lesley made 48 appearances between Single- and Double-A, going 8-2 with 16 saves and a stingy 1.82 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning. That performance punched his ticket to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he went 6-4 with a so-so 3.62 ERA but with 14 saves in 1982.

Along his climb up Cincinnati’s minor league ladder, Lesley was turning heads, not just for his results but also for his theatrics on the mound. If he struck you out, you’d get a glimpse of “the Animal” — hands back, chest puffed out, head thrust forward in a roar.

He wasn’t quite Mark Fidrych out there, but Lesley was a character, nonetheless. And, with the big-league Reds going nowhere fast by the end of July, he got the call.

Lesley made his debut in the first game of a doubleheader at home against the Padres on July 31, coming on to pitch the top of the ninth in a 5-4 Reds loss.

And then his second appearance came in the second game of that same doubleheader. In that one, manager Russ Nixon (who had replaced John McNamara earlier in the month) brought in his rookie reliever to face the last five San Diego batters with the Reds down 4-2 in the eighth.

Lesley allowed one to score in that frame, though the run was charged to Greg Harris, whom he relieved. But Lesley gave up a run all on his own in the ninth before finally retiring the Pads.

That uneven beginning didn’t change Cincy’s plans, though, and Lesley stayed with the big club the rest of the season. In 28 appearances, he went 0-2 with 4 saves and a 2.58 ERA.

He also struck out 29 batters in 38.1 innings, which gave him several opportunities to try out his “Animal” act on baseball’s grand stage. People noticed.

That included Nolan Ryan, who mimicked Lesley’s antics after striking out Duane Walker late in the season. Everyone in attendance at Riverfront Stadium, and players in both dugouts, got a kick out of that one.

But Ryan’s new act didn’t stick. Neither did Lesley, as it turned out.

After a rough Spring Training in 1983, the tall drink of water found himself back in the bushes come Opening Day. Of course, collectors might have thought otherwise given the presence of a certain Animal in our 1983 Donruss wax packs that spring, as you can see above.

Lesley pitched well in Indianapolis, though, and made it back to Cincy by early May. He pitched well for the Reds, too, but injured his shoulder when he slipped and fell in Chicago.

That pretty much ended his season and sent him to the disabled list — in the minors. Lesley filed a grievance against the Reds for that move since it cost him service time. He eventually won that case, but he again missed the Opening Day roster in 1984 after new manager Vern Rapp got a good look at him in Spring Training.

Once again, Lesley clawed his way back, picking up a save against the Braves on April 25. He’d make three more appearances for the Reds before getting sent down again. He came back in July and then went down for good in August after posting a total big league line for the year of 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA and two saves.

Eventually, the Reds optioned him to Milwaukee’s Triple-A Vancouver Canadians and then sold his contract to the Brewers in the offseason.

Lesley pitched well in Vancouver in 1985 and got the call to Milwaukee in the middle of September. He picked up his only major league victory on October 4, pitching the 11th and 12th innings in an 8-7 win over the Red Sox.

Overally, though, Lesley posted a 9.95 ERA in 6.1 innings for the Brewers, and they released him at season’s end.

With big league success eluding him and opportunities drying up, Lesley signed with Japan’s Hankyu Braves. Baseball went OK for a couple of seasons in Japan, but he was no Randy Bass over there.

But…

After Lesley retired, he stayed in Japan, becoming “Animal Lesley” on the hit game show Takeshi's Castle. That allowed him to become something of a cult icon, which carried back over to the United States when Spike TV eventually picked up the game show in syndication.

Lesley was able to parlay that celebrity into a few movie roles, but like his baseball career, none of them ever seemed as “big” as the man himself.

Brad Lesley, who passed away in 2013, was born 66 years ago today.

Note: When you click on links to various merchants in this newsletter and make a purchase, this can result in this newsletter earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Wanna try your hand at pulling a Lesley rookie of your own? Well, you could jump in on this 1983 Donruss wax box (eBay affiliate link) on eBay before the hammer goes down tomorrow. As of this writing, it’s sitting at about $225 on the strength of 16 bids. That’s “only” $6.25 a pop for a shot a Lesley, along with less fancy RCs like those of Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, and Ryne Sandberg.

This box isn’t mine, but I’m drooling over it all the same.

See it on eBay

(affiliate link)

Simba Got the Last Word

Even though Lesley got the win in his last major league appearance, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

The trouble started when Dwight Evans, the first batter Lesley faced in the 11th, singled to drive in Bill Buckner and advance Wade Boggs to second. Dave Sax then doubled to drive in Evans and Boggs before Lesley finally retired Romine.

Those runs were charged to Danny Darwin, who had left the deck stacked against Lesley. But they also tied the game at six when it had seemed that it was the Brewers’ to lose.

The Brew Crew fought back with two runs of their own in the top of the 12th, though. That made Lesley the pitcher of record, and he put the finishing touches on the thing when he served up a leadoff home run to Mike Greenwell in the bottom of the frame.

Bob Gibson (no, not him) replaced Lesley and got two outs before getting into a jam of his own. Finally, Bob McClure came in to get the final out of the game, coaxing Boggs into a foul popout to catcher Ted Simmons.

In a way, that gave Simmons the last word on the whole sordid affair. Think his 1975 Hostess card already had that word at the ready? Could be.

It was certainly trying to say some things to me once upon a time.

Read about that right here if you’re so inclined.

—

This one turned out longer than I expected, so I’ll let you off the hook and just bid you a happy Hump Day. And, also, Happy Ellis Burks’ 60th Birthday day.

The ol’ calendar continues to weave its lies.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam

Like these stories and want to support them? Now you can contribute any amount you like via PayPal: