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Jeffrey Hoke (Jeff) Brantley, (born September 5, 1963 in Florence, Alabama), is a former relief pitcher and current Major League Baseball broadcaster. His 14-year playing career lasted from 1988 to 2001.
Collegiate careerBrantley played college baseball at Mississippi State University, where he was a teammate of Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Thigpen on a Bulldogs team that participated in the 1985 College World Series. He is the co-holder of the SEC record for career wins by a pitcher with 45, along with University of South Carolina and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kip Bouknight. Major league careerHe played for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, all of the National League, and the Texas Rangers of the American League. He was also a member of the 1989 San Francisco Giants team that defeated the Chicago Cubs to win the National League pennant and would eventually lose to the Oakland A's in the World Series. An All-Star in 1990, Brantley led the National League in 1996 with 44 saves. Broadcasting careerBrantley was a color commentator for ESPN broadcasts of Major League Baseball games and an in-studio contributor for Baseball Tonight from 2002 through 2006. In 2007, he joined the radio broadcast team of the Cincinnati Reds on the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network (flagship station WLW 700 AM), joining Marty Brennaman and Thom Brennaman and the FSN Ohio television broadcast team with Chris Welsh and George Grande. Known on-air as "The Cowboy," Brantley has become well respected by the baseball-savvy Cincinnati fans, due largely to his insightful observations on the subtle nuances of the pitching game. Though occasionally criticized for his play-by-play radio commentary's failure to paint a clear picture of the game, his slow, easy-to-follow verbal delivery and sense of humor has filled the large void left in the Reds' radio booth by the death of Joe Nuxhall. PersonalHe and his wife are the parents of one daughter, Elizabeth and one son, Mason. Jeff also has two children from his first marriage, Emily and Murphy. Jeff lettered in three sports at W. A. Berry High School, which was replaced by Hoover High School (Alabama). See alsoExternal links
Categories: National League All-Stars | National League saves champions | Cincinnati Reds players | Philadelphia Phillies players | San Francisco Giants players | St. Louis Cardinals players | Texas Rangers players | Major League Baseball pitchers | Major League Baseball announcers | Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players | People from Florence, Alabama | Major League Baseball players from Alabama | 1963 births | Living people | Hoover, Alabama | Mississippi State University alumni | Fresno Giants players | Shreveport Captains players | Phoenix Firebirds players | Arkansas Travelers players | Clearwater Phillies players | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players |
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