Brian Holman

Brian Scott Holman

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Wichita North High School
• Debut June 25, 1988
• Final Game September 22, 1991
• Born January 25, 1965 in Denver, CO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Brian Holman was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1983 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos and scout Dick LeMay, who happened to also be his step-father. He is the brother of Brad Holman.

He was still very raw, although obviously talented, when he was signed by the Expos, going 0-0 with an 11.81 ERA in 2 starts for the Jamestown Expos in 1983, and then 5-11, 5.84 between two teams in 1984. He started to turn things around by going 9-9, 3.96 for the West Palm Beach Expos in 1985, then in 1986 went 11-9, 5.14 for the Jacksonville Expos in 1986. His breakout season in the minor came in 1987, when he was the Pitcher of the Year in the Southern League after going 14-5, 2.50 for Jacksonville. He was promoted to the AAA Indianapolis Indians at the end of that season and struggled to an 0-4, 6.23 mark in 6 starts, but at the start of 1988 he went 8-1, 2.36 in his first 14 games for Indianapolis.

Holman was part of the Mark Langston trade that brought Randy Johnson from the Expos to the Seattle Mariners. In fact, he was considered the key player in the deal, as a top draft pick that everyone expected to be a successful starting pitcher in the majors (opinions about Johnson were mixed). As a rookie with the Expos in 1988, he had to be rushed to the majors in June when Floyd Youmans was suspended for the remainder of the season for past drug problems. He pitched well, with an ERA of 3.23 in 100 1/3 innings (ERA+ of 112), although his record of 4-8 did not reflect this. Before the trade in 1989, he and Johnson both made the team out of spring training, with Johnson in the starting rotation and Holman in the bullpen. When Johnson was sent down to the minors after a few unsuccessful starts, he took his spot in the rotation, but he had not found his footing by the time the trade happened on May 25th, having gone 1-2, 4.83 in 10 games, including 3 starts. He was quickly installed as a starter by the Mariners and went 8-10, 3.44 the rest of the way.

He is most famous for pitching a one-hitter against the Oakland A's on April 20, 1990 that was an out away from perfection. It was broken up by a home run off the bat of Ken Phelps, which turned out to be Phelps' final major league home run. He went 11-11, 4.03 in 28 starts that season, pitching 189 2/3 innings and striking out a career-high 121 batters. He had another good season in 1991, going 13-14, 3.69 and logging 195 1/3 innings, but his career would end abruptly.

After two and a half years with the Mariners, arm trouble ended his career. He retired in 1994 after not pitching since 1991 and became a financial adviser in Wichita, Kansas. He also coached baseball at Andale High School.

Notable Achievements

• 1987 Pitcher of the Year Southern League Jacksonville Expos

Related Sites

• Account of Holman's near-perfect game