Clay Bryant

Henry Claiborne Bryant

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2½", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Paul Hayne High School
• Debut April 19, 1935
• Final Game September 26, 1940
• Born November 16, 1911 in Madison Heights, VA USA
• Died April 9, 1999 in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

In his finest season as a big leaguer, Clay Bryant was a key contributor to the 1938 National League pennant winning Chicago Cubs. Taking the bump 44 times, Clay made 30 starts, hurled 17 complete games and 3 shutouts while finishing 19-11 with a 3.10 ERA in 270 1/3 innings. At the plate, he belted 3 home runs and drove in 15. He was the senior circuit leader in strikeouts (135)... but also the leader in walks (125) and intentional walks (19). He made one start in the Fall Classic, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings to eat the Game 3 loss, 5-2. Overuse in '38 killed his effectiveness, and he made only 12 more trips to the mound, being used more as a pinch hitter, finishing his big league tenure in 1940.

Bryant started managing in the minors for the St. Louis Browns with the Newark Moundsmen in 1944. He moved to the Brooklyn Dodgers chain the next year, where he would stay for years. He was the last minor league manager of the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League in 1957 and the last minor league manager for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1960. He guided Montreal from 1958-1960, winning the International League Championship in 1958. In 1961, he was a big league coach for the Dodgers and was a minor league pitching coach in 1962. Bryant spent 1967 to 1974 as a coach for the Cleveland Indians. He also served as a minor league pitching instructor for the Indians in the early 1970s.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1944	Newark Moundsmen	Ohio State League	71-58	2nd	St. Louis Browns	League Champs
1945	Zanesville Dodgers	Ohio State League	9-3	2nd	Brooklyn Dodgers	League Champs	replaced Morris Mikesell on August 26
1946	Zanesville Dodgers	Ohio State League	78-60	2nd	Brooklyn Dodgers	League Champs
1947	Zanesville Dodgers	Ohio State League	89-50	1st	Brooklyn Dodgers	League Champs
1948	Asheville Tourists	Tri-State League	95-51	1st	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost in 1st round
1949	Greenville Spinners	South Atlantic League	82-72	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost League Finals
1950	Asheville Tourists	Tri-State League	83-62	2nd	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost League Finals
1951	Newport News Dodgers	Piedmont League	75-66	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost in 1st round
1952	St. Paul Saints	American Association	80-74	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost in 1st round
1953	St. Paul Saints	American Association	72-82	6th	Brooklyn Dodgers
1954	St. Paul Saints	American Association	75-78	5th	Brooklyn Dodgers
1955	Mobile Bears	Southern Association	79-75	4th	Brooklyn Dodgers	League Champs
1956	Fort Worth Cats	Texas League	84-70	3rd	Brooklyn Dodgers	Lost in 1st round
1957	Los Angeles Angels (PCL)	Pacific Coast League	80-88	6th	Brooklyn Dodgers	none
1958	Montreal Royals	International League	90-63	1st	Los Angeles Dodgers	League Champs
1959	Montreal Royals	International League	72-82	6th	Los Angeles Dodgers
1960	Montreal Royals	International League	62-92	8th	Los Angeles Dodgers
1963	Albuquerque Dukes	Texas League	67-73	5th	Los Angeles Dodgers
1964	Albuquerque Dukes	Texas League	75-65	3rd	Los Angeles Dodgers	Lost in 1st round
1966	Pawtucket Indians	Eastern League	68-71	2nd (t)	Cleveland Indians	none
1968	Reno Silver Sox	California League	67-72	5th	Cleveland Indians
1969	Waterbury Indians	Eastern League	48-93	6th	Cleveland Indians
1972	Portland Beavers	Pacific Coast League	2-4	--	Cleveland Indians	--	replaced Ray Hathaway (5-8) on April 28 / replaced by Dan Carnevale (69-50) on May 5
Totals	23 Seasons		1,604-1,504			6 League Championships

Related Sites

• Clay Bryant at the SABR Bio Project