Creighton Gubanich

From SoSH

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Moment in the Sun 3 Trivia 4 Transactions 5 External Links

Overall Career

Creighton Wade Gubanich was signed by the Boston Red Sox as a free agent on November 4, 1998. A right-handed hitting catcher, Gubanich was originally selected by the Oakland Athletics with the 117th pick (6th round) of the 1990 amateur draft. Born on March 27, 1972 in Belleville, NJ, Gubanich would make his major league debut on April 16th, 1999 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, appearing as a defensive replacement for Reggie Jefferson, who had pinch-hit for Jason Varitek. Gubanich would get his first start against the Detroit Tigers on April 22nd, going 0-3 with a strikeout at the plate. Gubanich made his mark, however, on May 3rd against the Oakland Athletics. In the 1st inning, Gubanich would hit a grand slam off Jimmy Haynes for his first major league hit, becoming only the 4th player in major league history to hit a grand slam as his first hit. He would appear in just 15 more games with the Sox, posting a .277 average and a .772 OPS in 47 at-bats. After his release in October of 1999, Gubanich would never make it back to the majors. He finished his career in 2003 with the Cincinnati Reds organization at the AA level and with independent league Atlantic City Surf.

Moment in the Sun

• April 22, 1999: In the 1st inning, Gubanich would hit a grand slam off Jimmy Haynes for his first major league hit, becoming only the fourth player in major league history to hit a grand slam as his first hit.

Trivia

• Gubanich was also one of the first (perhaps the very first) Red Sox catchers to sport the goalie-style catcher's mask, popularized by former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Charlie O'Brien. The most recent was Josh Bard.

• Nicknamed "The Gubanich Plague." Okay, he wasn't. But he should have been.

• Currently coaches a 16U travel baseball team in the Philadelphia area.

Transactions

• June 4, 1990: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 6th round of the 1990 amateur draft. Player signed August 6, 1990.
• June 19, 1997: Traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Milwaukee Brewers for Tony Phillips (minors).
• August 5, 1997: The Milwaukee Brewers sent Creighton Gubanich (PTBNL) to the Colorado Rockies for Jeff Huson.
• October 17, 1997: Granted Free Agency.
• November 20, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Diego Padres.
• October 16, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
• November 4, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox.
• October 15, 1999: Granted Free Agency.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis