Former Royals outfielder Brett Eibner resurrects career as relief pitcher in Miami
Brett Eibner’s time with the Royals was short, but it was his most successful stint as a hitter in the majors.
In 2016, Eibner batted .231 with three home runs and six doubles in 26 games as an outfielder. He was traded to the Oakland A’s for outfielder Billy Burns and in January 2017 was dealt to the Dodgers.
Eibner was known by KC fans for his curly hair and being part of one of the best comebacks in Royals history. Trailing 7-1 against the White Sox, the Royals had no one on base with one out in the ninth inning. But 10 of the next 11 batters reached base and they scored seven times. In the ninth inning, Eibner had a double and the game-winning RBI single in an 8-7 win.
After being released by the Dodgers following the 2017 season, Eibner turned to pitching and was in the Rangers system the following year. He pitched in Independent League baseball in 2019 but signed with the Marlins this year.
Eibner made his big-league pitching debut last week, tossing a scoreless inning with one strikeout against the Mets.
“I’ll probably put my first career homer up with my first strikeout,” Eibner told MLB.com. “My Verlander home run ball will have a little company.”
Eibner hit a solo shot off Justin Verlander, who was pitching for the Tigers, at Kauffman Stadium on June 16, 2016.
Things didn’t go so well Monday for Eibner, who allowed three runs in one-third of an inning at Washington. All the runs came on one swing of the bat:
