List of Major League Baseball players from Australia explained

The first recorded baseball event in Australia took place in Melbourne, Victoria in 1857, between teams from Collingwood and Richmond. Accounts vary as to the details, including whether it was a single game or a series of three games, though details in common include a score of 350–230 in favour of Collingwood, and that the rules used were some form of hybrid between cricket and baseball, with teams batting until all players were out, and runs being scored for every base crossed, rather than just for reaching home plate.^{[1] [2]} Though there are no records to confirm it, the commonly held belief is that baseball in Australia originated on the Ballarat gold-fields among American miners.^[1] The Claxton Shield, the first annually recurring national tournament, commenced in 1934. Though the tournament itself has been supplanted at various points in its history, the physical Shield is still awarded to the national champions in the Australian Baseball League.^[3]

, 36 Australians have played in at least one MLB game. Of those players, 33 were born in Australia, the remainder having been born elsewhere but raised in Australia and have played for the Australia national baseball team at International Baseball Federation or sanctioned tournaments such as the Olympic Games and World Baseball Classic. 24 of the players have been pitchers and the other 12 have been position players.

Australia became the sixth country (not counting the United States) to have a player represented in the major leagues, when Joe Quinn made his debut on 26 April 1884 for the St. Louis Maroons. Quinn also became the first Australian-born manager, as a player-manager for the St. Louis Browns in 1895. After Quinn played his last MLB game, it was almost 85 years before another Australian would appear in an MLB game: Craig Shipley on 22 June 1986 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The most recent Australian-born player to make his debut in the major leagues is Jack O'Loughlin, who played for the Oakland Athletics on 27 May 2024.

, Grant Balfour, David Nilsson and Liam Hendriks are the only Australians to have played in an MLB All-Star Game. In 2013, Balfour was added to the squad by AL manager Jim Leyland as a 'Sunday replacement' pitcher. In 1999, Nilsson was one of two players from the Milwaukee Brewers to be selected.^[4] At this time the starting lineup was selected by the fans through voting at stadiums and online. The remaining players were selected by the managers of the respective teams, themselves having been the managers of the league champions from the previous season: in Nilsson's case, he was selected by Bruce Bochy, who had managed the San Diego Padres to the 1998 World Series against the New York Yankees.^[5] Liam Hendriks became the third Australian to make the MLB All-Star Game in 2019, as a replacement for Charlie Morton.

Trent Durrington became the only Australian position player to pitch in an MLB game when he appeared for the Milwaukee Brewers on 17 April 2004 against the Houston Astros.^[6] Durrington had already entered the game initially as a pinch hitter and remained in the game playing at third base. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Durrington faced one hitter and induced a fly ball out.^[7]

Players

Key

1B	First baseman
2B	Second baseman
3B	Third baseman
C	Catcher
DH	Designated hitter
IF	Infielder
M	Manager
OF	Outfielder
P	Pitcher
SS	Shortstop
U	Utility
	width=100	Member of Baseball Australia Hall of Fame

Australian MLB players

Player	Position	Debut	Debut team	Final game	Final team	Ref(s)
	P		Minnesota Twins		Tampa Bay Rays
	P		Montreal Expos		Montreal Expos	^[8] ^[9]
	P		Seattle Mariners		Texas Rangers	^[10]
	P		Cleveland Indians		Cleveland Indians	^[11]
	2B / 3B / DH		Anaheim Angels		Milwaukee Brewers	^[12]
	3B		Minnesota Twins		Minnesota Twins	^[13]
	P		San Diego Padres		San Diego Padres	^[14]
	IF		Philadelphia Phillies		Philadelphia Phillies	^[15]
	P		Minnesota Twins		Chicago White Sox	^[16]
	1B / DH / OF		Kansas City Royals		Minnesota Twins	^[17]
	IF		Minnesota Twins		Oakland Athletics	^[18]
	P		New York Yankees		Cincinnati Reds	^[19]
	P		Chicago White Sox		Chicago White Sox	^[20]
	P		Milwaukee Brewers		Kansas City Royals	^[21] ^[22]
	3B		Tampa Bay Rays		Tampa Bay Rays	^[23]
	P		Atlanta Braves		Tampa Bay Devil Rays
	P		Atlanta Braves		Atlanta Braves
^[24]	P		Minnesota Twins		Toronto Blue Jays	^[25]
	C / 1B / DH / OF		Milwaukee Brewers		Milwaukee Brewers	^[26]
	OF		Arizona Diamondbacks		Los Angeles Dodgers	^[27]
	P		Oakland Athletics			^[28]
	P		San Diego Padres		San Diego Padres	^[29]
	P		Los Angeles Dodgers		Toronto Blue Jays	^[30]
	U / M^[31]		St. Louis Maroons		Washington Senators	^[32]
	P		Detroit Tigers		Detroit Tigers
	P		Seattle Mariners		Arizona Diamondbacks	^[33]
	U		Los Angeles Dodgers		Anaheim Angels	^[34]
^[35]	OF		Seattle Mariners		Philadelphia Phillies	^[36]
	P		San Diego Padres		New York Yankees	^[37]
	P		Baltimore Orioles		Baltimore Orioles	^[38]
^[39]	P		Atlanta Braves		Atlanta Braves	^[40]
	P		Minnesota Twins		Detroit Tigers	^[41]
	P		Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim		Oakland Athletics	^[42]
	P		Minnesota Twins		Minnesota Twins	^[43]
	P		Baltimore Orioles		Baltimore Orioles	^[44]
	OF		Minnesota Twins		Minnesota Twins	^[45]
	3B		Minnesota Twins		Minnesota Twins	^[46]
	P		Los Angeles Dodgers		Los Angeles Dodgers	^[47]

Notes

Postseason appearances

Joe Quinn became the first Australian to make an appearance in a postseason game for a Major League team, when the Boston Beaneaters met the Cleveland Spiders in a best-of-nine-game series between the season's first half and second half leaders. In 1892, the National League (NL) was the only active Major League, and Boston were already considered to be the NL pennant winners as they had the best record at the end of the season, and the series—won by the Beaneaters 5–0 (with one tie)—was considered an exhibition series.

In the modern era (considered to be from 1901 to today by MLB, as it was the first season with both of the current Major Leagues in operation), six Australians have played in postseason games, all but one of them pitchers. Graeme Lloyd became the first, playing with the New York Yankees in 1996. He made appearances against the Texas Rangers in the League Division Series, the Baltimore Orioles in the League Championship Series, and the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. Lloyd was credited with the win in game 4 of the 1996 World Series,^[48] becoming the first Australian player to do so, as well as becoming the first Australian to be a World Series champion when the Yankees won in 1996 and again in 1998.

Grant Balfour holds the record for most appearances in postseason games for an Australian, having played in a total of seventeen games, thirteen with the Tampa Bay Rays, two with the Minnesota Twins and two with the Oakland Athletics.^[49] Damian Moss and Peter Moylan also made postseason appearances, both having played for the Atlanta Braves against the San Francisco Giants: Moss in the 2002 National League Division Series,^[50] and Moylan in the 2010 National League Division Series.^[51] Liam Hendriks is the most recent Australian to play in the postseason, and the only such player to start a postseason game, pitching in the 2018 American League Wild Card Game for the Oakland Athletics.^[52]

Australian players in MLB postseason games

Player	Seasons	World Series	LCS	LDS	WC			Ref(s)
Series won	Series played	Games played	Series won	Series played	Games played	Series won	Series played	Games played	Series won	Series played	Games played
Grant Balfour	align=left	2004 Minnesota Twins 2008 Tampa Bay Rays 2010 Tampa Bay Rays 2012 Oakland Athletics 2013 Oakland Athletics	0	1	3	1	1	4	1	5	13	—			^[53] ^[54] ^[55] ^[56] ^[57] ^[58] ^[59]
Liam Hendriks	2018 Oakland Athletics 2019 Oakland Athletics 2020 Oakland Athletics	—			—			0	1	4	1	3	5	^[60] ^[61] ^[62] ^[63]
Graeme Lloyd	1996 New York Yankees 1997 New York Yankees 1998 New York Yankees	2	2	5	2	2	3	2	3	5	—			^[64] ^[65] ^[66] ^[67] ^[68] ^[69] ^[70]
Damian Moss	2002 Atlanta Braves	—			—			0	1	2	—			^[71]
Peter Moylan	2010 Atlanta Braves	—			—			0	1	4	—			^[72]
Joe Quinn	1892 Boston Beaneaters	—			1	1	6	—			—			^[73]

See also

• List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player
• List of Major League Baseball players who played in Australia
• Major League Baseball Australia Academy Program

References

General sources

• Web site: Players by birthplace: Australia Baseball Stats and Info . Baseball-Reference . 31 August 2011 . 30 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201130083205/https://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/Australia_born.shtml . live .
• Web site: Australian Players Who Have Reached The US Majors . Flintoff & Dunn's Australian Major League Baseball . Flintoff & Dunn . 31 August 2011 . 11 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190411072154/http://pflintoff.com/AUSMajor.htm . dead .

Notes and References

1. Book: Clark, Joe . A History of Australian Baseball: Time and Game . 2003 . University of Nebraska Press . Lincoln, Nebraska . 0-8032-6440-2 . 5 . The Origins of Australian Baseball .
2. Book: Bjarkman, Peter C . Diamonds Around the Globe . 2005 . Greenwood Press . Westport, Connecticut . 0-313-32268-6 . 358 . Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Rim .
3. Web site: ACES: a message from the General Manager . 9 February 2010 . 14 February 2010 . Nash . Stephen . Baseball Victoria . https://web.archive.org/web/20110706103614/http://www.baseballvictoria.com.au/default.asp?Page=62506 . 6 July 2011 . dead .
4. Web site: 1999 All-Star Game . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 8 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110808182034/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS199907130.shtml . live .
5. Web site: 1998 World Series . Baseball-Reference . 15 July 2011 . 12 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071212100135/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1998_WS.shtml . live .
6. Web site: Non-Pitchers with pitching appearances . Baseball-Reference . 28 June 2011 . 26 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110926174949/http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/fieldPitch.shtml . live .
7. Web site: April 17, 2004 – Milwaukee Brewers @ Houston Astros – Play by Play and Box Score . Baseball-Reference . 28 June 2011 . 11 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121111043129/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU200404170.shtml . live .
8. Web site: Anderson . Michelle . ABF Formally Announces Inductees to Baseball Australia Hall of Fame . Baseball Australia . Australian Baseball Federation . 7 August 2011 . 28 November 2007 . 8 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608081911/http://www.baseball.com.au/?Page=40388 . live .
9. Web site: Shayne Bennett statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 15 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090215024930/http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bennesh01.shtml . live .
10. Web site: Travis Blackley statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 24 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090124171350/http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/blacktr01.shtml . live .
11. Web site: Cam Cairncross statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 10 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090210022602/http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cairnca01.shtml . live .
12. Web site: Trent Durrinton statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 13 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213163633/http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/durritr01.shtml . live .
13. Web site: James Beresford statistics . Baseball-Reference . 12 September 2016 . 31 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160831133154/http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=beresf001jam . live .
14. Web site: Mark Ettles statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 4 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081204041517/http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/ettlema01.shtml . live .
15. Web site: Brad Harman statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 5 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090305020304/http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/harmabr01.shtml . live .
16. Web site: Liam Hendriks statistics . Baseball-Reference . 23 May 2014.
17. Web site: Justin Huber statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 30 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090130064250/http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huberju01.shtml . live .
18. Web site: Luke Hughes statistics . Baseball-Reference . 23 April 2012.
19. Web site: Mark Hutton statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 13 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213153602/http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/huttoma01.shtml . live .
20. Web site: Shane Lindsay statistics . Baseball-Reference . 4 September 2011.
21. Web site: Stockman . Jennifer . 2005 Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees . Baseball Australia . Australian Baseball Federation . 7 August 2011 . 24 December 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608081756/http://www.baseball.com.au/?Page=15246 . 8 June 2011 . dead.
22. Web site: Graeme Lloyd statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 1 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090201013415/http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lloydgr01.shtml . live .
23. Web site: Curtis Mead statistics. Baseball-Reference. 29 August 2023. 29 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230829165411/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/meadcu01.shtml. live.
24. Nakamura was born in Japan, but raised in Australia from the age of 3. He competed for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
25. Web site: Micheal Nakamura statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 10 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090210143412/http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nakammi01.shtml . live .
26. Web site: Dave Nilsson statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 28 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090328131245/http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nilssda01.shtml . live .
27. Web site: Trent Oeltjen statistics . Baseball-Reference . 27 April 2010.
28. Web site: Jack O'Loughlin statistics . Baseball-Reference . 27 May 2024 . 27 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240527142821/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/olougja01.shtml . live .
29. Web site: Chris Oxspring statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 24 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080924130523/http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/oxsprch01.shtml . live .
30. Web site: Luke Prokopec statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 4 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204032040/http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/prokolu01.shtml . live .
31. Quinn acted as player-manager for the 1895 St. Louis Browns and the 1899 Cleveland Spiders.
32. Web site: Joe Quinn statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 8 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090208220429/http://www.baseball-reference.com/q/quinnjo02.shtml . live .
33. Web site: Ryan Rowland-Smith statistics . Baseball-Reference . 9 April 2015 . 25 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090325092702/http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rowlary01.shtml . live .
34. Web site: Craig Shipley statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 28 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228203113/http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/shiplcr01.shtml . live .
35. Snelling was born in the United States, but was raised in Australia. He competed for Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, 2009 World Baseball Classic and 2009 Baseball World Cup.
36. Web site: Chris Snelling statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 24 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090124004753/http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/snellch02.shtml . live .
37. Web site: Josh Spence statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011.
38. Web site: John Stephens statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 24 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080724155225/http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/stephjo03.shtml . live .
39. Stockman was born in England, but was raised in Australia. He competed for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2006 World Baseball Classic.
40. Web site: Phil Stockman statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 17 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090217154950/http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/stockph01.shtml . live .
41. Web site: Brad Thomas statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 30 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090130064429/http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/thomabr01.shtml . live .
42. Web site: Rich Thomas statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 24 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090124171841/http://www.baseball-reference.com/t/thompri03.shtml . live .
43. Web site: Lewis Thorpe statistics . Baseball-Reference . 11 February 2020 . 31 October 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191031081841/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=thorpe000lew . live .
44. Web site: Alexander Wells statistics . Baseball-Reference . 26 June 2021 . 25 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210625225144/https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=wells-000ale . live .
45. Web site: Aaron Whitefield statistics . Baseball-Reference . 27 July 2020 . 27 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200727071743/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whiteaa01.shtml . live .
46. Web site: Glenn Williams statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 16 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090216163850/http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/willigl01.shtml . live .
47. Web site: Jeff Williams statistics . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 25 February 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225123647/http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/willije02.shtml . live .
48. Web site: 1996 World Series Game 4 . Baseball-Reference . 11 July 2011 . 26 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210126081455/https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL199610230.shtml . live .
49. Web site: Grant Balfour statistics. 7 August 2011. Baseball-Reference. 10 February 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210024330/http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/balfogr01.shtml. live.
50. Web site: Damian Moss statistics. 7 August 2011. Baseball-Reference. 12 February 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090212205805/http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mossda01.shtml. live.
51. Web site: Peter Moylan statistics. 7 August 2011. Baseball-Reference. 12 February 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090212220941/http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/moylape01.shtml. live.
52. Web site: Liam Hendriks MLB: Australian pitch makes history, cops Aaron Judge home run, video. 2018-10-04. Fox Sports. en-AU. 2019-01-05. 1 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401180316/https://www.foxsports.com.au/us-sports/liam-hendriks-becomes-first-aussie-pitcher-to-start-in-mlb-postseason-gives-up-early-home-run/news-story/c8b46f6b6c6d15456f9357c6f2bccc67. live.
53. Web site: 2004 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 3 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210603032222/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_ALDS2.shtml . live .
54. Web site: 2008 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 5 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100405222439/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2008_ALDS2.shtml . live .
55. Web site: 2008 League Championship Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 23 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191123013852/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2008_ALCS.shtml . live .
56. Web site: 2008 World Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 18 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220518065303/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2008_WS.shtml . live .
57. Web site: 2010 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 13 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713023448/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2010_ALDS1.shtml . live .
58. Web site: 2012 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 9 October 2012 . 11 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121011065901/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2012_ALDS2.shtml . live .
59. Web site: 2013 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 14 September 2013 . 9 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131009123836/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2013_ALDS2.shtml . live .
60. Web site: 2018 Wild Card Game. Baseball-Reference.com. en. 5 January 2019. 5 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105201023/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2018_ALWC.shtml. live.
61. Web site: 2019 Wild Card Game. Baseball-Reference.com. en. 12 February 2020. 19 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200319182433/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2019_ALWC.shtml. live.
62. Web site: 2020 Wild Card Series. Baseball-Reference.com. en. 12 February 2020. 30 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200930141556/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2020_ALWC4.shtml. live.
63. Web site: 2020 AL Division Series. Baseball-Reference.com. en. 12 February 2020. 18 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201018025425/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2020_ALDS2.shtml. live.
64. Web site: 1996 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 5 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110805045949/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1996_ALDS2.shtml . live .
65. Web site: 1996 League Championship Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 25 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125115354/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1996_ALCS.shtml . live .
66. Web site: 1996 World Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509234516/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1996_WS.shtml . live .
67. Web site: 1997 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 22 June 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080622085957/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1997_ALDS1.shtml . live .
68. Web site: 1998 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 22 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110622081620/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1998_ALDS2.shtml . live .
69. Web site: 1998 League Championship Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 26 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210126043556/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1998_ALCS.shtml . live .
70. Web site: 1998 World Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 12 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071212100135/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1998_WS.shtml . live .
71. Web site: 2002 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 29 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211029141836/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2002_NLDS1.shtml . live .
72. Web site: 2010 League Division Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 20 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720004822/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2010_NLDS2.shtml . live .
73. Web site: 1892 Championship Series . Baseball-Reference . 7 August 2011 . 7 November 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111107070730/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1892_CS.shtml . live .