David Hulse (baseball)

David Lindsey Hulse (February 25, 1968), is a retired Major League Baseball player who played outfielder from 1992–1996 for the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.

Hulse played collegiate baseball at Schreiner University and was drafted by the Rangers in the thirteenth round of the 1990 amateur draft.^[1] He made it to the big leagues in 1992, batting .302 in 32 games. The following year, installed as the Rangers' center fielder, Hulse hit .290 and stole 29 bases, earning him some votes for Rookie of the Year; Hulse ultimately finished in eighth place.^[2] But despite his speed and defense, Hulse was not much of a power hitter (just five home runs in a career 1,265 at-bats), so he was traded to Milwaukee in 1995.

Hulse’s baseball career was derailed on September 7, 1996, in a game against his former team, the Rangers. Hulse was on third base and attempted to score on a ground ball toward first base. When the throw came home, Hulse tried to slide around catcher Dave Valle and touch the outside of the plate. Valle, however, was firmly planted at the plate, and the two collided. In the collision, Hulse’s humerus was forced against his chest, causing significant damage and severely limiting his arm movement.^[3] After re-habbing in 1997, Hulse attempted a comeback in 1998-99 with the AAA franchises of both the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Despite hitting a combined .332, Hulse was not promoted back to the majors and retired from baseball.

Amusing moments

Hulse is best-known for two of baseball’s more comical moments. First, on October 3, 1992, against the California Angels, Hulse fouled off two straight pitches into the far end of the opposing dugout, causing the Angels to scramble. Then he fouled off another pitch in the same spot, inducing the California players and coaches (and even an Anaheim police officer) to concentrate in the other end of the dugout. Then Hulse did it again, in almost exactly the same spot, causing a number of Angels to clap in admiration. Finally, he grounded out to second base, after which the Angels players went back to the no-longer-dangerous end of dugout.^[4]

The second was in a game against the Cleveland Indians on May 26, 1993. Hulse was in center field when the Indians' Carlos Martínez hit a ball to deep right-center field that bounced off the head of right fielder Jose Canseco and over the fence for a home run. Hulse can be seen laughing and joking with Canseco and, apparently, explaining to him what had just happened.^[5]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube