Brian Givens

Brian Allen Givens (born November 6, 1965) was an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Seibu Lions.

Givens was known most for being a replacement player who crossed picket lines during spring training in 1995 while the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike was still going on. He also was notable for having endured six arm surgeries—including Tommy John surgery before making his major-league debut.

Early life and education

Givens graduated from Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado.

Minor-league career

A left-handed pitcher, Givens was drafted by the New York Mets in 1984 in the 10th round of the now-defunct January amateur draft. He began his minor-league career immediately after high school, starting out at the Rookie league level with the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League in 1984. Givens went 4–1 for Kingsport, making 14 appearances, striking out 51, walking 52, and posting a 6.50 earned-run average.

In 1985, Givens split the season between two teams: the Short season Single-A league Little Falls Mets in the New York–Penn League and the full season A league Columbia Mets in the South Atlantic League. Givens did well, going 3–4 with a 2.93 earned-run average in 11 appearances with Little Falls, and going 1–2 with a 2.95 earned-run average in three appearances with Columbia. The following year, Givens pitched largely for the Jackson Mets again, going 3–5 with a 3.39 earned-run average in 13 games. Givens wound up going 0–1 with a 12.71 earned-run average in two games with Calgary, with his elbow blowing out in his second start at Calgary. In a different interview, Givens went one step further, dismissing the talent level of some of his fellow replacement players. "At the time, it's what I had to do", he told the Seattle Times in July 1995. "I told everyone on the team that. Of course, I regretted the decision. But I had to take care of my family. Those games were a joke. The talent level was horrible. To put myself in the same shoes with guys off the street made me sick. It wasn't really baseball."

At age 29, Givens made his big-league debut on June 24, 1995, pitching well in a loss. After his 30-day rehab assignment, Givens unexpectedly ended up staying longer in AAA instead of being promoted to the major leagues. "I was chapped at the time", Givens said of his frustration with not being called up sooner in 1996. "I didn't pitch well the first few games, then I finally got my head on straight." Givens was called up in June and was hit hard in four starts. While at New Orleans in 1996, however, Givens pitched well, going 10–9 with a 3.02 earned-run average. Givens ended the 1997 season with a 6-4 record and a 3.10 earned-run average.

In 1998, Givens returned to North America, pitching for the Shreveport Captains in the Double-A Texas League. Givens third child: a son, Ryan, a junior college prospect plays baseball for Illinois Central College (JUCO) in Peoria, Il.

Givens' love in life is his family and the sport of baseball. He still coaches baseball and is the coach of a team who won the state championship.