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Brendan Kevin Donnelly (b. July 4, 1971 in Washington, D.C.) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher with the Boston Red Sox.

Donnelly had bounced around the minor leagues for 10 seasons after he was drafted in 1992 by the Chicago White Sox before he finally made his debut in 2002 with the then-Anaheim Angels. He was an immediate fan favorite because of his intensity, the goggles that he wears, and his effectiveness as the main setup man to Troy Percival. In 2003, in that same role, Donnelly put up an 1.58 earned run average and became a rare example of a non-closer who was selected as an All-Star. Donnelly went on to be the winning pitcher in that mid-summer classic.

He suffered a broken nose during spring training 2004, causing him to miss a large portion of the season. Donnelly remained fairly effective throughout 2004 in a very good bullpen for the American League West Champion Anaheim Angels. In 2005, Donnelly began to see a decline in performance, including a decrease in velocity on his fastball as a set-up man for closer Francisco Rodríguez after Percival's departure. In June 2005, Donnelly was suspended for having pine tar on his glove. In 2006, Donnelly continued to drop down the depth chart in the bullpen becoming an inconsistent middle reliever.

Donnelly had briefly been a replacement player during the 1995 spring training, as part of the MLB owners' attempt to break the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. As a result, he is barred from membership of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Through the 2006 season, Donnelly has pitched for seventeen teams (two of them independents), eight organizations, two independent leagues, eleven organized minor leagues, and the American League. 2006 was Donnelly's 15th season in professional baseball.

On December 15, 2006 Donnelly was traded to the Boston Red Sox for pitcher Phil Seibel.[1]

• Brendan Donnelly at ESPN.com
• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
• Brendan Donnelly's professional career

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