Leon Durham

Positions: First Baseman and Outfielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Left
6-1, 185lb (185cm, 83kg)
Born: July 31, 1957 in Cincinnati, OH us
Draft: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (15th) of the 1976 MLB June Amateur Draft from Woodward HS (Cincinnati, OH).
High School: Woodward HS (Cincinnati, OH)
Debut: May 27, 1980 (14,307th in major league history)
vs. NYM 5 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 17, 1989
vs. PHI 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1980 season
Full Name: Leon Durham
Nicknames: Bull
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1980

Harold Baines
Tim Wallach
Tony Pena
Mike Scioscia
Fernando Valenzuela
Bruce Hurst
Bob Ojeda
Lee Smith
Mark Davis

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

December 9, 1980

The Cubs trade reliever Bruce Sutter, the 1979 National League Cy Young Award winner to the Cardinals for 3B Ken Reitz, OF-1B Leon Durham

October 7, 1984

The San Diego Padres win the National League pennant with a 6 – 3 victory over the Chicago Cubs

Biography

A promising outfielder and first baseman with St. Louis, Durham was the bait that, with Ken Reitz, brought Bruce Sutter and a pennant to the Cardinals. Durham finished third in the 1982 NL batting race at .312 and became the Cubs’ first 20-HR 20-steal player since 1911. He played outfield for the Cubs until replacing Bill Buckner at first base in 1984, when his career-high 96 RBI helped Chicago to a division title. Aided by Wrigley Field, but troubled by inside pitches, Durham joined the Cubs’ all-time HR leaders but never fulfilled expectations. He was traded to his hometown Reds early in 1988 and missed most of the season with drug rehabilitation. He came back with the Cardinals in 1989 as a late-inning defensive replacement for Pedro Guerrero, but was again suspended for drug use.

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