Homer Bush

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Homer Bush

Second Baseman

Born: November 12, 1972 (1972-11-12) (age 35)
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 16, 1997 for the New York Yankees
Final game
June 8, 2004 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Batting Average	.285
Hits	363
RBI	115
Teams
New York Yankees (1997–1998, 2004) Toronto Blue Jays (1999–2002) Florida Marlins (2002)
Career highlights and awards

Homer Giles Bush (b. November 12, 1972, in East St. Louis, Illinois) was a Major League Baseball second baseman with a career .285 batting average, who played for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Florida Marlins. He spent most of his years on bench duty on major league rosters, mainly as a pinch runner. Drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1991, he was dealt along with pitcher Hideki Irabu to New York in 1997 before playing a game for the Padres major league team. The Padres received outfielder Ruben Rivera and pitcher Rafael Medina.

Bush immediately joined the major league roster in New York, playing in a limited capacity with the team (mostly as a pinch runner), and was part of the team's 1998 World Series championship. After the season he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, along with pitchers Graeme Lloyd and David Wells, for pitcher Roger Clemens. 1999 was his only year as an everyday starter, as he played in 128 games and hit .320. In 2000 Bush produced one of the weakest offensive seasons of the decade; hitting .217 and posting an OPS of .524 in 297 at bats. He stayed in Toronto until 2002, when he was released early in the year by the Blue Jays. He was signed by the Florida Marlins, where he finished the season. Next year, he was signed by the Yankees, spending most of the season with their AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers. The Yankees invited him to their spring training in 2005, and he spent the year in the minor leagues. In 2007, Bush participated in Old-Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium, at the age of 34.

Bush was a standout wideout at East Saint Louis High School in East Saint Louis, Illinois. He is mentioned periodically in a book entitled "The Right Kind Of Heroes", a look at an inner city community and high school written by Kevin Horrigan.