Bryan Bullington enters his first year as a member of the Thunder coaching staff for the 2017 season. This will be Bullington's second stint with Thunder head coach Matt Husted after he played at Ball State when Husted was a member of the Cardinals coaching staff.
Bullington chose to forgo his senior season at Ball State after he was chosen as the number one overall pick of the 2002 Major League draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first player in MAC history to earn Pitcher of the Year honors in consecutive seasons and earned First Team All-American honors in his final season with the Cardinals. He remains the MAC career and single season record holder for strikeouts.
In September of 2005, Bullington made his Major Leage debut with the Pirates in a relief appearance against the Cincinnati Reds. After missing the 2006 season due to injury. he was the starting pitcher for the International League in the 2007 Triple-A All-Star Game, earning the victory in two innings of work. Bryan made it back to the Majors with the Pirates for parts of 2007 and 2008 and again in 2009 as a member of the Blue Jays organization. Bullington earned his first Major League victory as a member of the Royals on August 15, 2010, when he allowed just two hits in eight innings of shutout ball against the New York Yankees at Kaufman Stadium.
Following the 2010 season, Bullington signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan's Central League. In the first of his four-year stint with the Toyo Carp, Bullington earned a spot in the NPB All-Star Series. Bullington holds the franchise record for most victories by a foreign player. Bullington played his fifth and final season in Japan as a member of the Orix Buffaloes.
