Draft

Brusstar, who batted and threw right-handed, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1970 in the 27th round (635th overall), but chose not to sign. In 1971, he was drafted by the Giants again, this time in the sixth round (114th overall). Again, the 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), 200 pound Brusstar did not sign. He would have to wait until 1973 to be drafted again, this time by the New York Mets in the 33rd round (684th), but again did not sign. In 1974, the Phillies were able to sign Brusstar after drafting him in the fourth round (67th).

Minor leagues

Brusstar was a very successful starter and reliever in the minor leagues. His ERA never reached 3.00 in any of the years he played before making his major league debut (the highest it reached was 2.71), although in two seasons he walked 90 or more batters.

Major Leagues

On May 6, 1977, at the age of 25, Brusstar made his major league debut with the Phillies when he was called up to replace Tug McGraw on the team's roster after McGraw suffered an elbow injury. He would never start a game in his career, because he was used primarily as a middle reliever. In only three seasons did Brusstar appear in over 50 games in a season, because he was constantly hampered by elbow and shoulder problems. He played his last game on October 3, 1985.

Transactions

On August 30, 1982, the Chicago White Sox purchased Brusstar from the Phillies. He would end up only pitching ten games for the White Sox. On January 25, 1983, the Chicago White Sox made a trade sending Brusstar and Steve Trout to the Cubs for Scott Fletcher, Pat Tabler, Randy Martz, and Dick Tidrow. Bill Buckner, who also graduated from Napa High School, was a teammate with Brusstar for a year and a half while they played for the Cubs.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]