Brad Penny
A burly, hard-throwing right-hander whose peak seasons with the Marlins and Dodgers made him one of baseball's most intimidating pitchers.
Born 1978 (age 48)·American baseball pitcher·Birthday: May 24·Generation X
Biography
Brad Penny pitched with the straightforward menace of his fastball: powerful, direct, and difficult to square up. The Oklahoma native broke in with the Florida Marlins, and his mid-90s heat and heavy sinker quickly established him as a workhorse. He delivered crucial innings in the Marlins' unlikely 2003 World Series run, starting Game 5 of the Fall Classic. Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit his zenith, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in 2006 and 2007, finishing third in Cy Young voting in the former year. At his best, Penny was a force, leading the league in winning percentage in 2006 and intimidating hitters with his size and velocity. His career, however, was a story of peaks and valleys, as shoulder and back injuries robbed him of consistency after his Dodgers tenure. He became a well-traveled veteran, pitching for five more MLB teams and even finding success in Japan, embodying the journeyman's quest to recapture, even briefly, the electric stuff of his youth.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Brad was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brad Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Brad's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Earned MLB All-Star selections in consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Pitched for the World Series champion Florida Marlins in 2003, starting a game in the Series.
- Finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2006 after posting a 16-9 record with a 4.33 ERA.
- Led the National League in winning percentage (.762) in 2006 with a 16-5 record.
- Won a Nippon Professional Baseball championship with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2014.
Did You Know?
He was originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1996 but did not sign.
Penny hit two home runs in his MLB career, both in the 2006 season.
He pitched a complete-game shutout for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the 2014 Japan Series clincher.
He was known for an exceptionally high release point, creating a difficult downward angle on his pitches.
“I just try to throw strikes and get ground balls.”
