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Former Durham Bull All-Star In World Series |
The Durham Bulls all-time roster contains gold-medal-winning Olympians and now can add another accolade to the list. The Bulls had a former stand-out player in the 2000 World Series, the first Subway Series in over four decades. Former Durham Bull All-Star right-fielder Bubba Trammell played for the New York Mets in the first World Series of the 21st century.
New York Mets Right fielder Bubba Trammell once swung a bat for the Durham Bulls |
Trammell played for the Durham Bulls during their first two seasons in Triple A. Signed by Bulls affiliate the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the first round of the expansion draft in November of 1997, Trammell started the 1998 season in Tampa Bay but spent the bulk of the season for the Bulls, and played the first half of the 1999 season in the Bull City.
Trammell’s beginning with the Bulls was a strong one. Sent down from Tampa Bay in late April of
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1998, he reached base in the first 35 games he played for Durham and had a 15-game hitting streak; he hit one of 16 homers that season in his debut game with the Bulls. His stellar performance with the Bulls earned him a spot on the International All-Star team in July 1998, after which announcement he was pulled back up to the Devil Rays.
Trammell came back down to Durham to begin the 1999 season, and spent a week in May on the disabled list. He was called up to Tampa Bay in mid-June and had a strong second half of the season in the majors. He hit 14 home runs, third on the Devil Rays stat list, and hit .338 over the final month to push his average to .290.
The New York Mets acquired Trammell from Tampa Bay on July 28, 2000. He homered in his first game for the Mets (not unlike his start in Durham), becoming only the seventh player to homer in his first at-bat for the Mets in 38 ½ seasons. That three-run home propelled the Mets to a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in New York.
In the trade for Trammell, the Mets acquired another former Bull, pitcher Rick White. After playing for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon, North Carolina, White played in the exhibition game to welcome the Bulls to the Triple-A. He played for the Bulls for a stint during the 1998 season.
