Brian Bannister winced. The sharp twinge of a partially torn hamstring pierced his leg as he motored toward third base on a teammate’s hit. His sprint devolved into an awkward hobble, and as he crossed home plate he crumpled to the ground in pain.
Everything about the game (an eventual 9-7 win for his New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants on April 26, 2006) quickly faded from his mind. All he could think about was his leg . . . and his future.
Please. Not now.
The season had started well for Brian. The Mets’ promising, 6-foot-2-inch right-hander had earned two wins in his first three starts. But the injury sent him on a rehabilitation assignment to the minor leagues, where he re-aggravated the muscle tear and went on the 60-day disabled list. A summer of promise gone. Just like that.
Baseball is a fickle business. You never know when your best shot will come or when it will vanish. Injury, a teammate’s hot streak or a manager’s whim can alter a career forever. Haunting questions swirled around Brian’s young mind: Did I blow my chance? Will someone replace me?
“I was having fun and doing well,” he says. “All of a sudden, God had something else in mind.”
Players Pedigree
The stone wall stood 3 feet high.
Floyd Bannister went into the backyard of his lower-class Seattle home every day to pepper the barrier with left-handed devotion. He had no mitt and wore the only pair of pants he owned. His father, Ivo, a former antiaircraft gunner in World War II and railroad man, had moved the family from South Dakota to Seattle in the mid-1950s to work in a Boeing airplane factory.
It was a sparse, blue-collar life. Ivo and his wife, Ione, could give only life’s minimum to their five children and the 23 foster kids who passed through their doors. For young Floyd that meant spending countless hours throwing a ratty baseball against the wall for fun.
Apparently stone walls make for good pitching instructors. Floyd became the No. 1 pick in the 1976 major league draft, leading to a 15-year career. He posted a 134-143 career record with a 4.06 ERA and made appearances in the 1982 All-Star Game and 1983 American League Championship Series.
Talk about a cool father for “Bring Your Dad to School Day”! Some of Brian’s earliest childhood recollections are of Floyd’s brief tenure in Kansas City in 1988 and ’89. Brian experienced the tail end of the Royals’ heyday, mingling with superstars that included George Brett, Bo Jackson, Mark Gubicza and Bret Saberhagen.
“It was a magical time back then,” Brian says. “People always ask me why I didn’t collect autographs. Because they were my friends. I was always at the field, hanging out with my dad and other ballplayers.”
The Bannister family’s baseball roots don’t end there. Brian’s uncle, Greg Cochran, played minor league ball for the Athletics and Yankees. His younger brother, Brett, was a college teammate at USC and was drafted by Seattle before arm problems stifled his career. And Brian’s youngest brother, Cory, is currently a sophomore pitcher at Stanford.
So it wasn’t a surprise when as a rookie in 2006, Brian earned the No. 5 spot in the Mets’ imposing pitching rotation. In his first major league start on April 5, he threw five innings of no-hit ball before earning a no-decision against the Washington Nationals.
Three weeks later, though, Brian was on the ground, clutching his right leg and grasping for answers. He returned to the Mets in late August but made only one start and two relief appearances, finishing the regular season with a 2-1 record and a 4.26 ERA in eight total appearances. The Mets didn’t use him during their run to the National League Championship Series, and on Dec. 6, they traded him to Kansas City.
“One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Job,” Brian says. “He basically had everything that could go wrong. But he never turned his back on God. I’ve always told myself that no matter what happens in life, I’m going to be like Job.”
Brian started last season at the Triple-A Omaha Redhawks and struggled early after being called up to Kansas City. But after settling down and effectively locating his pitches—a low-90s fastball, cutter, curveball and changeup—he won 12 of his next 17 starts and ended the season with a 12-9 record and a 3.87 ERA. He was the Royals’ only starting pitcher with a winning record.
Brian credits newfound confidence for his breakthrough.
“No work in the weight room or training is a substitute for feeling like you belong,” he says. “I think that was the difference.”
Hope for the Future
Brian’s excitement is palpable. The Royals’ future, so bleak for so long, looks bright. Could Brian help Kansas City return to the prominence his father enjoyed 20 years ago?
“Something special is happening,” he says. “We just broke ground on renovations on the stadium. This has always been a baseball town. There were some great players and great teams here when I was growing up. And we’re going to be there real soon.”
Brian knows his role for 2008: progression, not regression. The Royals expect and need continued improvement from their budding star.
“To whom much is given, much is required,” he says. “The opportunities to share my faith—that’s what matters eternally.”
Brian adds: “Actually, the reason I always wanted to be a major league baseball player is because it gives you opportunities to influence other people.” 
