Brett Hinchliffe
Brett Hinchliffe is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was born with a genetic defect called syndactylism, a condition wherein two or more digits are fused together. As a result, the middle finger of his left hand was amputated as a child, and the bone was inserted into his thumb.
Seattle Mariners
Hinchliffe was drafted by the Seattle Mariners straight out of Bishop Gallagher High School in Detroit in the 16th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft, and spent most of his ten-year career in their farm system.He made his Major League Baseball debut on April 5, against the Chicago White Sox at the Kingdome, pitching three innings and allowing two earned runs. His first major league start came on April 18 against the Anaheim Angels. After Hinchliffe hit Angels third baseman Troy Glaus with a pitch in the first inning, Angels starter Steve Sparks retaliated on Ken Griffey Jr. in the third. When Glaus led off the fourth with a home run, Hinchliffe hit the following batter, Todd Greene, with a pitch, inciting a bench clearing brawl. Hinchliffe & Greene would be ejected from the game.
He made seven appearances, as both a starter and reliever, compiling a 0-2 record and 11.29 earned run average before being demoted to the Mariners' Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers mid-May. Hinchliffe went 9-7 with a 5.15 ERA as a starting pitcher at Tacoma to earn a call back up to Seattle that September. He made four appearances upon his return, going 0-2 with a 5.11 ERA.