Brian Holman

Amateur career

Holman started his high school baseball career at Aurora Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado. While at Aurora Hinkley, Holman earned “ALL CENTENNIAL LEAGUE” First Team Pitcher honors and was selected to the Colorado Division AAA “ALL STATE” High School Baseball Team.

In 1982, Holman moved to Wichita, Kansas, and began attending Wichita North High School, where, as a senior, he made the All-State team. After graduating from North High where he earned “ALL CITY”, “ALL DISTRICT-5” and First Team High School “ALL AMERICA” honors, Holman was selected by the Montreal Expos in the first round of the June 1983 amateur draft/free agent draft. He was the sixteenth player selected overall. Holman decided to forgo a college baseball scholarship to the University of Nebraska to pursue a professional baseball career and signed with the Expos organization.

In 1989, Holman was included in a trade to the Seattle Mariners along with Randy Johnson and Gene Harris for Mark Langston and player to be named later (Mike Campbell).

Career highlights

While in the Expos Minor League system, Holman earned numerous honors including the Expos organizational “Player of the Month” three times. He was named to the Double-A and Triple-A “ALL STAR” teams, selected to the Topps Double-A “ALL STAR” Team for all of Double–A baseball and was named “THE SPORTING NEWS” Southern League Pitcher of the Year. Holman made his Major League debut on June 25, 1988, vs. Barry Bonds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He recorded his first Major League win on June 30, 1988, when he threw a five-hit complete game shutout vs. Tom Glavine and the Atlanta Braves.

On April 9, 1990, Holman was the Mariners “Opening Night” starting pitcher vs. the California Angels and recorded the victory with a 7-1 win.

On April 20, 1990, against the Oakland Athletics, Holman retired the first 26 batters he faced before Ken Phelps hit a home run over the head of Henry Cotto in right field and turned his perfect game into the ninth one-hitter in Mariners history. At the time, no Mariner had pitched a no-hitter. Phelps had been traded by the Mariners to the Yankees in 1988 for Jay Buhner. It was the last home run of Phelps' career.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s Holman logged 32 wins and fourteen complete games, five of those shutouts in just two and a half seasons of work. His playing career was cut short by an arm injury.

Retirement

Holman now focuses a majority of his time conducting private and group pitching lessons for both amateur and professional players. He is the pitching coordinator at Natural Baseball Academy in Olathe, KS. He is also a player adviser/representative for Baseball Management Services. Holman is a highly sought after motivational speaker and shares his inspirational message across the U.S. and Canada. Prior to transitioning back into baseball, Holman was a Managing Director and Principal for Ronald Blue & Co.’s in Kansas City, Kansas. Holman joined Ronald Blue & Co., a national financial, estate, tax, and investment consulting firm serving clients through a network of 16 offices in the United States, in 2000 and spent thirteen years with the firm before moving into full time coaching and speaking.

Holman is involved in many charitable organizations including Young Life, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Pro Athletes Outreach, Children’s Hospital and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Holman enjoys public speaking, coaching baseball, upland bird hunting, fishing, weight lifting and collecting vintage baseball memorabilia. He is a member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association In 2007, Holman was inducted into the "Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame" along with Joe Carter, Bill James and Phil Stephenson.