Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #1 Kirk Bullinger

#33
Kirk Matthew Bullinger
Relief Pitcher

The younger brother of fellow pitcher Jim Bullinger, Kirk Bullinger came to Phillies Spring Training camp in 2000 as a non-roster invitee and made the team's opening day roster.  He appeared in three games in relief for the Phillies before landing on the disabled list on April 11th with a lower back strain.  Once healthy, the team activated him and optioned him down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he'd pitch the rest of the season.  While still on the disabled list, his uniform number was unceremoniously relinquished to a young slugger named Pat Burrell who made his big league debut that May 24th.  (Burrell would switch to #5 to start the 2001 season.)

Bullinger became a free agent following the 2000 season, and he'd pitch with Team USA in the 2001 World Cup.  In 2004, he appeared in a career high 27 games with the Astros.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  170
Born:  October 28, 1969, New Orleans, LA
Drafted:  Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 32nd round of the June 1992 amateur player draft.
Major League Teams:  Montreal Expos 1998; Boston Red Sox 1999; Phillies 2000; Houston Astros 2003-2004
Professional Affiliations:  St. Louis Cardinals 1992-1994; Montreal Expos 1995-1998; Boston Red Sox 1999; Phillies 2000; Cleveland Indians 2001; Chicago White Sox 2001; Houston Astros 2002-2004; Pittsburgh Pirates 2005

Phillies Career
3 games, 0-0, 5.40 ERA,  3 1/3 innnings, 4 strikeouts
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox, January 29, 2000.
Debut:  April 5, 2000 - Pitched the final inning in an 11-3 blow-out loss to the Diamondbacks in Phoenix, allowing two runs on three hits.
Final Game:  April 10, 2000 - Pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Mets, striking out three - Rickey Henderson, Jon Nunnally and Mike Piazza.
Departed:  Granted free agency on October 2, 2000, and signed with the Cleveland Indians organization on February 8, 2001.

1992 Fleer/ProCards #1583

1994 Topps #713

1999 Sports Illustrated #53

2004 Upper Deck USA 25th Anniversary #29

0 Bullinger Baseball Cards in My Collection
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Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps #713
First Topps Base Card:  1994 Topps #713
Last Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck USA 25th Anniversary #29
Other Notable Cards:  1992 Fleer/ProCards #1583, 1999 Sports Illustrated #53

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.