Edward James Milner Jr. (May 21, 1955 – November 2, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or parts of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1980–86, 1988) and San Francisco Giants (1987), primarily as a center fielder. Milner batted and threw left-handed.
Baseball career
Milner was drafted out of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio by the Reds in 1976. He was a part of the disappointing transition of the championship Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s. The Reds transitioned from players including Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, and Ray Knight, taking their chances with players including Milner, Gary Redus, and Clint Hurdle. A highlight of Milner's career was a 20-game hitting streak in 1986 in which he had batted .417 to go along with a .667 slugging percentage.
Milner suffered from cocaine addiction during his baseball career. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth suspended him for the entire 1988 season after he relapsed, but he was reinstated before the All-Star break after completing a drug rehabilitation program. The Reds released him on July 31, ending his major league career. On August 2, 1986, Milner collected his team's only hit in a game for fifth time, tying Tovar's major league record (1975).
Personal life
Milner's cousin, John Milner, was also a major league player.
References
External links
, or SABR Biography Project, or Retrosheet