Early career On June 18, 1969, Milbourne signed as an amateur
free agent with the
Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore assigned him to their
rookie-level minor league affiliate, the
Bluefield Orioles of the
Appalachian League. With Bluefield that season, Milbourne
batted .305 with 75
hits, 10
doubles, six
triples, and four
home runs in 68
games played. Defensively, he played
shortstop. On April 7, 1970, he was released by Baltimore. At the end of the 1971 season, Milbourne was selected by the
California Angels in the minor league draft.
Houston Astros Milbourne was selected by the
Houston Astros from the
Tulsa Oilers in the
Rule 5 draft on December 3, 1973. He started the season with the Astros in 1974. On April 6, against the San Francisco Giants, Milbourne made his
Major League Baseball (MLB) debut, but did not make a plate appearance. His offensive debut came on April 9, against the
San Diego Padres, where he went hitless in one at-bat. At the start of
spring training in 1975, Milbourne failed to report to the Houston Astros, and his whereabouts were unknown. However, he did eventually report and made his season debut on April 8, against the
Atlanta Braves. On September 23, in a game against the
Cincinnati Reds, Milbourne hit his first career MLB home run. In the majors that year, he batted .248 with 22 runs scored, 36 hits, four doubles, and seven RBIs in 59 games played. In the field, he played exclusively at second base. In June 1976, Milbourne was
optioned to the minor leagues. In the minors that season, he played with the Triple-A
Memphis Blues, batting .325 with 45 runs scored, 95 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 31 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 71 games played.
Seattle Mariners On March 30, 1977, the
Seattle Mariners acquired Milbourne from the Houston Astros in exchange for
Roy Thomas. Milbourne delivered the Mariners first game-winning hit on April 8, 1977. During the 1977 season, he batted .219 with 24 runs scored, 53 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, and 21 RBIs in 86 games played. On defense, he played 41 games at second base, 40 games at shortstop, and one game at third base. He also played one game as the Mariners
designated hitter. He again made the Mariners roster in 1978. Milbourne commented on his role as the Mariners
utility infielder that year by saying, "I know it's my role to fill in. [...] I'd prefer to play more". On August 3, Milbourne got another game-winning hit, this time against the
Minnesota Twins. On the season, he batted .226 with 31 runs scored, 53 hits, six doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 20 RBIs in 93 games played. Milbourne played 32 games at third base, 23 games at shortstop, and 15 games at second base. In 10 games that season, Seattle used Milbourne as the designated hitter. In 1979, Milbourne made the Mariners
Opening Day roster for the third consecutive season. In 123 games played that year, he batted .278 with 40 runs scored, 99 hits, 13 doubles, four triples, two home runs, and 26 RBIs. Defensively, Milbourne played 65 games at shortstop, 49 at second base, and 11 at third base.
Later career In 1980, the Seattle Mariners traded him to the New York Yankees. He was dealt along with
John Pacella and
Pete Filson from the Yankees to the
Twins for
Butch Wynegar and
Roger Erickson on May 12, 1982. A few months after, the Twins traded him to the Cleveland Indians. After the 1982 season, the Indians sold him to the Philadelphia Phillies, who sold him back to the Yankees in 1983. After the 1983 season, the Yankees traded him back to the Mariners. Seattle released him following the 1984 season, and Milbourne subsequently retired. ==See also==