[1] He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 until 1974, mostly for the Chicago White Sox until his final year with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[3] Brinkman made his Major League debut at the age of 24 on July 10, 1969, pinch-hitting in a 12-2 loss to the Oakland A's at Comiskey Park and striking out against Blue Moon Odom.

In 1973, Brinkman appeared in a career-high 63 games for the White Sox and hit the only home run of his career, one on May 23, 1973, against Rudy May of the California Angels in a 6-2 victory that temporarily kept Chicago in first place.

[1] According to an Associated Press story at the time, Brinkman arrived at his locker the next day to find the home run ball in a plastic case, a gift from his teammates.

[4] The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased Brinkman's contract on July 11, 1974, so that they could replace injured backup catcher Mike Ryan.