Daniel Driessen (born July 29, 1951 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for five teams in his eighteen year career. He is best known as a member of the Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" of the 1970s.
He became Cincinnati's starting third baseman in 1974, but was soon replaced at that position by Pete Rose, and from 1977 to 1981 replaced Tony Pérez at first base. Driessen led all National League first basemen in fielding three times. He also led the NL in walks in 1980.
In 1976, Driessen became the National League's first designated hitter in a World Series. Traded in the middle of the 1984 season to the Montreal Expos, he played little until his retirement, filling in at first base for the 1987 National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Driessen received the nickname "The Cobra" during his rookie season because of the quick, lethal way his bat struck.
He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Hall of Fame on June 23, 2012.
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