Armbrister was born in Nassau, Bahamas, on July 4, 1948.[3][4] He was one of thirteen children of Edison Sr. and Mary (McQuay); his brother, Jonathan, played minor league baseball in 1978. His father worked as a bus driver for Western Transportation and later as a security officer for Bahamas Faith Ministries. Armbrister attended Western High School in his hometown.[3] He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Astros before the 1967 season.[4]
In the tenth inning of Game 3 of the 1975 World Series, with Gerónimo on base and nobody out, Armbrister collided with Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk at home plate while starting to run out a sacrifice bunt, leading to a wild throw by Fisk to second base that allowed Gerónimo to reach third base and eventually score the winning run. Home plate umpire Larry Barnett did not make an interference call on Armbrister, a decision which was a source of heated debate after the Reds won the game, 6–5.[3][7]
Armbrister played in 73 games during the 1976 season, the most in his career, batting a career-best .295.[4] He laid down a sacrifice bunt in his only plate appearance in that year's National League Championship Series (NLCS), and did not play in the Reds' four-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the World Series.[3][4] Armbrister played his final major league game on October 2, 1977, at the age of 29. He finished his final season with a .256 batting average with one home run and five RBIs in 65 games. For his career, he batted .245 with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs in 224 games.[4]
Later life
After retiring from baseball, Armbrister returned to the Bahamas. He was a craps table croupier at Resorts International's Paradise Island casino and worked for at least one other establishment in the gaming business, a staple of the Bahamian tourist economy. He worked for the local government and consumer affairs agency around 2006 on Arawak Cay, a popular attraction in the Nassau area. He also served as a consultant to the Ministry of Sports and managed the Bahamian junior national team. In his downtime, Armbrister became a notable local softball player.[3]
Armbrister was inducted into the Bahamas National Hall of Fame in 2008.[2] He died on March 17, 2021, at his home in Nassau. He was 72, and was diagnosed with diabetes several years prior to his death.[7][8]