Born on Valentine's Day and nicknamed "The Devil" for his smooth ways, Milbourne' journey through the big leagues started with three years in Houston as a light-hitting infielder. He hit .245 as an Astro over three seasons (1974-1976) with one homer as he fought for playing time with other infielders.

Sent to the expansion Seattle Mariners before the 1977 season, Milbourne spent another eight years with the M's, the Yankees, Twins, Indians and Phillies before return trips to New York and Seattle. Milbourne had a .327 average in his one post-season trip, with the Yankees in 1981.

For his career, Milbourne hit .254 with 11 homers in 11 seasons.