- Dave Philley
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Dave Philley 
Dave Philley as an Oriole, 1955Outfielder Born: May 16, 1920
Paris, TexasBatted: Both Threw: Right MLB debut September 6, 1941 for the Chicago White Sox Last MLB appearance August 6, 1962 for the Boston Red Sox Career statistics Batting average .270 Home runs 84 Runs batted in 729 Hits 1700 Teams - Chicago White Sox (1941, 1946-51)
- Philadelphia Athletics (1951-53)
- Cleveland Indians (1954-55)
- Baltimore Orioles (1955-56)
- Chicago White Sox (1956-57)
- Detroit Tigers (1957)
- Philadelphia Phillies (1958-60)
- San Francisco Giants (1960)
- Baltimore Orioles (1960-61)
- Boston Red Sox (1962)
David Earl Philley (born May 16, 1920) is a former outfielder who played in Major League Baseball.[1] A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, 1941 and played his final game on August 6, 1962. He was born in Paris, Texas.
A well travelled and regarded clutch hitter, Philley played for eight different teams in a long 18-season career. He was considered one of the game's premier defensive outfielders before Gold Gloves were awarded. A hustler with good range and an outstanding arm, he led American League outfielders in assists three different years (1948, 1950, 1953) and once in outs (1950). A highly disciplined hitter as well, he had a short and compact swing with occasional power and was a daring and intelligent base runner. Still, Philley is best remembered for his pinch-hitting heroics in the late 1950s.[2]
Philley reached the majors in 1941 with the Chicago White Sox. He spent four years in military service during World War II, rejoining the White Sox in 1946 and playing 17 games for them that year.[3] Philley was with the White Sox for five and a half years before moving to the Philadelphia Athletics early in the 1951 season.[1] After playing for Philadelphia in the 1951 through 1953 seasons, he next played for the Cleveland Indians in 1954. He was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles during the 1955 season and finished the year with a .299 batting average, leading the Orioles in batting.[1] Later in his long career, Philley played for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox, including second stints with Chicago and Baltimore. His most productive season came in 1953 with the Athletics, when he posted career-numbers in batting average (.303), hits (188), doubles (30), and games played (157).[1] From 1947-53 he averaged 27 doubles per season, and in 1950 with Chicago hit 14 home runs with 80 RBI, also career-highs. While in Cleveland he appeared in the 1954 World Series.
As he got older, Philley became more of a pinch-hitting specialist. In 1958, playing for the Phillies, he collected 18 pinch-hits, including a streak of eight straight to close the season.
Dave Philley holds his Orioles' "Most Valuable Player" trophy, awarded in 1955 for leading the club in hitting with a .299 batting average
He also had a pinch-hit double Opening Day 1959, for an actual total of nine straight, a major league record that still stands today. While playing for Baltimore in 1961, he had a season total of 24 pinch-hits in 72 at-bats, which are also American League records.[4]
A 42-year-old Philley was signed off the Baltimore roster by the expansion Houston Colt .45's during the 1961-62 offseason, but a few hours later Houston sent him to the Boston Red Sox. Philley spent most of 1962 on the bench for Boston and retired at the end of the season.
In an 18-season career, Philley was a .270 hitter with 84 home runs and 729 RBI in 1904 games. He also collected 1700 hits, 276 doubles, 72 triples, 789 runs, 101 stolen bases, and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.708 (594-to-551).[5] As a pinch-hitter, he batted .299 (93-for-311).
After his playing days, Philley worked as a manager for the Houston minor league system from 1963–64, and spent 1965 managing the Durham Bulls, where he won a Carolina League division title. He found employment for 1966 in the Red Sox organization, where he managed the Class A Waterloo Hawks and served as a scout. Since retirement from baseball, Philley lives in his native Paris, Texas.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Paul Welsh and John Lancaster (1956). Official Oriole Profile, Photo and Data Book. New York: Big League Books. p. 19.
- ^ Bill Peterson (July 25, 1964). "You Have to Be Father, Mother...". The Florida Times. http://www.astroland.net/philley64profile.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ a b John Branch (July 6, 2006). "60 Years and 1,000 Tales Since 14 Were Ejected". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/sports/baseball/06eject.html?_r=1&scp. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ Pinch hitting records at Baseball Almanac
- ^ Dave Philley at Baseball Reference
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball Almanac
- Baseball Historian
- Baseball Library
- Brainy History
- History of Pinch-Hitting
- Retrosheet
- SABR
Categories:- Baltimore Orioles players
- Boston Red Sox players
- Boston Red Sox scouts
- Chicago White Sox players
- Cleveland Indians players
- Detroit Tigers players
- Philadelphia Athletics players
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Major League Baseball center fielders
- American military personnel of World War II
- Baseball players from Texas
- 1920 births
- Living people
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