Dusty Rhodes (outfielder)
| Dusty Rhodes | |||
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| Outfielder | |||
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Born: May 13, 1927 Montgomery County, Alabama | |||
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Died: June 17, 2009 (aged 82) Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| July 15, 1952, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 27, 1959, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .253 | ||
| Home runs | 54 | ||
| Runs batted in | 207 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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James Lamar "Dusty" Rhodes (May 13, 1927 – June 17, 2009)[1] was an outfielder with a 7-year career who played from 1952 to 1957 and in 1959. He played for the Giants franchise of the National League (1952-57 in New York, 1959 in San Francisco).
Of him, manager Leo Durocher said "a buffoon is a drunk on a hitting spree". In the 1954 season, he was often used as a pinch-hitter for Monte Irvin, and came through with an incredible number of clutch hits.
In the first game of the 1954 World Series, Rhodes had a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the tenth inning off Bob Lemon to win the game.[2] The next day he delivered a pinch hit single in the fifth inning and then remained in the game to play left field. In the seventh inning he hit a homer off Early Wynn to help ensure the victory.[3]
Roy Campanella, the Brooklyn Dodger catcher, said of Durocher and his action of pinch-hitting Rhodes: "If they have to pinch hit Rhodes for Irvin, they must be hurting." Willie Mays mocked this assumption in his autobiography. Mays considered Rhodes to be a "fabulous hitter", as did Durocher, who wrote in his autobiography, ". . . boy could he hit!", while commenting on Rhodes' atrocious fielding abilities.[4]
After his baseball career, Rhodes worked for a friend on a tugboat for 25 years, a job which he said he loved. When asked why his career was so short, Rhodes said, "After Durocher left the Giants, baseball wasn't fun anymore."
References
- ↑ Madden, Bill (2009-06-17). "Dusty Rhodes, hero for Giants of 1954 World Series vs. Indians, dies". Daily News (New York). Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- ↑ 1954 World Series, Game 1 (box score) – Retrosheet.
- ↑ http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1954/B09300NY11954.htm 1954 World Series, Game 2 (box score) – Retrosheet.
- ↑ Madden, Bill (June 18, 2009). "Dusty Rhodes, hero for Giants of 1954 World Series vs. Indians, dies". Daily News (New York).
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Weber, Bruce. "Dusty Rhodes, Star Pinch-Hitter in '54 Series, Dies at 82", The New York Times, Friday, June 19, 2009
- "Rhodes took 'fast track' to pro career", Las Vegas Sun, Monday, May 5, 2003
- Obituary by the Associated Press
- Dusty Rhodes at Find a Grave
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